🔍
magnifying glass tilted left
Unicode: 1F50D
Description
A dark grey or black magnifying glass with its handle pointing to the lower left.
Group:
Objects > light & video
Status:
fully-qualified
Emotion:
Typically represents searching, looking, investigating, zooming in, or discovery.
Backstory
The magnifying glass icon is a widely recognized symbol for 'search' functionality across various digital interfaces. Its inclusion in emoji sets standardized its use in text-based communication for similar purposes. It was approved as part of Unicode 6.0 in 2010.
Usage Examples
- Searching for something: 'Let me look that up. 🔎'
- Suggesting an investigation: 'We need to investigate this further. 🔎'
- Zooming in: 'Can you zoom in for a closer look? 🔎'
- Indicating a discovery: 'Aha! Found it! 🔎'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Often used for search functionality, investigation, or emphasizing a detail.
East Asian culture:
Similar usage, frequently associated with 'search' buttons in apps and websites.