woman bowing: dark skin tone
Unicode: 1F647 1F3FF 200D 2640
Description
A person kneeling or bowing with hands clasped, indicating respect, apology, or a deep plea. This specific sequence includes a dark skin tone modifier and the female sign, making it a woman with dark skin performing this gesture.
Group:
People & Body > person-gesture
Status:
minimally-qualified
Emotion:
Can convey deep respect, apology, pleading, gratitude, or even a sense of being overwhelmed/defeated. The specific nuance depends heavily on context.
Backstory
This emoji combines 'Person Bowing Deeply' (U+1F647), a skin tone modifier (U+1F3FF for dark skin), and a zero width joiner (U+200D) with the 'Female Sign' (U+2640) to specify a woman with dark skin. The base emoji (U+1F647) was introduced in Unicode 6.0 in 2010. Its origin is strongly tied to the Japanese 'dogeza' (εδΈεΊ§) gesture, signifying extreme apology or respect.
Usage Examples
- Apologizing sincerely: 'I am so sorry for my mistake, please forgive me. ππΏββοΈ'
- Making a heartfelt request: 'Please, can we try again? ππΏββοΈ'
- Showing deep respect: 'Thank you for your wisdom. ππΏββοΈ'
- Expressing overwhelming gratitude: 'You saved me, thank you so much! ππΏββοΈ'
- Reacting to something embarrassing or exasperating: 'Oh no, I can't believe I did that ππΏββοΈ' (more rare, but possible contextually)
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Often interpreted as a plea, apology, or 'begging' gesture. Less commonly used for intense respect compared to some Eastern cultures. Can also be a 'facepalm' substitute for exasperation.
East Asian culture:
In Japan (where 'dogeza' originates), it's a profound gesture of apology, deep respect, or request, often symbolizing extreme humility. In other East Asian cultures, similar gestures carry significant weight, though the specific 'dogeza' isn't universally adopted.
India:
Can be interpreted as bowing to elders (pranΔma) or religious figures, showing immense respect and humility.