thumbs up: medium-light skin tone
Unicode: 1F44D 1F3FC
Description
A hand with thumb and index finger extended, forming a 'thumbs up' gesture with a medium-light skin tone.
Group:
People & Body > hand-fingers-closed
Status:
fully-qualified
Emotion:
Typically represents approval, agreement, enjoyment, encouragement, or positive feedback. It is a widely recognized sign of 'good' or 'okay'.
Backstory
The thumbs-up gesture has ancient origins, famously associated with Roman gladiatorial combat to signify life (pollice verso); however, historical interpretations vary. Its modern meaning of approval became widespread in the 20th century. The addition of skin tone modifiers (like 1F3FC) allows for more inclusive representation and was introduced with Unicode 8.0 in 2015.
Usage Examples
- Confirming receipt: 'Got it! 👍🏼'
- Showing approval: 'Great idea! 👍🏼'
- Agreeing: 'Sounds good 👍🏼'
- Encouraging: 'You can do it! 👍🏼'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Universally understood as a sign of approval, 'good job,' or 'okay.'
Middle East and Parts of West Africa:
Can be considered offensive, equivalent to showing the middle finger.
Japan:
Might be interpreted as indicating the number five (due to the five fingers visible), or sometimes used for signaling 'boyfriend.'
Germany and Parts of Eastern Europe:
Commonly used for 'one' when counting on fingers.