Finger Emoji Meanings: Pointing, Crossed and More
A finger emoji either points or makes a sign: 👇 and 👆 point to something below or above, 🫵 means “you”, 🤞 wishes for luck, ✌️ usually means peace, and 🫰 is a finger heart. A few carry baggage: the 👌 hand sign is offensive in some places, a reversed V sign is an offensive gesture in British culture, and 🖕 is obscene in many cultures.
Unicode files these 16 emoji in two subgroups, partial fingers and single fingers. Waves, thumbs, fists and two-hand gestures are on the hand emoji meanings page, and the other emoji families are in our emoji meanings dictionary.
Table of Contents
- Which finger emoji is which?
- What do the pointing finger emoji mean?
- What do the finger sign emoji mean?
- Why do the OK and pinching emoji need context?
- What does the middle finger emoji mean?
- Do finger emoji come in different skin tones?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Which finger emoji is which?
The table lists all 16 finger emoji in Unicode’s order: first the 9 partial-finger signs, from 👌 to 🤙, then the 7 single fingers that point or gesture. Each row gives the Unicode name, code point, the year Unicode added it and the most common meaning, with notes on known misreadings. The line under the table holds the whole set, ready to copy.
| Emoji | Name | Code point(s) | Emoji version (year) | Common meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 👌 | OK hand | U+1F44C | E0.6 (Unicode 6.0) 2010 | Means "OK", "sounds good" or "yes, that's right".Note: The same hand sign is offensive in some places, including parts of Europe, the Middle East and South America.Note: Since the late 2010s it has also been used as a white-supremacist symbol, so context matters.Note: Dictionary.com notes it can be combined with other emoji for a sexual meaning. |
| 🤌 | pinched fingers | U+1F90C | Emoji 13.0 2020 | The Italian "ma che vuoi" gesture, used for disagreement, frustration or disbelief, like "what do you want?".One source only: Emojipedia.Note: Its meaning varies by culture; Emojipedia notes that in Israel it can mean "hold on" or "be patient".Note: Using it to caricature Italian people can come across as a stereotype.Note: Emojipedia notes it is occasionally used with a sexual meaning. |
| 🤏 | pinching hand | U+1F90F | Emoji 12.0 2019 | Shows that something is small, a tiny amount or very close, as in "this close".Note: Dictionary.com notes it is often used as a crude joke with a sexual meaning.Note: Emojipedia notes it has been the subject of controversy in South Korea. |
| ✌️ | victory hand | U+270C U+FE0F | E0.6 (Unicode 6.0) 2010 | Today most often means peace, positivity or goodwill.Note: The reversed V sign is an offensive gesture in British culture.Note: Dictionary.com notes it is occasionally used with a sexual meaning. |
| 🤞 | crossed fingers | U+1F91E | Emoji 3.0 2016 | Wishes for luck or a good outcome, like saying "fingers crossed".One source only: Emojipedia. |
| 🫰 | hand with index finger and thumb crossed | U+1FAF0 | Emoji 14.0 2021 | The "finger heart" gesture popularised by South Korean celebrities, used to show love or affection.One source only: Emojipedia. |
| 🤟 | love-you gesture | U+1F91F | Emoji 5.0 2017 | The American Sign Language sign for "I love you", used to express affection.Note: Easily confused with 🤘 Sign of the Horns, which has the thumb tucked in. |
| 🤘 | sign of the horns | U+1F918 | Emoji 1.0 2015 | A "rock on" hand gesture, used for rock music and enthusiasm.One source only: Emojipedia.Note: Emojipedia notes the gesture has a variety of other meanings depending on culture and context. |
| 🤙 | call me hand | U+1F919 | Emoji 3.0 2016 | Makes a phone shape, used to say "call me".One source only: Emojipedia.Note: Not to be confused with 🤘 Sign of the Horns. |
| 👈 | backhand index pointing left | U+1F448 | E0.6 (Unicode 6.0) 2010 | Points to something on the left.One source only: Emojipedia. |
