Folded Hands Emoji
U+1F64F:pray:Skin tonesAbout Folded Hands π
Folded Hands () is part of the People & Body group in Unicode. Added in Unicode E0.6. 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 appreciate, ask, beg, 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?
Two hands pressed together. Depending on who you ask, it's prayer, gratitude, a polite request, or a greeting. In the West, most people use it to say "thank you" or "please" or to express hope. In Japan, it's what you do before a meal (itadakimasu). In Hindu and Buddhist traditions, it's the aΓ±jali mudra, a gesture of respect equivalent to namaste. And for a solid chunk of the internet, it's a high five, which it isn't. That myth started on Twitter on July 22, 2013 and refuses to die, partly because Apple's original design had golden rays shooting out from the fingers that looked like two palms slapping together. Apple removed those rays in 2015 but the confusion stuck.
π is one of the top 10 most-used emoji on most platforms. It spikes hard around holidays, religious events, and moments of collective grief or gratitude. During COVID-19 in 2020, usage jumped 25% as people used it to thank healthcare workers and send prayers. It's common in Instagram captions ("grateful π"), Twitter replies ("please RT π"), and WhatsApp messages across South Asia where the namaste meaning is primary. On LinkedIn it shows up constantly in "thank you for connecting" posts, which is either sincere or cringe depending on your tolerance for LinkedIn culture.
It represents folded hands and is used for gratitude, prayer, polite requests, and respectful greetings. The most common use globally is "thank you." It also carries spiritual meaning in Christianity (prayer), Hinduism/Buddhism (namaste, aΓ±jali mudra), and Japanese culture (please/sorry/thanks).
No. The myth started on Twitter on July 22, 2013 and was fueled by Apple's old design that had golden rays resembling a clap. But the thumbs point the same direction (one person's hands), not opposite directions (two people high-fiving). The Unicode name is "Person With Folded Hands," not "High Five."
It can be. The gesture is associated with Christian prayer, Hindu/Buddhist aΓ±jali mudra, and general spirituality. But most people use it secularly for "thank you" and "please." Dictionary.com notes it's used in both religious and non-religious contexts.
π Sentiment Breakdown (1,539 Tweets)
What it means from...
If your crush sends π, they're thanking you or asking for a favor. There's zero romantic signal in this emoji. It's one of the most sincere, straightforward emojis. If you did something nice and they replied with π, take it as real appreciation, not flirting.
In relationships, π usually means gratitude or a request. "Can you pick up dinner? π" is a polite ask. "Thank you for dealing with my family today π" is real appreciation. Nothing to decode.
Between friends, it's most often "please" (asking a favor) or "thank you" (after they did something for you). Sometimes it's hopeful, like "pray for me, I have an exam tomorrow π."
He's thanking you or asking for something politely. There's no romantic signal in π. If a guy sends it after you helped him out, it's sincere appreciation. If he sends it before asking a favor, he's being polite about the ask.
Same as from anyone: gratitude or a request. Some people read π as more emotional than π, which is true. It's a warmer way to say thanks. But it doesn't carry romantic or flirty meaning.
Emoji combos
Origin story
The gesture of pressing palms together has roots across multiple civilizations. In Christianity, it's prayer. In Hinduism and Buddhism, it's the aΓ±jali mudra, a sacred position used in meditation and greeting. In Japan, it's a common gesture for "please," "thank you," and "I'm sorry," and it's performed before meals while saying itadakimasu. When Japanese phone carriers built their emoji sets in the early 2000s, KDDI's 2003 design showed a full person with hands folded, head bowed, eyes closed. SoftBank simplified it to just the hands. Unicode standardized it in 2010 as PERSON WITH FOLDED HANDS. The name deliberately avoids "prayer" to keep it culturally neutral, but most Western users still call it the prayer emoji. Apple's original iOS design added golden rays emanating from the fingertips, which inadvertently fueled the high-five myth. They removed the rays in iOS 8.3 (2015), and by 2018 most vendors had converged on the current two-hands-pressed design.
Approved in Unicode 6.0 (2010) as PERSON WITH FOLDED HANDS. Part of the Emoticons block. The original Japanese carrier designs from KDDI (2003) showed a person with hands folded, head bowed, and eyes closed. Added to Emoji 1.0 in 2015. Skin tone variants available.
One Emoji, Every Religion's Gesture
Design history
- 2003KDDI creates a folded-hands emoji showing a full person bowing with hands claspedβ
- 2008SoftBank simplifies the design to just two hands pressed together
- 2010Unicode 6.0 standardizes it as U+1F64F PERSON WITH FOLDED HANDSβ
- 2012First Twitter rumblings that π might be a high five (January 2012)
- 2013High-five myth goes viral on Twitter (July 22, 2013)β
- 2015Apple removes golden rays from the design in iOS 8.3, reducing high-five confusionβ
- 2018Major vendors converge on the same two-hands, blue-sleeves design
- 2020Usage spikes 25% during COVID-19 as people thank healthcare workersβ
Around the world
This is one of the most culturally varied emoji. In the Western world (US, Europe), most people read it as prayer or gratitude. In Japan, it maps to the gesture used before meals and when making polite requests. In India, Nepal, Thailand, and other South and Southeast Asian countries, it's namaste or the aΓ±jali mudra, a greeting of respect. Research on emoji interpretation across cultures confirms that the same emoji carries genuinely different primary meanings depending on the sender's cultural background. A Japanese user saying "itadakimasu π" before a meal photo and an American user saying "praying for you π" are using the same codepoint for completely different reasons.
