People & Body · Emoji 5.0

🧜‍♂️Merman Emoji

Generally, the merman emoji just means a merman! It's often used to talk about the ocean or anything related to that theme.

The 🧜‍♂️ emoji is a merman – a male figure with a fish tail.

Download PNG / SVG
Unicode
U+1F9DC U+200D U+2642 U+FE0F
Released
2017
Shortcode
:merman:
Skin tones
Yes
U+1F9DC +3Your device
🧜‍♂️

01 — Meaning

What does the 🧜‍♂️ Merman emoji mean?

In plain english
Generally, the merman emoji just means a merman! It's often used to talk about the ocean or anything related to that theme. People use it to add a bit of fun or a mythical vibe to their messages. 🧜‍♂️ sits in hand emojis, where it is listed next to everything used the same way.
Where it comes from
The 🧜‍♂️ emoji is a merman – a male figure with a fish tail. People use it to represent the ocean, sea, or anything related to water. It can express feelings of wonder, romance, or even a bit of fantasy. You might see it in messages about swimming, marine life, or just generally feeling dreamy.
Also known as

People search for it under a lot of different names. All of these point at the same character.

creature emojifairytale emojifolklore emojiNeptune emojiocean emojiPoseidon emojisea emojisiren emojitrident emojiTriton emoji

02 — Platforms

Merman emoji on iPhone, Android, WhatsApp and X

Same code on both ends, different drawing on each screen — here is the merman as 5 vendors ship it.

Merman emoji on Apple
AppleiPhone, iPad, macOS
Merman emoji on Google
GoogleAndroid, Gmail, Chrome
Merman emoji on Twitter / X
Twitter / XX, Discord, Twemoji apps
Merman emoji on Facebook
FacebookFacebook, Messenger
Merman emoji on OpenMoji
OpenMojiOpen-source, design systems

See the whole set the way each system draws it — iPhone emojis, Android emojis, WhatsApp emojis and Discord emojis.

03 — Skin tones

Merman emoji skin tones

🧜‍♂️ supports all five Fitzpatrick skin tone modifiers. Each one is a separate character sequence — tap any to copy it.

04 — Copy & codes

Merman emoji copy and paste

Everything here is the same character in different notation — including the shortcode chat apps know it by, :merman:.

All emoji copy and paste →

In your code

Pick the notation your language wants. They all resolve to the merman, code point U+1F9DC.

05 — How to type

How to type the 🧜‍♂️ Merman emoji

No picker to hand? The merman can be typed straight from the keyboard — the codes for that are below, one per system.

iPhone & iPad
Tap the smiley or globe key at the bottom-left of the keyboard, then search “merman”. No emoji key? Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard → Emoji.
Android
On Gboard tap the smiley key, or long-press the Enter or comma key. On Samsung Keyboard the emoji button sits behind the gear icon.
Windows & Mac
Windows: press Win + . for the emoji panel. Mac: Control + Command + Space. Then type “merman”.
Slack & Discord
Type the shortcode :merman: and it converts to 🧜‍♂️ as you send. The full set is on the Discord emoji page.
Websites & code
In HTML use 🧜‍♂️, in CSS \1F9DC\200D\2642\FE0F, in JavaScript \u{1F9DC}\u{200D}\u{2642}\u{FE0F}.
No picker to hand? The online emoji keyboard works in any browser, and every character on the site is listed on emoji copy and paste.

06 — Download

Merman emoji PNG and SVG

Grab the merman as transparent PNG or SVG. Each system ships its own drawing, and the licence stays with the vendor, all 5 of them.

Emoji PNG library →
Download Merman emoji, Apple style Apple PNG · 160px Download Merman emoji, Google style Google PNG · 160px Download Merman emoji, Twitter / X style Twitter / X SVG vector Download Merman emoji, Facebook style Facebook PNG · 64px Download Merman emoji, OpenMoji style OpenMoji SVG vector

07 — Combinations

Merman emoji combinations

Ready-made combos built around merman for bios, captions and comments. Tap to copy.

All combinations →
Cool merman combos
Cute merman combos
Mood merman combos
Aesthetic merman combos
Dark merman combos
Party merman combos
Love merman combos
Flex merman combos
Unhinged merman combos
Soft merman combos
Late night merman combos
Summer merman combos
Gaming merman combos
Y2K merman combos

Want two emojis fused into one sticker instead of set side by side? Emoji Kitchen does that for every pair Google has drawn, 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.

