love-you gesture
Unicode: 1F91F
Description
A hand with an outstretched thumb, index finger, and pinky finger, while the middle and ring fingers are bent down. This gesture is commonly used to express 'I love you' in American Sign Language.
Group:
People & Body > hand-fingers-partial
Status:
fully-qualified
Emotion:
Represents love, affection, friendship, positivity, and agreement. It's a non-verbal way to convey feelings of care and solidarity.
Backstory
This emoji was introduced in Unicode 9.0 (2016). It directly represents the handshape for 'I love you' in American Sign Language (ASL), where the fingers spell out 'I', 'L', and 'Y' simultaneously. Its inclusion allows for a non-verbal universal expression of love in digital communication.
Usage Examples
- Expressing affection to a friend or family member: 'Thinking of you! 🙏'
- Showing support or agreement: 'That's a great idea! 🙏'
- As a general positive affirmation: 'Have a great day! 🙏'
- Concluding a conversation with a loving sentiment: 'Talk soon! 🙏'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Widely recognized as the 'I love you' sign, especially due to its adoption from American Sign Language (ASL).
East Asian culture:
Also understood as 'I love you,' sometimes used more broadly to express general positivity or approval.
Mediterranean/Latin American culture:
While the isolated thumb and pinky can be a symbol of 'horns' (corna) to ward off evil or as an insult in some contexts, the addition of the extended index finger clearly distinguishes it as the 'love' sign, preventing misinterpretation in most cases.