In South Asian contexts, yes. The gesture is the aΓ±jali mudra, used as a greeting of respect equivalent to saying namaste. If the sender is South Asian or the conversation involves that cultural context, namaste is likely the intended meaning.
CNN reported a 25% increase in π usage in April 2020. People used it to thank healthcare workers, send prayers, and express hope. During India's second wave in early 2021, COVID-related tweets with π spiked over 600%.
In Japan, the folded hands gesture accompanies itadakimasu (said before meals, meaning "I humbly receive"), onegaishimasu ("please"), and gomen nasai ("sorry"). It's a gesture of everyday politeness, not primarily prayer. This is why the Unicode name avoids the word "prayer."
There's a tension. After mass tragedies, π floods social media as part of "thoughts and prayers" posts that critics call performative. Anthony Jeselnik literally named a Netflix special after it. The backlash hasn't killed the emoji β people still send it sincerely β but it added self-consciousness. Google Trends shows "thoughts and prayers" declined from 72 to 40 between 2019 and 2026.
What Does π Mean? Depends How Old You Are
One emoji, seven meanings
Search interest
Gesture emojis plotted by popularity and meaning sprawl
The High Five Myth Is Dying in Search Data
Where is it used?
Often confused with
Handshake. If you want to say "deal" or "agreement," use π€, not π. They get confused because both involve hands touching. But π is one person's hands, π€ is two people's hands.
Handshake. If you want to say "deal" or "agreement," use π€, not π. They get confused because both involve hands touching. But π is one person's hands, π€ is two people's hands.
Raised hands (celebration). If you want to express "yay!" or "hallelujah," π is the one. π is more solemn, more grateful, more requesting. π is pure celebration.
Raised hands (celebration). If you want to express "yay!" or "hallelujah," π is the one. π is more solemn, more grateful, more requesting. π is pure celebration.
Clapping hands. The closest thing to an actual high five emoji. If you want to applaud someone or celebrate an achievement, π is the pick, not π.
Clapping hands. The closest thing to an actual high five emoji. If you want to applaud someone or celebrate an achievement, π is the pick, not π.
π is folded hands (gratitude, prayer, request). π is raised hands (celebration, praise). If you're thankful, use π. If you're celebrating, use π. They're sometimes confused because both involve hands in the air, but the tone is completely different.
Do's and don'ts
- βUse it to express sincere gratitude or appreciation
- βUse it when making a polite request ("please help π")
- βUse it in spiritual or religious contexts respectfully
- βUse it at work as a warmer alternative to π
Absolutely. It's one of the safest professional emojis. "Thanks for handling that π" works everywhere from Slack to email. It's warmer than π without being as personal as β€οΈ. Just know that some colleagues may read it as prayer rather than thanks.
Because it's the safest warm emoji for professional contexts. "Grateful for this opportunity π" and "Thank you for connecting π" are LinkedIn staples. The subreddit r/LinkedInLunatics catalogs the most formulaic examples. The emoji itself isn't the problem β it's the template it keeps getting dropped into.
Caption ideas
Aesthetic sets
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Fun facts
- β’The high-five myth started on July 22, 2013 on Twitter. The earliest isolated mentions date to January 2012.
- β’Apple's original design had golden rays shooting from the fingertips. They removed them in iOS 8.3 (2015) because it looked too much like a clap.
- β’KDDI's 2003 Japanese carrier design showed a full person bowing with closed eyes. SoftBank stripped it down to just the hands.
- β’During India's second COVID wave in early 2021, tweets containing π spiked over 600%.
- β’The Unicode name is PERSON WITH FOLDED HANDS, deliberately avoiding "prayer" to stay culturally neutral. Despite this, most emoji keyboards file it under "prayer" in search.
- β’In Japanese, the gesture π represents is used when you say "itadakimasu" (I humbly receive) before a meal, "onegaishimasu" (please) when making a request, and "gomen nasai" (sorry) when apologizing.
- β’π doesn't actually cover Islamic prayer. Muslim du'a is performed with palms facing up, not pressed together, and Unicode added π€² Palms Up Together in Emoji 5.0 (2017) specifically to represent this gesture. Many Muslim users now pair π€² with π in multi-faith replies: one emoji for their tradition, one for their audience's assumed reading.
- β’Senior emoji researcher Keith Broni confirmed the emoji "was intended to be folded hands of an individual, and not a high five." The proof: the thumbs point the same direction (same person's hands), whereas a high five would have thumbs going opposite ways. Earlier Android designs showed a full person with closed eyes, making it unambiguous.
