Deaf Woman Emoji
U+1F9CF U+200D U+2640 U+FE0F:deaf_woman:Skin tonesAbout Deaf Woman 🧏♀️
Deaf Woman () is part of the People & Body group in Unicode. Added in Unicode E12.0. Type on GitHub and Slack to use it. Click copy above to grab it, paste it anywhere.
Works in iMessage, WhatsApp, Discord, Slack, Instagram, Twitter, Gmail, and every app that supports Unicode. Pick a skin tone above to customize it.
Often associated with accessibility, deaf, ear, and 3 more keywords.
Meaning varies across cultures, see cultural notes below.
Scroll down for the full story: meaning, trends, combos, and more.
How it looks
What does it mean?
A woman pointing her index finger between her ear and mouth, signing the word "deaf" in American Sign Language. This is one of the accessibility emojis that Apple proposed to the Unicode Consortium in March 2018, working directly with the National Association of the Deaf, the American Council of the Blind, and the Cerebral Palsy Foundation. It was approved in Unicode 12.0 and shipped in 2019.
The emoji exists for representation. Over 1.5 billion people worldwide live with hearing loss according to the WHO, with 430 million experiencing disabling hearing loss. Before 2019, there was no way to express deafness or Deaf identity in emoji. This emoji, along with the hearing aid emoji (🦻) and accessibility companions like the wheelchair and guide dog emojis, marked the first time Unicode directly addressed disability representation.
The distinction between "deaf" (lowercase, the medical condition of hearing loss) and "Deaf" (uppercase, a cultural identity with shared language, history, and community) matters here. This emoji serves both. It can represent someone who is hard of hearing and someone who is proudly Deaf, a member of a linguistic minority with its own rich culture.
On social media, 🧏♀️ shows up in three main contexts. First, self-identification: Deaf and hard-of-hearing people using it in bios, profiles, and posts about their identity. Second, awareness: during International Week of Deaf People (September, #IWDP) and International Day of Sign Languages (#IDSL), the emoji floods social media as an awareness symbol. Third, accessibility advocacy: people use it to highlight needs for sign language interpretation, captioning, or hearing accommodations.
But there's a fourth, less intended use that's taken off with Gen Z: the "mewing" trend. Mewing (pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth for jawline definition) renders you unable to speak, and some users adopted 🧏 to signal "I'm mewing" or "can't talk right now." This appropriation has drawn criticism from the Deaf community for trivializing a representation emoji.
In professional settings, 🧏♀️ is appropriate when discussing accessibility, inclusion policies, or Deaf services. It's a functional identifier, not a casual emoji.
It represents a woman signing the word 'deaf' in American Sign Language, with an index finger pointing from the ear to the mouth. It's used for Deaf identity, hearing loss awareness, accessibility advocacy, and representing deaf or hard-of-hearing people in digital communication.
No. The emoji shows the ASL sign for 'deaf,' but sign languages vary by country. In British Sign Language, the same one-finger ear gesture can mean 'hearing' (the opposite). International users should be aware of this cross-linguistic difference.
The Deaf & Sign Language Family
What it means from...
If a crush sends 🧏♀️, she's likely sharing something about her identity or experience with hearing loss. This isn't a flirty emoji. It's deeply personal. If she's telling you she's Deaf or hard of hearing, the right response is genuine interest and respect, not a topic change.
Between partners, this might come up when discussing accessibility needs, communication preferences, or shared advocacy. If your partner uses it in their bio or social media, it's an identity marker. Respect it the same way you'd respect any aspect of who they are.
Friends use it in awareness contexts (sharing Deaf awareness week posts), when referencing their own hearing status, or when discussing accessibility needs for events or gatherings. "Does the venue have interpreters? 🧏♀️" is a practical use between friends.
May appear in family conversations about hearing appointments, cochlear implant decisions, or Deaf education choices. These can be deeply personal family discussions. The emoji serves as a shorthand for an identity and experience that affects the whole family.
Professional and appropriate when discussing workplace accessibility, requesting accommodations, or coordinating sign language interpretation for meetings. Using it in work channels to raise awareness during Deaf Awareness Week is also standard.
On social media, strangers use it as an identity signal in their bios or to participate in Deaf awareness conversations. If you see it in someone's profile, it's telling you something important about who they are. Unfortunately, the mewing trend has added noise to this signal among younger users.
