🆗

OK button

Unicode: 1F197

Description

A square button with the Japanese character '新' (shin) in white on a red background. The character '新' means 'new' or 'brand new'.

Group:

Symbols > alphanum

Status:

fully-qualified

Emotion:

Typically represents newness, novelty, or something recently updated or released. It suggests a new item, a new feature, or a general state of being new.

Backstory

This emoji was introduced in Unicode 6.0 (2010), originating from a set of Japanese-specific emoji characters used on mobile phones. Its purpose is to clearly mark or announce new items or content, a concept very common in Japanese retail and digital design.

Usage Examples

  • Announcing a new product: 'Check out our new arrivals! 🆕'
  • Highlighting a new feature in an app: 'New update available! 🆕 features added!'
  • Marking new content on a website: 'Fresh articles added today! 🆕'
  • Referring to something that is brand new: 'Got a 🆕 phone today!'

Cultural Differences

Western culture:

May be less commonly understood without context, but is increasingly recognized due to global internet culture and the association with 'new' content or products, especially in tech or gaming.

East Asian culture:

Very commonly understood and recognized, especially in Japan, as a clear indicator for 'new arrivals', 'new releases', or 'what's new' on apps, websites, or products.