- β’On April 21, 2025, Pope Francis died after 12 years leading the Catholic Church. π flooded every major platform within an hour of the Vatican announcement. Most languages saw their highest single-day π volume outside COVID-19, with memorial posts and 'rest in peace' messages dominating Instagram and Facebook feeds for the rest of the week. The emoji does a significant share of the world's mass mourning work now.
- β’π is among the most LinkedIn-coded emojis on earth. LinkedIn's own 2023 emoji reports show it trailing only π and π₯ in post reactions and that its usage in 'I'm humbled to announce' posts has become so stereotyped that parody accounts like Best of LinkedIn have made it their house brand. The joke lands because the emoji is sincere by design, which makes its performative overuse unusually visible.
Common misinterpretations
- β’The most common misinterpretation: people still insist it's a high five. If you send π meaning "great job" and the other person reads "thank you," the conversation still works. But it's worth knowing the actual meaning.
- β’In cross-cultural conversations, what you mean as prayer might land as a greeting (namaste), or what you mean as thanks might land as a religious gesture. The mismatch is rarely harmful but it's real.
- β’Some people use π sarcastically ("oh great, another meeting π") but the emoji reads so sincerely that sarcasm doesn't land well with it. Stick to π for sarcasm.
In pop culture
- β’Drake got π tattooed on his arm in September 2014, then told The FADER: "It will be a debate until the end of time... high five or praying hands... life is what you make it." The tattoo went viral and reignited the prayer-vs-high-five argument across every platform.
- β’The TV series Broad City tweeted: "we just found out this emoji ππ» is actually a high five, but we still gonna use as prayer hands sry." The tweet went viral despite the "high five" claim being a myth. Emojipedia's senior researcher later confirmed it was always meant as folded hands.
- β’In Japanese culture, π maps directly to the gesture before meals while saying "itadakimasu" (γγγ γγΎγ). Every anime with a dining scene features this pose: Naruto, One Piece, Dragon Ball, Studio Ghibli films. Western anime fans adopted the emoji with this meaning long before the prayer-vs-high-five debate started.
- β’DJ Khaled turned π into personal branding on Snapchat and Instagram. His "bless up π" catchphrase in Stories became so recognizable that the emoji carried his voice for millions of followers. He paired it with "another one," "major key," and motivational speeches, making π synonymous with his persona.
- β’NPR ran a segment in 2014 titled "Simmering Online Debate Shows Emoji Is In The Eye Of The Beholder," focused specifically on the π prayer-vs-high-five question. It was one of the first mainstream news pieces to treat an emoji's meaning as a legitimate cultural story.
- β’π became the default response to mass tragedies on social media, riding the "thoughts and prayers" phrase that Know Your Meme traces to the Sandy Hook shooting (2012). By 2019, the phrase had become such a punchline that Anthony Jeselnik did a Netflix special called "Thoughts and Prayers" mocking performative sympathy. The backlash didn't kill the emoji β people still send π after tragedies β but it added a layer of self-consciousness. Now when you send it, there's a whisper of "is this enough?" that didn't exist before.
- β’π became LinkedIn's unofficial mascot. "Excited to announce π" and "Thank you for connecting π" posts are so formulaic that the subreddit r/LinkedInLunatics catalogs them as unintentional comedy. The emoji is perfectly sincere. The context it gets dropped into is often not.
Trivia
For developers
- β’. Skin tone variants: through .
- β’Emoji keyboards index this under multiple search terms: "pray," "prayer," "please," "thank you," "namaste," "high five." If you're building an emoji picker, make sure all of these map to π.
- β’For sentiment analysis, π is almost always positive (gratitude, hope, respect). The rare exception is sarcastic use, which is hard to detect computationally.
Apple's original design had golden rays shooting from the fingertips, which people misread as a high-five clap. They removed the rays in iOS 8.3 (2015). By 2018, all major vendors converged on the same clean, two-hands-pressed design.
The gesture appeared in KDDI's Japanese carrier emoji set in 2003. Unicode standardized it in 2010 as PERSON WITH FOLDED HANDS. It became widely available on iPhones in 2011 and was formalized in Emoji 1.0 in 2015.
See the full Emoji Developer Tools guide for regex patterns, encoding helpers, and more.
How do you use π?
Select all that apply
- Folded Hands Emoji (Emojipedia)
- Emojiology: Folded Hands (Emojipedia Blog)
- Folded Hands Emoji Meaning (Dictionary.com)
- COVID-19 emoji usage spike (CNN)
- Five ways emojis reflected COVID culture (Open University)
- AΓ±jali MudrΔ (Wikipedia)
- Cultural Differences in Emoji Usage (ResearchGate)
- Prayer Hands or High Five? (Fleksy/Medium)
- Is the folded hands emoji actually a high five? (The Star)
- COVID-19 Gendered Emoji Use Study (JMIR)
- Emoji Sentiment Ranking v1.0 (JoΕΎef Stefan Institute)
- Thoughts and Prayers (Know Your Meme) (Know Your Meme)
- NPR: Emoji Is In The Eye Of The Beholder (NPR)
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