rainbow
Unicode: 1F308
Description
A semi-circular arc of seven colors, displayed in the order of the visible light spectrum: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. It is often depicted emerging from clouds or on a clear sky.
Group:
Travel & Places > sky & weather
Status:
fully-qualified
Emotion:
Typically represents happiness, joy, hope, luck, beauty, magic, and new beginnings. It is strongly associated with diversity and inclusion due to its adoption by the LGBTQ+ community.
Backstory
The rainbow emoji was introduced in Unicode 6.0 (2010). The rainbow itself is a natural meteorological phenomenon, and has been a symbol of hope and divine promise across many cultures and religions for centuries. In modern times, it gained significant recognition as the symbol of the LGBTQ+ social movements.
Usage Examples
- Expressing joy: 'What a beautiful day! 🌈'
- Symbolizing hope: 'Holding onto hope for brighter days. 🌈'
- Representing LGBTQ+ pride: 'Happy Pride! Love is love. 🌈'
- Celebrating diversity: 'Embrace all colors of the spectrum. 🌈'
- Indicating magic or wonder: 'Unicorns and rainbows! 🦄🌈'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Commonly symbolizes hope, good fortune, and the end of a storm. Also a prominent symbol for LGBTQ+ pride and diversity.
East Asian culture:
Similar associations with hope and good fortune, often linked to 'pot of gold at the end of the rainbow' myths, though less directly tied to LGBTQ+ pride than in Western contexts.