raising hands: medium-light skin tone
Unicode: 1F64C 1F3FC
Description
A pair of raised hands, palms facing forward, with light skin tone. Often used to signify praise, prayer, or 'high five.'
Group:
People & Body > hands
Status:
fully-qualified
Emotion:
Typically represents celebration, gratitude, success, applause, or a 'high five' gesture. It can also convey a sense of blessing or strong affirmation.
Backstory
This emoji was introduced as 'Person With Folded Hands' in Unicode 6.0 (2010), but its common interpretation quickly shifted to 'high five' or 'prayer' due to its appearance. The addition of skin tone modifiers (like 1F3FC for light skin tone) in Unicode 8.0 (2015) allowed for more diverse representation.
Usage Examples
- Celebrating success: 'We did it! 🙌'
- Expressing gratitude: 'Thank you so much! 🙌'
- Giving a 'high five': 'Great job! 🙌'
- Indicating prayer or blessing: 'Praying for you 🙌'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Commonly used for 'high five' or celebration, giving thanks, or indicating praise (e.g., 'Praise the Lord').
East Asian culture:
Often interpreted as a 'thank you' gesture (especially in Japan, similar to gassho or 'namaste' gesture) or prayer.