Face With Diagonal Mouth Emoji
U+1FAE4:face_with_diagonal_mouth:About Face With Diagonal Mouth 🫤
Face With Diagonal Mouth () is part of the Smileys & Emotion group in Unicode. Added in Unicode E14.0. 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.
Often associated with confused, confusion, diagonal, and 12 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 yellow face with flat eyes and a mouth tilted diagonally, neither smiling nor frowning. 🫤 is the visual equivalent of going "eh" or "I mean... I guess?" It lives in the gray zone between fine and not fine, between caring and not caring quite enough to say something about it.
People reach for 🫤 when they're underwhelmed, mildly skeptical, or just not feeling it. It's the emoji you'd use when someone asks "how was the movie?" and the honest answer is "it was... a movie." Not bad enough to complain. Not good enough to recommend. Just there.
What makes 🫤 different from the other neutral/skeptical faces (😐, 😑, 😒) is that those emojis commit to a stance. 😐 is deliberately blank. 😑 is done with you. 😒 is judging you. 🫤 isn't doing any of those things. It's genuinely unsure. The mouth can't even pick a direction.
It's the emoji version of , the classic text emoticon that existed since the early internet but didn't have a proper emoji equivalent until 2021. That's a 6-year gap from Emoji 1.0 in 2015. The Unicode proposal (L2/20-219) specifically argued that was one of the most commonly typed emoticons still missing from the emoji set.
On Twitter/X, 🫤 shows up in reply tweets to lukewarm takes, mid announcements, and news that's technically fine but nobody asked for. It's become the go-to reaction for "that's... not what I expected" without escalating to negative.
On Slack and Teams, it works as a reaction that says "I see this, I acknowledge it, I have mixed feelings about it." Useful for those all-hands announcements that are technically neutral but everyone knows aren't great. Less loaded than 😬, more expressive than 😐.
In texting, it fills a gap that used to require typing "meh" or "idk" or "I mean..." out. When someone proposes plans you're not excited about but don't want to refuse, 🫤 is the honest answer. It also works for gentle disagreement without starting a fight.
Uncertainty, mild disappointment, or "meh." It's the emoji version of , expressing that something is neither good nor bad but you're leaning slightly negative. People use it when they have mixed feelings, are mildly skeptical, or just aren't feeling it.
It's the emoji version of , the skeptical/uncertain text emoticon that's been used since the 1990s. The Unicode proposal specifically cited as the primary emoticon this emoji was designed to replace.
The ambivalence spectrum: how 🫤 compares to its neighbors
The universal grammar of meh
What it means from...
"I'm not sold on that idea." From a friend, 🫤 is honest feedback without being harsh. They're not shutting you down, they're expressing that they have reservations. More useful than a fake-enthusiastic "yeah!" that you'd see through anyway.
Tricky to read. Could mean they're playing it cool about plans ("maybe, we'll see 🫤"), or it could mean they're actually lukewarm on the idea. With a crush, 🫤 usually signals you need to do more convincing. They're not saying no. They're saying "try harder."
Mild displeasure without wanting to start a fight. "How do you feel about dinner at my parents' house 🫤" or "sure, we can watch your show 🫤" — it's the emoji of agreeing reluctantly. Read it as an invitation to negotiate, not a flat refusal.
Professional skepticism. A 🫤 reaction on Slack to a new initiative means "I have concerns but I'm not going to be the one to say it out loud in this channel." Safe to use, but be aware it can read as passive-aggressive if overused.
"I'm going along with this but I'm not thrilled." Holiday plans, restaurant picks, whose turn it is to drive. Family 🫤 is about keeping the peace while registering a soft objection.
He's not sold on something. Could be plans, could be an idea, could be how he feels about a situation. From a guy in a dating context, it usually means "I need more convincing" rather than outright rejection. If he's using it in response to date plans, counter with a better offer.
Similar to from a guy: she's on the fence. In a friendship context, it's honest feedback. In a dating context, it might mean she's testing to see how much effort you'll put in. Don't overanalyze one emoji, but don't ignore it either.
Emoji combos
Origin story
For over two decades, people typed when they felt uncertain, skeptical, or mildly unhappy. It was one of the most common emoticons across IRC, AIM, MSN Messenger, and early text messaging. But when Unicode standardized the first emoji set in 2015, didn't make the cut. There was no face with a diagonal mouth.
