hand with index finger and thumb crossed
Unicode: 1FAF0
Description
A yellow circular face with soft, slightly downturned eyes, and a small, flat, or faintly smiling mouth. It evokes a sense of tenderness, shyness, or reserved affection.
Group:
People & Body > hand-fingers-partial
Status:
fully-qualified
Emotion:
Typically represents shyness, tenderness, warmth, bashfulness, or a soft, gentle feeling. It can also convey a feeling of being touched or somewhat overwhelmed by emotion in a quiet way.
Backstory
This emoji was added to Unicode 14.0 in 2021 as part of the 'smiley' category, addressing a need for emojis that convey more nuanced, softer emotions beyond overt happiness or sadness. It contributes to a broader range of expressions for digital communication.
Usage Examples
- Expressing gentle care: 'Thinking of you. 🥹'
- After receiving a compliment: 'Aww, that's so sweet of you! 🥹'
- When feeling a bit shy or bashful: 'That's a bit much pressure, but I appreciate it. 🥹'
- Conveying tender emotion: 'Seeing them together just warms my heart. 🥹'
- Softening a request: 'Could you help me with this, please? 🥹'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Often used to express gentle affection, shyness, or to soften a statement, indicating a mild positive emotion or a somewhat introverted feeling.
East Asian culture:
Can be interpreted as 'kawaii' (cute) in a demure way, or used to express a gentle appreciation or a shy thank you. Less intense than other 'love' emojis.