telephone
Unicode: 260E
Description
A classic telephone symbol, depicted as a receiver with a dial pad or buttons, often stylized. It can be black or white, sometimes with a clear outline or solid fill.
Group:
Objects > phone
Status:
unqualified
Emotion:
Neutral, utilitarian. Represents communication and connection. Can sometimes evoke 'old-fashioned' or 'retro' feelings due to its traditional design.
Backstory
The telephone symbol is one of the oldest stable emoji characters, appearing in early Unicode versions (e.g., Unicode 1.1 in 1993, which was incorporated into emoji sets much later). Its design is based on the iconic landline telephone receiver, a ubiquitous symbol of communication from the 20th century. It predates smartphones and represents the fundamental act of making a voice call.
Usage Examples
- Providing a phone number: 'Call us at 123-456-7890 ☎️'
- Indicating 'contact us' or 'phone': 'For inquiries, see our contact page ☎️'
- Referring to a phone call: 'I'll give you a ☎️ later.'
- As a nostalgic symbol: 'Remember rotary phones? ☎️'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Universally recognized as a symbol for making phone calls or contact information.
East Asian culture:
Similar universal recognition; often seen on contact pages or business cards to indicate phone numbers.