man kneeling: medium skin tone
Unicode: 1F9CE 1F3FD 200D 2642
Description
A man kneeling, with a medium skin tone, representing the act of kneeling, often associated with prayer, respect, or submission.
Group:
People & Body > person-activity
Status:
minimally-qualified
Emotion:
Can convey reverence, devotion, respect, submission, humility, or protest depending on context.
Backstory
This emoji sequence combines a person kneeling (1F9CE), a medium skin tone modifier (1F3FD), a zero width joiner (200D), and the male sign (2642), followed by a variation selector (FE0F) for consistent display. It was introduced in Unicode 12.0 (2019) as part of a broader effort to include more diverse representations of people and gestures. The act of kneeling itself carries ancient and varied cultural significance across the globe.
Usage Examples
- Prayer or devotion: 'Praying for peace 🙏 🧎🏽♂️'
- Offering respect: 'Showing respect to the elders 🧎🏽♂️'
- Protest or solidarity: 'Taking a knee for justice ✊ 🧎🏽♂️'
- Proposing marriage: 'He got down on one knee 💍 🧎🏽♂️'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Often associated with prayer (especially in Christianity), proposals, acts of chivalry, or protests (e.g., kneeling during anthems).
East Asian culture:
Can signify deep reverence, apology, or a formal greeting, with variations in meaning depending on specific gestures.