pinched fingers
Unicode: 1F90C
Description
A yellow hand, palm facing forward, with the thumb, index, and middle fingers extended, and the ring and pinky fingers curled down. It represents 'pinched fingers' or a questioning gesture.
Group:
People & Body > hand-fingers-partial
Status:
fully-qualified
Emotion:
Typically represents a questioning or sarcastic gesture, often used to ask 'what do you want?' or 'what's the deal?' It can also imply annoyance or a critical attitude, or a reference to Italian culture.
Backstory
This emoji was introduced in Unicode 13.0 (2020) as part of the 'Pinched Fingers' (also known as 'Italian Hand Gesture' or 'Ma Che Vuoi?') gesture. It quickly gained popularity for its versatility in conveying questioning, frustration, or a distinct cultural reference.
Usage Examples
- Expressing confusion: 'What are you even talking about? 🤌'
- Implying something smells good (in specific contexts): 'Mmm, this is delicious! 🤌'
- Sarcasm or skepticism: 'Oh, really? Is that so? 🤌'
- Referencing Italian culture: 'Living la dolce vita! 🤌'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Often used to represent 'pinched fingers' as a common Italian gesture, meaning 'what do you want?', 'what are you saying?', or 'what's going on?'. Sometimes used humorously or to imply skepticism.
East Asian culture:
Less commonly understood with its specific Italian connotation; might be interpreted as holding something small or as a variant of 'ok' sign, depending on context.