snowflake
Unicode: 2744
Description
A snowflake, a six-pointed crystal of ice, typically depicted in blue or white. It represents winter, snow, and cold.
Group:
Travel & Places > sky & weather
Status:
unqualified
Emotion:
Often conveys feelings of cold, winter, beauty, uniqueness (as no two snowflakes are alike), or can be used playfully to indicate someone is being overly sensitive ('snowflake' as a derogatory term).
Backstory
The snowflake emoji was approved as part of Unicode 5.2 in 2009 and added to Emoji 1.0 in 2015. Its design generally reflects traditional depictions of snowflakes, which are intricate and unique.
Usage Examples
- Indicating cold weather: 'It's freezing outside! Surely going to snow ❄️'
- Season's greetings: 'Happy holidays! Wishing you a white Christmas ❄️'
- Winter activities: 'Ski trip soon! Can't wait for the fresh powder ❄️'
- Figurative use (less common in positive context): 'Don't be such a sensitive snowflake ❄️'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Strongly associated with Christmas, holidays, winter sports, and the general concept of snow and cold weather.
East Asian culture:
Also represents winter and cold. In some contexts, it might be used to symbolize purity or fragility.