man bowing
Unicode: 1F647 200D 2642
Description
A man kneeling with his head bowed and hands clasped, often depicted with a halo. The base emoji is 1F647 PERSON WITH BOWED HEAD, combined with 200D ZERO WIDTH JOINER, 2642 MALE SIGN, and FE0F VARIATION SELECTOR-16.
Group:
People & Body > person-gesture
Status:
minimally-qualified
Emotion:
Typically represents humility, apology, repentance, deep respect, kneeling in prayer, or sometimes a playful 'facepalm' or 'I give up' gesture.
Backstory
The base emoji 'Person Bowing' (1F647) was introduced in Unicode 6.0 in 2010. The gendered sequences for male (2642 MALE SIGN) and female (2640 FEMALE SIGN) were later added, allowing for more specific representation. The addition of the male sign after the person bowing creates the specifically differentiated 'Man Bowing' emoji.
Usage Examples
- Apologizing sincerely: 'I am so sorry for the mistake 🙏🏽♂'
- Expressing deep gratitude: 'Thank you so much for your help 🙏🏽♂'
- Praying or asking for good fortune: 'Praying everything goes well for you 🙏🏽♂'
- Showing deep respect: 'Respect for that amazing performance 🙏🏽♂'
- Playfully admitting defeat: 'Okay, you win, I give up 🙏🏽♂'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Often associated with prayer, asking for forgiveness, gratitude, or a submissive posture.
East Asian culture:
Can represent bowing in respect, deep apology (dogeza), or a gesture of deep thanks. In some contexts, it can also be used as a 'facepalm' or 'giving up' gesture.