person standing: medium-dark skin tone
Unicode: 1F9CD 1F3FE
Description
An emoji depicting a person kneeling, with the skin tone reflecting a dark skin color. The person is shown in a forward-facing posture, with knees bent and hands possibly joined or resting on the lap.
Group:
People & Body > person-activity
Status:
fully-qualified
Emotion:
Can convey various emotions depending on context, including prayer, respect, humility, submission, contemplation, or even exasperation or exhaustion. It is a posture with deep cultural and religious significance.
Backstory
This emoji was introduced as part of Unicode 9.0 in 2016, and the skin tone modifier (1F3FE) allows for representation across various global demographics, promoting inclusivity. The kneeling posture has a long history in human culture, representing various forms of respect and deference.
Usage Examples
- Expressing prayer or blessing: 'Praying for you 🙏🏾'
- Showing respect/deference: 'Bowing down to your wisdom 🙇🏾♀️'
- Apologizing sincerely: 'On my knees begging for forgiveness 🙏🏾'
- Contemplation or meditation: 'Just taking a moment to reflect 🧘🏾♂️'
- Proposing marriage (though less common with this specific emoji): 'Will you marry me? 💍'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Often associated with prayer (Christianity), proposing marriage, or showing respect/submission.
East Asian culture:
Can be associated with various forms of traditional greetings, apologies, or a posture of deep respect in martial arts or religious practices (e.g., Buddhism).
Indian subcontinent:
Widely used in religious contexts for prayer and devotion in Hinduism, Sikhism, and Islam.
African culture:
May be used in some traditional contexts for showing respect to elders or royalty.