person bowing: light skin tone
Unicode: 1F647 1F3FB
Description
A person kneeling with hands clasped as if in prayer or asking for forgiveness, with light skin tone.
Group:
People & Body > person-gesture
Status:
fully-qualified
Emotion:
Typically represents begging, pleading, prayer, apology, or showing respect and reverence.
Backstory
The basic 'Person Bowing' emoji (originally 'Person With Folded Hands' as '🙏') was introduced in Unicode 6.0 (2010), representing a gesture of prayer or greeting. The skin tone modifier (1F3FB for light skin tone) was added later with Unicode 8.0 (2015), allowing for more inclusive representation.
Usage Examples
- Pleading for a favor: 'Please, please, please help me! 🙇🏻♂️'
- Apologizing profusely: 'I am so sorry for my mistake, I promise to do better. 🙇🏻♂️'
- Expressing gratitude or reverence: 'Thank you for everything! 🙇🏻♂️'
- Showing deep respect: 'Bowing down to your wisdom! 🙇🏻♂️'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Commonly associated with prayer (religious context), begging for something, or apologizing sincerely.
East Asian culture:
Can represent a deep bow of respect (dogeza), apology, or earnest begging, often implying extreme humility.