Animals & Nature · Emoji 3.0
🦈Shark Emoji
Generally, 🦈 means “shark.” It’s used to represent something dangerous, aggressive, or predatory.
The 🦈 emoji is a cartoon shark.
- Unicode
- U+1F988
- Released
- 2016
- Shortcode
- :shark:
- Skin tones
- No
01 — Meaning
What does the 🦈 Shark emoji mean?
One character, many names — these are the wordings people actually type, all 2 of them.
02 — Platforms
Shark emoji on iPhone, Android, WhatsApp and X
The character is always U+1F988 — but every vendor draws it their own way. This is what your shark looks like to the person on the other side.
See the whole set the way each system draws it — iPhone emojis, Android emojis, WhatsApp emojis and Discord emojis.
03 — Copy & codes
Shark emoji copy and paste
Everything here is the same character in different notation — including the shortcode chat apps know it by, :shark:.
All emoji copy and paste →In your code
Pick the notation your language wants. They all resolve to the shark, code point U+1F988.
04 — How to type
How to type the 🦈 Shark emoji
No picker to hand? The shark can be typed straight from the keyboard — the codes for that are below, one per system.
05 — Download
Shark emoji PNG and SVG
Transparent PNG and SVG for thumbnails, decks and design files — one file per vendor, which makes 9. Artwork belongs to whoever drew it, so check the licence before commercial use.
Emoji PNG library →
Apple
Google
Twitter / X
Facebook
WhatsApp
06 — Combinations
Shark emoji combinations
Ready-made combos built around shark for bios, captions and comments. Tap to copy.
All combinations →Want two emojis fused into one sticker instead of set side by side? Emoji Kitchen does that with 🦈, and there are more ready-made pairs in emoji combinations and aesthetic emoji combos.
08 — In conversation
What 🦈 means from a girl or a guy
Same emoji, different intent depending on who sent it and what came before.
09 — Around the world
What 🦈 means in other countries
A shark's tone depends entirely on the room: it can mean a ruthless dealmaker, a kids’ song, or a real beach safety warning.
A “shark” is a ruthless, aggressive dealmaker, so it flags someone as cutthroat rather than dangerous.
Tied to the “Baby Shark” song, so in family chats it reads as cute and harmless.
Used as a literal safety warning near beaches, separate from any slang meaning.
Before you send it: Context decides the tone completely; check whether the chat is about business, kids, or the ocean before sending.
10 — Apps
What 🦈 means on TikTok, WhatsApp and Discord
One code point, several readings — where the shark lands changes how it is taken.
12 — History
Where the 🦈 Shark emoji came from
When it was approved, which release it landed in, and how long phones have had it.
Same character every time — U+1F988 never changed. Only the drawing did, and only because each vendor redraws its own set. Someone on an older phone still sees the older picture.
Shark was approved as U+1F988 and shipped in Emoji 3.0 (2016). Phones usually get new artwork about a year after approval, in a system update.
Every vendor keeps its own artwork, so 🦈 is redrawn by Apple, Google, Twitter / X, Facebook, OpenMoji, Samsung, Microsoft, WhatsApp, JoyPixels. The character you send never changes — only the picture does.
13 — FAQ