| 👉 | backhand index pointing right | U+1F449 | E0.6 (Unicode 6.0) 2010 | Points to something on the right.One source only: Emojipedia.Note: Some combinations with this finger carry a sexual meaning; Dictionary.com notes 👉👌 is one. |
| 👆 | backhand index pointing up | U+1F446 | E0.6 (Unicode 6.0) 2010 | Points to something above, like "see above".One source only: Emojipedia. |
| 🖕 | middle finger | U+1F595 | Emoji 1.0 2015 | Represents "giving someone the finger", a rude or insulting gesture.Note: Considered obscene in many cultures and inappropriate in formal or brand contexts. |
| 👇 | backhand index pointing down | U+1F447 | E0.6 (Unicode 6.0) 2010 | Points to something below the emoji, such as a link, a picture or more text.One source only: Emojipedia. |
| ☝️ | index pointing up | U+261D U+FE0F | E0.6 (Unicode 6.0) 2010 | Can stand for the number one or for asking a question.One source only: Emojipedia. |
| 🫵 | index pointing at the viewer | U+1FAF5 | Emoji 14.0 2021 | Stands for the word "you", pointing straight at the reader.One source only: Emojipedia. |
Characters, names, code points and versions from Unicode's emoji-test.txt (Emoji 18.0) and the Emoji Versions table in Unicode Technical Standard #51, checked . The year is when Unicode first defined the emoji, not when phones added it: vendors roll new emoji out later, at different times. E0.6 and E0.7 are Unicode's labels for emoji added in Unicode 6.0 (2010) and Unicode 7.0 (2014), before Emoji 1.0 was released in 2015. Emoji show in your device's own font, so they look different on other phones and computers. Meanings paraphrased from Emojipedia and Dictionary.com Emoji Dictionary, checked ; meanings vary by person and context.
What do the pointing finger emoji mean?
Pointing emoji steer the reader’s eye: 👇 points to a link, a picture or more text below, 👆 and ☝️ point up, 👈 and 👉 point sideways, and 🫵 means “you”. According to Emojipedia, the two up-pointers differ in meaning as well as shape:
- 👆 Backhand index pointing up: it says “see above”, agrees with a previous post like “this”, or makes a playful “that’s me”. In faith contexts it can point to heaven.
- ☝️ Index pointing up: it can stand for the number one or for asking a question, as well as pointing to something above.
Emojipedia describes 🫵 index pointing at the viewer, added in 2021, as standing for “you”, aimed straight at the reader. And since 2020, Emojipedia notes, 👉 and 👈 have often been paired with 🥺 to show a shy or bashful pose:
What do the finger sign emoji mean?
Finger signs carry the clearest meanings in the set: ✌️ peace, 🤞 good luck, 🤟 “I love you” in American Sign Language, 🤘 rock on, 🤙 call me or hang loose, and 🫰 a finger heart. Three of them look alike. 🤟 often stands in for a “rock on” feeling too, but in 🤘 the thumb is tucked in, and 🤙 makes a phone shape that doubles as the shaka sign.
The V sign of ✌️ was first a symbol of Allied victory in the Second World War. Today it most often means peace, positivity or goodwill, a casual “peace out” and a photo pose, though the reversed V sign is an offensive gesture in British culture.
U+1FAF0 · Emoji 14.0, 2021 - The "finger heart" gesture popularised by South Korean celebrities, used to show love or affection.
- Can also mean money, such as something expensive or a request to be paid.
- Sometimes shows snapping fingers or playing a tiny violin.
History: Approved in Unicode 14.0 (2021) and added to Emoji 14.0 (2021).
For heart emoji themselves, see our guide to heart emoji meanings.
Why do the OK and pinching emoji need context?
👌 means “OK”, “sounds good” or “just right”, 🤏 shows that something is tiny or very close, and 🤌 is the Italian “ma che vuoi” (“what do you want?”) gesture, but each one has a second reading. The card below lists the cautions for 👌.
U+1F44C · E0.6 (Unicode 6.0), 2010 - Means "OK", "sounds good" or "yes, that's right".
