index pointing up: medium-light skin tone
Unicode: 261D 1F3FC
Description
Right pointing index finger with a light skin tone. The symbol depicts a human hand with the index finger extended and pointing to the right.
Group:
People & Body > hand-single-finger
Status:
fully-qualified
Emotion:
Typically indicates direction, emphasis, or a 'look here' gesture. Can also be used to signify agreement, approval, or a specific point in a conversation.
Backstory
The basic 'right pointing index finger' (U+261D) was introduced in Unicode 1.1 (1993). The addition of skin tone modifiers, such as 1F3FC (light skin tone), was part of Unicode 8.0 (2015), allowing for more inclusive representation.
Usage Examples
- Giving directions: 'The cafe is just around the corner. ☝🏽'
- Emphasizing a point: 'This is the most important part. ☝🏽'
- Referring to something: 'Look at that beautiful sunset! ☝🏽'
- Approving: 'Yes, that's exactly what I mean. ☝🏽'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Commonly used to point out something, draw attention, or signify 'this way' or 'over there'.
East Asian culture:
Similar usage to Western culture; however, sometimes pointing directly at someone can be considered rude in formal settings.