heart hands: light skin tone
Unicode: 1FAF6 1F3FB
Description
An emoji showing a person's hand with the index finger and thumb held out and the other fingers curled, commonly used to represent the amount 'small' or 'tiny'. This specific emoji includes a light skin tone modifier.
Group:
People & Body > hands
Status:
fully-qualified
Emotion:
Conveys the idea of something being diminutive, minimal, or insignificant. Can also be used to indicate a small amount of something or to playfully mock something as being 'tiny'.
Backstory
This emoji was introduced as 'Pinched Fingers' in Unicode 13.0 (2020), primarily associated with a common Italian gesture. Its usage quickly expanded globally to signify 'small' or 'tiny'. The skin tone modifier (1F3FB) was added alongside to allow for personalization, representing a light skin tone.
Usage Examples
- Indicating a small amount: 'Just a little bit more, please. 🤏🏻'
- Describing something diminutive: 'The kitten was so tiny! 🤏🏻'
- Expressing a minimal effort: 'I did just a tiny bit of work today. 🤏🏻'
- Playful or mocking use: 'You brought how much? 🤏🏻'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Frequently used to denote 'small' in a literal sense (e.g., 'a tiny bit'), or sometimes humorously for an understated measurement.
East Asian culture:
Similar literal usage, but like many hand gestures, its nuance can vary. Less likely to have vastly different meanings compared to simple 'small' in most contexts.