From a girl
When a girl sends you a 🧜‍♂️, she could mean a lot of things. Often, it’s just a cute and playful way to express attraction or interest. It can also simply be a reference to a shared love of the sea or mythical creatures.
From a guy
If a guy sends you a 🧜‍♂️, it could be flirting, but it doesn’t always mean he’s romantically interested. He might be using it to show he appreciates the ocean, or he might just be sending a silly emoji.
How to reply
If someone sends you 🧜‍♂️, you could reply with: “🌊 Let’s explore!” or “You’re dreamy 🧜‍♂️✨” or “Ocean vibes only 🧜‍♂️💙” or “Totally agree 🧜‍♂️🤝”.
Used in a sentence

09 — Around the world

What 🧜‍♂️ means in other countries

A storybook character in Western use, but related water-spirit figures are part of genuine belief systems elsewhere.

Changes meaning depending on where you are
West Africa/parts of the Caribbean

Male water-spirit figures appear in real spiritual traditions, not just fiction.

fantasy media

Standard mythical-creature reference from Western folklore and film.

casual chat

Used jokingly for a strong swimmer or beach lover.

Before you send it: Fine for playful use — just be aware it overlaps with living folklore in some regions.

10 — Apps

What 🧜‍♂️ means on TikTok, WhatsApp and Discord

Chat apps do not change U+1F9DC, they change what it looks like and what people take it to mean.

TikTok & Instagram
Generally, the merman emoji just means a merman! It's often used to talk about the ocean or anything related to that theme. In comments and captions it is read the same way — the tone comes from what it sits next to.
WhatsApp
WhatsApp draws 🧜‍♂️ with Apple-style artwork on every phone, so it looks identical for both sides, and holding it lets you pick a skin tone. A message with only 🧜‍♂️ in it is shown enlarged.
Discord & Slack
Both accept the shortcode :merman:. Discord renders Twemoji, so 🧜‍♂️ looks different there than on your phone.
Outlook & email
Outlook has no emoji picker on desktop — press Win + . or Control + Command + Space inside the message body, or paste 🧜‍♂️ from the copy button above.

12 — History

Where the 🧜‍♂️ Merman emoji came from

It arrived with the 5.0 release of the standard, which dates the merman to 2017.

Twitter / XTwemoji
Merman emoji, Twitter / X, Twemoji 14
Twemoji 14
Merman emoji, Twitter / X, Twemoji 15
Twemoji 15
Merman emoji, Twitter / X, Twemoji 16
Twemoji 16
Merman emoji, Twitter / X, Twemoji 17
Twemoji 17

Same character every time — U+1F9DC U+200D U+2642 U+FE0F 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.

2017
Added to the standard

Merman was approved as U+1F9DC U+200D U+2642 U+FE0F and shipped in Emoji 5.0 (2017). Phones usually get new artwork about a year after approval, in a system update.

Today
Drawn 5 different ways

Every vendor keeps its own artwork, so 🧜‍♂️ is redrawn by Apple, Google, Twitter / X, Facebook, OpenMoji. The character you send never changes — only the picture does.

13 — FAQ

Merman emoji — questions people actually ask

What does the 🧜‍♂️ Merman emoji mean?
Generally, the merman emoji just means a merman! It's often used to talk about the ocean or anything related to that theme. People use it to add a bit of fun or a mythical vibe to their messages.
What does 🧜‍♂️ mean from a girl?
When a girl sends you a 🧜‍♂️, she could mean a lot of things. Often, it’s just a cute and playful way to express attraction or interest. It can also simply be a reference to a shared love of the sea or mythical creatures.
What does 🧜‍♂️ mean from a guy?
If a guy sends you a 🧜‍♂️, it could be flirting, but it doesn’t always mean he’s romantically interested. He might be using it to show he appreciates the ocean, or he might just be sending a silly emoji.
How do you reply to the 🧜‍♂️ emoji?
If someone sends you 🧜‍♂️, you could reply with: “🌊 Let’s explore!” or “You’re dreamy 🧜‍♂️✨” or “Ocean vibes only 🧜‍♂️💙” or “Totally agree 🧜‍♂️🤝”.
What else is the 🧜‍♂️ emoji called?
Merman is the official Unicode name, but people search for it as “creature emoji”, “fairytale emoji”, “folklore emoji”, “Neptune emoji”, “ocean emoji”, “Poseidon emoji” and more. They all refer to the same character, U+1F9DC U+200D U+2642 U+FE0F.
What is the Unicode code for 🧜‍♂️?
The Merman emoji is U+1F9DC U+200D U+2642 U+FE0F, added in Emoji 5.0 (2017). In HTML you can write it as 🧜‍♂️, and in CSS as \1F9DC\200D\2642\FE0F.
How do I copy and paste the 🧜‍♂️ emoji?
Tap the copy button at the top of this page — 🧜‍♂️ goes straight to your clipboard and pastes into Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, Discord or any text field. You can also copy its shortcode :merman: for Slack and Discord.
Does 🧜‍♂️ look the same on every phone?
No. Merman is drawn separately by each vendor — Apple, Google, Twitter / X, Facebook and OpenMoji all ship their own artwork for U+1F9DC. The character you send is identical; only the picture changes.