- Often says something is perfect or just right.
- Can be used sarcastically, like an ironic "good job".
- The same hand sign is offensive in some places, including parts of Europe, the Middle East and South America.
- Since the late 2010s it has also been used as a white-supremacist symbol, so context matters.
- Dictionary.com notes it can be combined with other emoji for a sexual meaning.
On the hate-symbol use, the Anti-Defamation League traces it to a 2017 4chan hoax that at least some white supremacists appear to have taken up in earnest by 2019, and stresses that the overwhelming use of the gesture is still assent or approval. Its page covers the hand gesture, not the emoji (ADL, checked 3 October 2026).
🤌 changes with culture: Emojipedia notes it can mean “hold on” or “be patient” in Israel, and using it to caricature Italian people can come across as a stereotype. 🤏 has been the subject of controversy in South Korea, according to Emojipedia. Each of the three can also carry a sexual meaning, according to Dictionary.com or Emojipedia, so read them in context.
What does the middle finger emoji mean?
🖕 is “giving someone the finger”, a rude or insulting gesture, though friends sometimes use it as a joke. It is considered obscene in many cultures and inappropriate in formal or brand contexts, so leave it out of brand posts and replies. When a comment on your TikTok videos needs a comeback, our free TikTok comment generator suggests friendly, witty, professional or calm reply ideas instead.
Do finger emoji come in different skin tones?
Yes. Each of the 16 finger emoji also comes in five skin-tone versions, made by adding one of Unicode’s five skin-tone modifiers to the default form shown on this page.
- light skin tone (
U+1F3FB) - medium-light skin tone (
U+1F3FC) - medium skin tone (
U+1F3FD) - medium-dark skin tone (
U+1F3FE) - dark skin tone (
U+1F3FF)
Checked against Unicode's emoji-test.txt (Emoji 18.0) and the Emoji Versions table in Unicode Technical Standard #51.
Apple documents how to pick a tone:
- iPhone: Tap an emoji to add it. To pick a skin tone, touch and hold the emoji, then drag to the variation you like and release. Checked against Apple Support, iPhone User Guide: Add emoji, Memoji, and stickers with the iPhone keyboard
- Mac: In the app you are typing in, choose Edit > Emoji & Symbols to open the Character Viewer. To see variations such as skin tones, click and hold the emoji in the viewer. Checked against Apple Support, Mac User Guide: Use emoji and symbols on Mac and Apple Support, Mac keyboard shortcuts
Version notes from the same pages: Read on the iOS 27 edition of the iPhone User Guide; earlier iOS versions can label things differently. Read on the current Mac User Guide (macOS 27). The guide has older-version editions back to macOS High Sierra (version selector checked 3 October 2026); menu and setting names can differ on older macOS.
Shortcuts for opening the emoji picker on Windows, Chromebook and Android are in our emoji keyboard shortcut guide.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 🫵 mean?
According to Emojipedia, the index pointing at the viewer emoji stands for the word “you”, pointing straight at the reader. Unicode added it in Emoji 14.0, in 2021, which makes it one of the newest finger emoji.
What does 🫰 mean?
Emojipedia describes the hand with index finger and thumb crossed as the “finger heart” gesture popularised by South Korean celebrities, used to show love or affection. It can also mean money, such as something expensive or a request to be paid, and sometimes shows snapping fingers or playing a tiny violin. Unicode added it in 2021.
What does 🤞 mean?
The crossed fingers emoji wishes for luck or a good outcome, like saying “fingers crossed”. It was approved in Unicode 9.0 in 2016 under the name “Hand with Index and Middle Fingers Crossed”.
What does 👆 mean in texting?
According to Emojipedia, 👆 points to something above, like “see above”, or shows agreement with a previous post, like “this”. It can also be a playful “that’s me”, or point to heaven in faith contexts.
What does 👉👈 mean?
Together, often with 🥺 in front, the two pointing fingers show a shy or bashful pose: 🥺👉👈. Emojipedia notes the pairing has been common since 2020.