All Hand Gesture Emojis: The Complete Collection
Hand gesture emojis are among the most expressive and frequently used emojis in digital communication. From the universally beloved 👍 thumbs up to the culturally specific 🤙 shaka sign, hand gestures convey emotion, agreement, direction, and personality in ways that words sometimes cannot.
This complete guide covers every hand gesture emojiEmoji
A Japanese word (絵文字) meaning 'picture character' — small graphical symbols used in digital communication to express ideas, emotions, and objects. in UnicodeUnicode
Universal character encoding standard that assigns a unique number to every character across all writing systems and symbol sets, including emoji., organized by type, with meanings and usage tips for each.
Thumbs and Approval Gestures
👍 Thumbs Up — The most popular approval emoji. Used to show agreement, like, or a positive reaction. In Western culture it means "good" or "okay." Note: in some Middle Eastern cultures it can be offensive, so context matters.
👎 Thumbs Down — Disapproval or dislike. Used when reacting negatively to something, or for playful banter.
👌 OK Hand — Originally meant "okay" or "perfect." This emoji has become somewhat controversial due to its association with online trolling in certain contexts, though its primary meaning remains a sign of approval or agreement.
🤌 Pinched Fingers — Added in 2020, this Italian hand gesture expresses questioning, emphasis, or perfection depending on context. Wildly popular for expressing "what do you mean?" or "this is delicious."
Raised and Open Hands
✋ Raised Hand — Stop, greeting, or "I have a question." Common in classroom or meeting contexts digitally.
🖐️ Hand with Fingers Splayed — Similar to raised hand but with a slightly different angle. Used for high-fives, greetings, and "stop" signals.
🤚 Raised Back of Hand — Stop or refusal, often used in a more emphatic way than ✋.
👋 Waving Hand — Hello or goodbye. One of the friendliest emojis, perfect for greetings and farewells.
🤗 Smiling Face with Open Hands — Technically a face emoji, but the open hands make it a hugging gesture. Warmth, enthusiasm, and affection.
🙌 Raising Hands — Celebration, praise, or "hallelujah." Often used after an accomplishment or when excited about something.
👐 Open Hands — Open and giving, suggesting openness, a hug, or "look at this."
🤲 Palms Up Together — Cupped hands, often interpreted as an offering, prayer, or receiving a gift.
🫶 Heart Hands — Two hands forming a heart shape. Added in Emoji 14.0 (2022), this gesture quickly became popular for expressing love and appreciation.
🙏 Folded Hands — Prayer, thanks, or a plea. One of the most widely used emojis across cultures. In Japanese culture it is specifically a bow of thanks or a request.
Pointing Fingers
👆 Backhand Index Pointing Up — "Look at this" or drawing attention to something above in the conversation.
☝️ Index Pointing Up — Emphasis, "number one," or "just a moment." The classic "one thing" gesture.
👇 Backhand Index Pointing Down — Pointing to something below in a message or feed.
👉 Backhand Index Pointing Right — Indicating direction, linking to something, or a playful teasing gesture.
👈 Backhand Index Pointing Left — The opposite; pointing left or indicating something previously mentioned.
🫵 Index Pointing at the Viewer — "You!" — direct address or accusation. Added in Emoji 14.0.
🤙 Call Me Hand — The shaka or "hang loose" sign, associated with Hawaiian culture and surfer vibes. Also means "call me."
Fingers and Count Gestures
✌️ Victory Hand — Peace sign or victory. One of the most universally recognized hand gestures globally. Also used for the number two.
🤞 Crossed Fingers — Good luck, hoping for the best, or (less charitably) lying. "Fingers crossed we get the tickets! 🤞"
🤟 Love-You Gesture — The "I love you" hand sign from American Sign Language (ASL). Popular in music fan communities.
🤘 Sign of the Horns — Rock and roll, metal music, or "hell yeah." Used enthusiastically in music and sports contexts.
🤙 Call Me Hand — Hang loose / shaka / call me.
👈👉 Left and Right Pointing — Often used together to indicate looking from side to side, awkwardness, or indecision (the "two pointing fingers" meme).
🖕 Middle Finger — Explicit rude gesture. Universally understood as offensive. Use carefully.
🖖 Vulcan Salute — The "live long and prosper" gesture from Star Trek. Popular among sci-fi fans and geek culture.
Fists and Power Gestures
✊ Raised Fist — Solidarity, strength, or protest. Widely used in social justice contexts and for expressing determination.
👊 Oncoming Fist — Fist bump or a punch. Often playful: "Great work! 👊"
🤛 Left-Facing Fist — Left side of a fist bump exchange.
🤜 Right-Facing Fist — Right side of a fist bump. Often paired: 🤛🤜 for a complete fist bump.
🤝 Handshake — Agreement, meeting, partnership. Common in business and deal-making contexts. Updated in 2022 to support two-tone skin color combinations.
Writing and Pointing Gestures
✍️ Writing Hand — Signing something, taking notes, or creating content.
💅 Nail Polish — Sass, confidence, or unbothered attitude. "Not my problem 💅" is a classic usage.
Skin Tone Modifiers
Nearly all hand gesture emojis support six skin tones using the Fitzpatrick scale: 🏻 🏼 🏽 🏾 🏿 plus the default yellow. This means each gesture has six visual variants, bringing the total number of hand-related emoji sequences into the hundreds.
For example, the thumbs up comes in: 👍 👍🏻 👍🏼 👍🏽 👍🏾 👍🏿
The same applies to 👋, ✊, 🤞, 🤙, and dozens more.
Cultural Considerations
Hand gestures vary enormously in meaning across cultures. A few important ones to know:
- 👌 OK hand — Positive in most Western countries; considered vulgar in Brazil and offensive in some Middle Eastern contexts.
- ✋ Raised hand with palm forward — "Stop" in many cultures; in Greece, it can be a severe insult (known as the "moutza").
- 🤙 Shaka — Rooted in Hawaiian culture. Using it casually is generally fine, but understand its cultural origin.
- 🖖 Vulcan Salute — Jewish in origin (used by Kohanim priests), popularized by Leonard Nimoy on Star Trek.
Most Popular Hand Gesture Emojis
Based on usage statistics, the most commonly used hand gesture emojis worldwide are:
- 👍 Thumbs Up
- 🙏 Folded Hands
- 👏 Clapping Hands
- 🤞 Crossed Fingers
- ✌️ Victory Hand
- 👋 Waving Hand
- 🤝 Handshake
- 💅 Nail Polish
- ✊ Raised Fist
- 🤌 Pinched Fingers
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