Unicode category
Hand gesture and body emojis
Hands, gestures and body parts, including every skin tone variant each of them supports.
390emojis · tap any to copy
Overview
Hand emojis are the ones most likely to be misread, because gestures are cultural. 👌 is fine in most places and rude in others, 🤙 is casual surfing slang, and 🖕 needs no explanation anywhere.
Almost all of them support the five skin tone modifiers — the default yellow is intentionally non-human, and choosing a tone is a separate character appended to the base emoji.
01 — The set
Hand & Body Emojis copy and paste
Tap an emoji to copy it, or open it for the meaning, platform designs and codes.
Hand fingers open 11 emojis
Hand fingers partial 9 emojis
Hand single finger 7 emojis
Hand fingers closed 8 emojis
Hands 7 emojis
Body parts 18 emojis
Person symbol 11 emojis
Person 28 emojis
Person role 82 emojis
Person fantasy 33 emojis
Person gesture 30 emojis
Person activity 58 emojis
Family 37 emojis
Person sport 43 emojis
Person resting 5 emojis
Everything else 3 emojis
02 — Meanings
Hand & Body Emojis and their meanings
What each one actually says in a chat — the reading, not the dictionary name.
Generally, 👋 means “hello” or “goodbye.”
Generally, 🤚 means “stop” or “wait.”
Generally, the 🖐️ emoji means “stop” or “wait.”
Generally, it means “stop” or “wait a second.”
Generally, it means “Live Long and Prosper,” which is the Vulcan motto.
Generally, it means “that’s amazing!”
Generally, 🤏 means "a little bit" or “just a bit.”
Generally, the ✌️ emoji means you’re celebrating a win or victory.
Generally, it means wishing someone luck or hoping for something positive to happen.
Generally, it means “I love you” or “I like you” in a lighthearted way.
It generally means “I love you.”
Generally, it just means “awesome,” “cool,” or “you got it.”
Basically, it means "call me" or "let’s hang out."
Generally, it means “you” in a critical or pointing way.
Basically, it means "to the right" or “over here.”
Generally, it means “left” or “go that way.”
Generally, it means someone is pushing something – physically or metaphorically – away.
Generally, it means someone is feeling sick or unwell.
Generally, it means “lower that” or “calm down.”
Generally, it means “I’m ready to receive” or “please give me.”
Generally, it means “that way” or “over there.”
It usually means “look over there” or “that’s the way.”
Generally, it just means “look up there!”
Basically, it’s a really bad insult.
Generally, 👇 means “look down” or “below”.
Basically, it means “one” or “just one.”
Generally, 👎 means you don't agree with something or you think it's bad.
Generally, when someone sends you the ✊ emoji, they’re showing support for something you’re fighting for, or just expressing a feeling of strength and solidarity with you.
Usually, 👊 means “I’m with you” or “Let’s do this!”
Basically, it’s a way of saying “high five” but facing to the left.
Generally, 🤜 means “high five” or a friendly acknowledgment.
Generally, it means “well done!”
Generally, 🫶 means “I care about you” or “sending you love.”
Basically, it means “yay!”
Generally, 👐 means you’re offering a hug or embrace, or just wanting to seem friendly and approachable.
Generally, it means wishing someone well, hoping for a positive outcome, or offering a gesture of goodwill.
Generally, it means “thank you” or “please.”
Generally, ✍️ means someone wants to express that they're writing something, or that they're involved in a creative writing process.
Generally, it means “I’m feeling fabulous” or “looking good.”
Generally, when someone sends you a 🤳, they’re just showing you a picture they took of themselves.
Generally, it just means “strong” or “powerful.”
Generally, it just means “arm” or “strength.”
Generally, it just means “mechanical leg”.
Generally, it means “footprints” or “steps.”
Generally, when someone uses the emoji in a text, they're just referencing the fingerprint image itself.
Generally, when someone sends you the 👂 emoji in a text, they just want you to listen to what they’re saying.
Generally, the 🦻 emoji means "I’m here to help you listen."
Generally, it means “I care about you” or “I’m feeling a strong emotion.”
03 — Most used
The hand emojis people actually send
Ranked by how often they are used, not by Unicode order. Every vendor draws them differently — this is what your message looks like on the other side.
All popular emojis →
04 — Abroad
Which of these change meaning in other countries
The same picture, a different message. These are the ones from this set worth checking before you send them to someone in another country.
Means “okay” or “perfect” in the US, but reads as a vulgar or offensive gesture in several other countries.
Means “hoping for luck” across the English-speaking world, but the same gesture is considered vulgar in Vietnam.
Rock-and-roll “horns” in the US, but the same hand shape is a serious insult about infidelity in parts of Southern Europe.
One of the few gestures read as a straightforward, unambiguous insult almost everywhere it appears.
An explicit same-sex couple symbol — affectionate and ordinary in many places, but same-sex relationships are criminalized in dozens of countries.
An explicit same-sex couple symbol — welcomed in many places, but a real liability where same-sex relationships are illegal or heavily stigmatized.
05 — Combinations
Hand & Body Emojis combinations
Ready-made combos built only from this set — for bios, captions and comments. Tap to copy.
All combinations →06 — How to use
How to use hand emojis
07 — Timeline
When hand emojis arrived
This set was not added at once. It grew over 16 years, which is why the drawing styles inside it do not always match.
08 — FAQ
Hand & Body Emojis — questions
What are hand emojis?
How many hand emojis are there?
How do I copy and paste hand emojis?
Will these hand emojis look the same for everyone?
Can I use hand emojis in an Instagram bio or a username?
What are the best hand emojis combinations?
09 — Nearby
Collections close to hand emojis
These share the most emoji with this page — hand emojis overlaps most, with 40 of the same characters.