Emoji combos
Origin story
In March 2018, Apple submitted proposal L2/18-080 to the Unicode Consortium, a 12-page document titled "Proposal for New Accessibility Emoji." Apple didn't write this alone. They collaborated with the National Association of the Deaf, the American Council of the Blind, and the Cerebral Palsy Foundation to identify the most impactful accessibility emojis to prioritize.
The proposal opened with a statement that current emoji provide a wide range of options but "may not represent the experiences of those with disabilities." It proposed 13 new emoji concepts across four categories: Blind and Low Vision, Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Physical Motor, and Hidden Disabilities. The deaf person emoji specifically shows the ASL sign for "deaf," where an index finger points from the ear to the mouth.
Time magazine covered the proposal, noting it was the first time a major tech company had formally pushed for disability representation in emoji. The Unicode Consortium approved the full set in early 2019, and it shipped to phones by September of that year.
The film CODA, which won Best Picture at the 2022 Oscars, became the highest-profile moment for Deaf representation in media. It was the first Best Picture winner starring a predominantly Deaf cast, and it further legitimized the need for Deaf visibility in all forms of communication, including emoji.
Added in Unicode 12.0 (2019) as part of Emoji 12.0. Codepoint sequence: (Deaf Person) + (ZWJ) + (Female Sign) + (VS16). Originated from Apple's accessibility emoji proposal (L2/18-080) submitted in March 2018 in collaboration with the National Association of the Deaf, American Council of the Blind, and Cerebral Palsy Foundation. Part of a set that also included 🦻 Ear with Hearing Aid, 🦮 Guide Dog, 🦼 Motorized Wheelchair, 🦽 Manual Wheelchair, 🦿 Mechanical Leg, and 🦾 Mechanical Arm. Supports five Fitzpatrick skin tone modifiers.
Design history
- 2018Apple submits accessibility emoji proposal L2/18-080 to Unicode, collaborating with NAD, ACB, and CPF↗
- 2019Deaf Person emoji approved in Unicode 12.0. Gendered variants (🧏♀️ and 🧏♂️) included↗
- 2019Apple ships accessibility emojis in iOS 13.2 (September)↗
- 2022CODA wins Best Picture at the Oscars, the first film starring a predominantly Deaf cast to win the award↗
Around the world
The gesture shown in the emoji (index finger pointing from ear to mouth) is the ASL sign for "deaf." But sign languages aren't universal. In British Sign Language (BSL), the sign uses two fingers to tap the ear, and a single-finger gesture near the ear can actually mean "hearing," which is the opposite meaning. This creates real cross-cultural confusion in international deaf communities using the emoji.
The concept of Deaf culture (capital D) is strongest in the United States, where it's recognized as a distinct linguistic and cultural minority centered around ASL. In other countries, the relationship between deafness and cultural identity varies. Some cultures emphasize medical rehabilitation (cochlear implants, hearing aids) while others center Deaf identity and sign language preservation.
During International Week of Deaf People (late September each year), the emoji sees a global spike in usage as organizations and individuals worldwide use #IWDP and #IDSL to advocate for sign language rights and Deaf visibility.
The 'mewing' trend involves pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth (which prevents speaking). Gen Z adopted the deaf emoji to signal 'I can't talk, I'm mewing.' The Deaf community has criticized this appropriation for trivializing a representation emoji.
Capital-D 'Deaf' refers to a cultural identity with shared language (sign language), history, and community. Lowercase 'deaf' refers to the medical condition of hearing loss. The emoji serves both meanings, but the distinction matters in Deaf community contexts.
Popularity ranking
Often confused with
Woman raising hand (🙋♀️) has a hand up to signal attention or volunteering. 🧏♀️ has a finger pointing between ear and mouth. The hand positions are different, but at small emoji sizes, they can look similar on some platforms.
Woman raising hand (🙋♀️) has a hand up to signal attention or volunteering. 🧏♀️ has a finger pointing between ear and mouth. The hand positions are different, but at small emoji sizes, they can look similar on some platforms.