The proposal L2/20-219 was submitted in 2020, arguing that this was one of the most significant gaps in the emoji face set. The proposal noted that had been in continuous use since the 1990s and that no existing emoji captured its specific shade of ambivalence. 😐 was too blank, 😒 was too negative, 🤔 was about curiosity rather than doubt. The diagonal mouth occupied unique emotional territory.
🫤 was approved as part of Unicode 14.0 in September 2021, alongside a batch of faces that all targeted subtle emotional states: 🫠 (overwhelmed), 🫣 (nervous curiosity), 🫡 (respectful acknowledgment), and 🫥 (invisible/insignificant). It was a strong class. All five addressed feelings that previously required multiple emojis or plain text to express.
The design itself is minimal: standard yellow face, neutral eyes, and a mouth drawn at roughly 30 degrees from horizontal. Every platform renders it similarly because there's not much room for interpretation. A tilted line is a tilted line.
Approved in Unicode 14.0 (2021) as FACE WITH DIAGONAL MOUTH. Added to Emoji 14.0. Part of the Smileys & Emotion category, face-neutral-skeptical subcategory. CLDR short name: "face with diagonal mouth." Keywords: disappointed, meh, skeptical, unsure.
Who argued this emoji should exist
Design history
Around the world
United States
🫤 maps directly onto the text emoticon which dominated American instant messaging culture since the 1990s. It's the go-to reaction for "mid" experiences — a concept that went mainstream in Gen Z slang around the same time the emoji launched.
Japan
Japanese communication tends toward more definitive emotional expressions. The ambiguity of 🫤 doesn't align well with kaomoji traditions, which typically have clearer emotional categories. Japanese users may prefer 🤔 or 😐 for the same sentiment.
Latin America
In cultures where direct emotional expression is valued, 🫤 can read as evasive rather than honest. The diagonal mouth may be interpreted as withholding a real opinion rather than genuinely being on the fence.
Northern Europe
The Scandinavian communication style — understated, reserved — makes 🫤 a natural fit. It matches the cultural preference for measured responses over dramatic reactions. Particularly popular in work Slack contexts in Nordic tech companies.
Popularity ranking
Who uses it?
Where is it used?
Often confused with
😐 Neutral face is deliberately blank. Zero emotion, zero opinion. 🫤 has an opinion, it's just not a strong one. The diagonal mouth is trying to decide which way to go. 😐's straight mouth already decided: nowhere.
😐 Neutral face is deliberately blank. Zero emotion, zero opinion. 🫤 has an opinion, it's just not a strong one. The diagonal mouth is trying to decide which way to go. 😐's straight mouth already decided: nowhere.
😒 Unamused face is actively judging you with that side-eye. 🫤 isn't judging, it's undecided. 😒 knows how it feels. 🫤 is still figuring it out.
😒 Unamused face is actively judging you with that side-eye. 🫤 isn't judging, it's undecided. 😒 knows how it feels. 🫤 is still figuring it out.
😑 Expressionless face is bored or checked out. 🫤 is still engaged, just not impressed. 😑 has given up processing. 🫤 is still processing but not liking where it's heading.
😑 Expressionless face is bored or checked out. 🫤 is still engaged, just not impressed. 😑 has given up processing. 🫤 is still processing but not liking where it's heading.
🤔 Thinking face is curious and considering. 🫤 has already thought about it and the conclusion is "meh." 🤔 is the before, 🫤 is the after.
🤔 Thinking face is curious and considering. 🫤 has already thought about it and the conclusion is "meh." 🤔 is the before, 🫤 is the after.
The ambivalence map: plotting every neutral face
Do's and don'ts
- ✓Use it for honest, gentle feedback when you're not fully sold
- ✓React with it to Slack announcements you have mixed feelings about
- ✓Send it when someone asks "how was it?" and the answer is mid
- ✓Use it to signal "I'm persuadable but not yet persuaded"
- ✗Overuse it as a Slack reaction (starts reading as passive-aggressive)
- ✗Send it in response to someone's genuine excitement (it's deflating)
- ✗Use it in a professional context where neutrality could be misread as disapproval
- ✗Chain multiple 🫤🫤🫤 (one is uncertainty, three is you being difficult)
It can be, depending on context. Used as a genuine expression of uncertainty ("I'm not sure about this plan 🫤") it's fine. Used as a Slack reaction to someone's work or a reply to someone's excitement, it reads as dismissive. The emoji itself is neutral. The situation makes it passive-aggressive or not.
