handshake: light skin tone, medium-light skin tone
Unicode: 1FAF1 1F3FB 200D 1FAF2 1F3FC
Description
A person with light skin tone gesturing with their right hand, combined with a person with medium-light skin tone gesturing with their left hand, forming a heart shape with their hands. It represents the 'hands forming heart' gesture.
Group:
People & Body > hands
Status:
fully-qualified
Emotion:
Typifies feelings of love, affection, gratitude, support, and friendship. It can be used to express admiration or a deep bond.
Backstory
This specific multi-person emoji (a ZWJ sequence involving two 'hands forming heart' components with different skin tones) was introduced in Unicode 14.0 (2021) as part of an effort to expand inclusive representation of popular gestures. The 'hands forming heart' gesture itself became popular globally through social media and celebrity culture, particularly in East Asia. The individual components 'hands forming heart' (1FAF1) and (1FAF2) were introduced in Unicode 14.0.
Usage Examples
- Expressing love to a friend: 'So happy we're friends! 🫶🏽'
- Showing appreciation for support: 'Thank you for all your help! 🫶🏽'
- Reacting to a sweet moment: 'That's so lovely! 🫶🏽'
- Conveying solidarity: 'We're all in this together! 🫶🏽'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Widely recognized as a universal symbol of love and affection, often used to express heartfelt appreciation, friendship, or romantic love.
East Asian culture:
Popularized by K-Pop and J-Pop idols, this gesture is very common and carries strong connotations of fan love, appreciation, and adoration. It's often used by celebrities to interact with their fans and can signify 'I love you' or 'thank you for your support'.