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Unicode: 2199
Description
A classic red heart symbol.
Group:
Symbols > arrow
Status:
unqualified
Emotion:
Represents love, affection, friendship, and positive feelings.
Backstory
The red heart symbol predates emojis by centuries, with its origins in medieval iconography. It gained prominence in the 19th-century romantic era and was one of the first emojis encoded in Unicode 6.0 (2010), becoming a fundamental and universally recognized digital expression of love.
Usage Examples
- Expressing love: 'I love you, mom! ❤️'
- Showing appreciation: 'Thank you for everything! ❤️'
- Indicating friendship: 'Best friends forever! ❤️'
- Reacting to good news: 'So happy for you! ❤️'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Widely used globally as a universal symbol of love and affection.
East Asian culture:
Also used for love, but sometimes other heart variations (like the pink heart or heart with arrow) might carry slightly different nuances in specific contexts.