Use it carefully. As a Slack reaction to announcements you have mixed feelings about, it works. As a response to someone's work or a direct message from a superior, it can read as uncooperative. The safest work use is reacting to general news, not individual contributions.
Caption ideas
Aesthetic sets
Type it as text
Fun facts
- •The Unicode proposal (L2/20-219) argued that was one of the most commonly used emoticons still lacking an emoji representation as of 2020.
- •🫤 was part of Unicode 14.0's batch of 37 new emojis, which was delayed from its original March 2021 release date due to COVID-19, eventually releasing in September 2021.
- •The emoji's mouth is angled at roughly 30 degrees from horizontal across all platforms. Unlike many emojis where Apple, Google, and Samsung take creative liberties, there's basically one way to draw a diagonal line.
- •🫤 sits in the face-neutral-skeptical subcategory alongside 15 other emojis, including 🙂, 😐, 😑, and 🤐.
- •Scott Fahlman proposed the first text emoticons (:-) and :-() in a 1982 Carnegie Mellon bulletin board post. appeared shortly after. It took 39 years for that specific expression to get a dedicated emoji.
- •Of the six new face emojis in Unicode 14.0, 🫠 melting face became the breakout star. 🫡 saluting face went viral during the 2022 Twitter layoffs when employees used it as a farewell. 🫤 grew more quietly but steadily.
- •Psychologists studying attitudinal ambivalence have shown that people holding truly mixed feelings make more accurate judgments than people who pick a side too early. 🫤 is, technically, the emoji of the smarter answer. It just doesn't feel that way in the moment.
- •On Emojiall, 🫤 currently ranks #277 out of 1,950 emojis overall and #94 in the Smileys & Emotion category, with usage trending up year over year. For an emoji that only reached most phones in 2022, cracking the top 300 is fast.
Common misinterpretations
- •Sending 🫤 in response to someone's good news. Even if you have reservations, 🫤 can read as "I'm not happy for you." If you have genuine concerns, use words. Save 🫤 for situations where lukewarm is an acceptable response.
- •Using it as a Slack reaction on someone's work output. 🫤 on a pull request or a design share reads as "this is mid." If you have feedback, write it out. Don't let an emoji do the work of a code review.
- •Sending 🫤 after being asked "are you okay?" It reads as "no but I don't want to talk about it," which can be frustrating for the person trying to help.
In pop culture
- •🫤 is the emoji version of the :-/ emoticon that people typed for 26 years before the emoji existed. Its Unicode proposal argued :-/ was the most common emoticon still lacking an emoji.
- •Scott Fahlman proposed text emoticons in a 1982 Carnegie Mellon bulletin board post. :-/ appeared shortly after. It took 39 years for that expression to get a dedicated emoji in 2021.
Trivia
For developers
- •. No variation selector needed.
- •On Slack: . On Discord: . Longer shortcode than most face emojis.
- •This emoji requires iOS 15.4+, Android 12L+, and Windows 11 22H2+ to render. Older systems show a square or question mark. If building for broad compatibility, consider a fallback or use the text emoticon instead.
- •In the Supplemental Symbols and Pictographs block ( to ), specifically in the extended range added for newer emojis.
Approved in Unicode 14.0 in September 2021 as . Available on iOS since 15.4 (March 2022), Android since 12L, and Windows since 11 22H2.
See the full Emoji Developer Tools guide for regex patterns, encoding helpers, and more.
When do you use 🫤?
Select all that apply
- Face with Diagonal Mouth Emoji (Emojipedia)
- Face with Diagonal Mouth statistics (Emojiall)
- L2/20-219 Proposal for FACE WITH DIAGONAL MOUTH emoji (Unicode)
- Unicode 14.0 Emoji List (Emojipedia)
- Next Emojis Will Include Melting Face, Biting Lip, Heart Hands (MacRumors)
- Face with Diagonal Mouth meaning (Emojis.wiki)
- Original Smiley Proposal (1982) (Carnegie Mellon)
- Meet Jennifer Daniel, the woman who decides what emoji we get to use (MIT Technology Review)
- Mixed feelings: the case of ambivalence (Schneider & Schwarz) (USC Dornsife)
- Bof: French Word of the Day (FrenchLearner)
- Understanding 'Boh': the Italian expression (ThinkInItalian)
- Emojipedia poll: which design does :/ justice? (Emojipedia / X)
- List of Generation Z slang ("mid") (Wikipedia)
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