Do's and don'ts
- ✓Use it for genuine self-identification or Deaf awareness advocacy
- ✓Use it when discussing accessibility needs (captioning, interpreters)
- ✓Capitalize 'Deaf' when referring to the cultural identity, not just the condition
- ✓Pair it with 🤟 (I Love You sign) for Deaf pride
- ✗Use it as a joke about not listening or ignoring someone
- ✗Use it for the 'mewing' trend without acknowledging the Deaf community's concerns
- ✗Assume all deaf/Deaf people want or use this emoji the same way
- ✗Use it as shorthand for 'I can't hear you' in a trivial sense
Yes, when used respectfully. It's appropriate for awareness campaigns, accessibility discussions, and solidarity. It's not appropriate as a joke about not listening, not hearing someone, or the mewing trend without acknowledging its intended meaning.
Many in the Deaf community consider it inappropriate because it repurposes an emoji designed for disability representation as a casual trend marker. Whether it's 'offensive' depends on who you ask, but being aware of the Deaf community's perspective is important if you choose to use it that way.
Caption ideas
Aesthetic sets
Fun facts
- •The original Apple proposal was a 12-page document submitted as L2/18-080, one of the most detailed single-company emoji proposals ever filed with Unicode.
- •CODA (2021) was the first film starring a predominantly Deaf cast to win Best Picture at the Oscars. Both the film and the deaf emoji were, coincidentally, Apple projects.
- •The WHO estimates that by 2050, over 700 million people (1 in 10) will have disabling hearing loss. Unaddressed hearing loss already costs almost US$1 trillion annually.
- •Nyle DiMarco, the first deaf winner of both America's Next Top Model and Dancing With the Stars, went on to produce Netflix's Deaf U and direct the documentary Deaf President Now! for Apple TV.
Common misinterpretations
- •The Gen Z 'mewing' trend has significantly diluted the emoji's intended meaning. Many younger users now associate 🧏 with jawline exercises rather than Deaf identity. The Deaf community has pushed back against this appropriation.
- •In British Sign Language, a similar one-finger ear gesture can mean 'hearing' rather than 'deaf,' creating potential for the exact opposite meaning across sign language traditions.
In pop culture
- •Time magazine covered Apple's accessibility emoji proposal as a landmark moment for disability representation in digital communication.
- •CODA (2021) winning Best Picture at the Oscars was the highest-profile moment for Deaf representation in media history. The film features extensive ASL and was distributed by Apple, the same company that proposed the deaf emoji.
- •Nyle DiMarco's reality series Deaf U on Netflix followed Deaf students at Gallaudet University and helped mainstream Deaf culture and sign language for a hearing audience.
- •During each International Week of Deaf People (late September), the emoji becomes a central symbol in social media campaigns using #IWDP and #IDSL hashtags worldwide.
Trivia
For developers
- •ZWJ sequence: (Deaf Person) + (ZWJ) + (Female Sign) + (VS16).
- •Shortcodes: on GitHub, Slack, and Discord. CLDR: .
- •Skin tone modifier inserts after the base: + skin tone + + + .
- •Part of the accessibility emoji set from Unicode 12.0. If your platform supports 12.0, you should have the full set: 🧏 🦻 🦮 🦼 🦽 🦿 🦾.
- •Screen readers announce this as 'deaf woman,' which is one of the more accurately descriptive emoji names.
Apple proposed it in March 2018 (proposal L2/18-080) in collaboration with the National Association of the Deaf, the American Council of the Blind, and the Cerebral Palsy Foundation. It was approved in Unicode 12.0 in 2019.
2019, as part of Unicode 12.0 / Emoji 12.0. It shipped to iPhones in iOS 13.2 in September 2019. It was part of a broader accessibility emoji set that also included hearing aids, wheelchairs, prosthetics, and guide dogs.
See the full Emoji Developer Tools guide for regex patterns, encoding helpers, and more.
How do you primarily encounter the 🧏♀️ emoji?
Select all that apply
- Deaf Woman Emoji (emojipedia.org)
- Apple Proposes New Accessibility Emojis (blog.emojipedia.org)
- Proposal for New Accessibility Emoji (L2/18-080) (unicode.org)
- Deafness and hearing loss - WHO (who.int)
- What does D, d, and d/Deaf mean? (startasl.com)
- Prosthetics, Guide Dogs and Wheelchairs: Apple's Accessibility Emoji (time.com)
- Are the New Hearing Aids & Deaf Sign Emojis Accurate? (hearmeoutcc.com)
- CODA wins Best Picture (apple.com)
- Service Dog, Deaf Person, Couples added to 2019 Emoji List (blog.emojipedia.org)
- International Week of Deaf People 2024 (deafumbrella.com)
- Nyle DiMarco - Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
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