Men Holding Hands Emoji
U+1F46C:two_men_holding_hands:Skin tonesAbout Men Holding Hands 👬
Men Holding Hands () is part of the People & Body group in Unicode. Added in Unicode E1.0. 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 bae, bestie, bff, and 10 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 men standing side by side, holding hands. 👬 carries two very different meanings depending on who's sending it and where in the world they are. In Western contexts, it's predominantly read as a gay couple or a symbol of LGBTQ+ pride. Dictionary.com describes it as "typically used to represent a gay couple or gay pride," and that's how most English-speaking users reach for it.
But that's only half the picture. In the Middle East, South Asia, and parts of East Africa, men holding hands is an ordinary display of platonic friendship. It carries zero romantic connotation. In India, it's common to see male friends walking hand-in-hand on the street. In Arab cultures, it signals deep friendship and mutual respect. That cultural gap makes 👬 one of the most context-dependent emojis in the Unicode set.
Approved in Unicode 6.0 (2010) under the name "Two Men Holding Hands," it was one of the first emojis to explicitly represent a same-sex pair. Apple included it in iOS 6 (2012) alongside 👭 Two Women Holding Hands, making headlines as the first major platform to add gay and lesbian couple icons.
👬 usage spikes every June during Pride Month, when it appears in bios, stories, and posts alongside 🏳️🌈 and 🌈. Outside of Pride, it shows up in relationship posts, couple announcements, and anniversary celebrations. Gay couples use it the way straight couples use 👫, as a simple shorthand for "us."
On Twitter/X and TikTok, 👬 also serves as a symbol in LGBTQ+ advocacy. It appears in threads about representation, marriage equality victories, and anti-discrimination activism. During Russia's 2015 investigation into whether same-sex emojis violated their "gay propaganda" law, 👬 became a symbol of digital resistance.
The friendship reading is more common in South Asian and Middle Eastern social media. K-pop fandoms, particularly BTS ARMY, use 👬 to caption photos of male idols showing physical affection. Koreaboo reported that V and Jimin's hand-holding friendship has helped normalize platonic male touch globally.
In group chats, 👬 can simply mean "the boys" or "squad up." It's used ironically in bromance contexts ("date night with the homies 👬") and sincerely in friendship contexts.
👬 has two primary meanings. In Western contexts, it typically represents a gay male couple or LGBTQ+ pride. In many other cultures (Middle East, South Asia, East Africa), men holding hands is a normal sign of platonic friendship with no romantic meaning. Context determines which reading applies.
In Western texting, yes, that's the predominant reading. Dictionary.com describes it as 'typically used to represent a gay couple or gay pride.' But it's not exclusively romantic — it's also used for male friendship, bromance, and in cultures where men holding hands is a normal platonic gesture.
What it means from...
If a guy sends 👬 to another guy he's interested in, it's a pretty clear signal. It's saying "I see us as a pair" without having to spell it out. It's not subtle, but it's not as intense as ❤️. It leaves room for the recipient to read it as friendship if the interest isn't mutual, which makes it feel safer than a direct declaration.
Between partners, 👬 is the relationship shorthand: "us." It shows up in bios, captions, and quick texts ("miss you 👬"). Some couples post it on anniversaries or milestones. It's the emoji equivalent of holding your partner's hand in public, a small but visible statement.
Between straight male friends, 👬 is almost always ironic: "date night with the boys 👬" or "me and my homie 👬." The irony works because everyone knows the emoji's primary romantic reading, so using it for friendship adds humor. Between gay male friends, it might be sincere friendship or playful flirting, read the room.
In family contexts, 👬 can represent a father-son bond, brothers, or a male family duo. It's also used to represent two dads. In Pride family photos, it often captions images of same-sex parents with their kids.
In professional settings, 👬 is rare and context-dependent. During Pride Month, companies might use it in internal Slack channels. Outside of that specific context, it's not a standard work emoji. The romantic default reading makes it awkward for professional pairings.
From someone you don't know, context determines everything. In a Pride-related post, it's advocacy. In a dating app bio, it's identity. On a friend's group photo, it's tagging the boys. Without context clues, most Western recipients default to the romantic reading.
Flirty or friendly?
👬 defaults to romantic in Western contexts. If a man sends it to another man he's interested in, it reads as a signal. If straight male friends use it, it's almost always ironic ("me and the boys 👬"). The friendship reading is sincere in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and K-pop contexts where male physical affection is normalized. There's no ambiguity spectrum here the way there is with ❤️ or 😊 — the context is either romantic or deliberately playful.
- •Romantic: used in dating, relationship, or Pride contexts
- •Ironic friendship: straight men using it for bromance humor
- •Sincere friendship: common in South Asian, Arab, and K-pop contexts
- •Advocacy: paired with 🏳️🌈 or in rights-related discussions
Depends on context. If it's from a gay man to someone he's interested in, it's romantic. If it's from a straight friend, it's probably ironic bromance humor ('date night with the boys 👬'). If it's from someone in South Asian or Middle Eastern culture, it likely means close friendship.
Emoji combos
Origin story
👬 was part of Unicode 6.0 (2010), arriving alongside 👭 (Two Women Holding Hands) and 👫 (Man and Woman Holding Hands). At the time, it was one of the earliest direct representations of same-sex couples in any digital symbol system.
Apple made history by including 👬 in iOS 6 (September 2012), becoming the first major platform to offer same-sex couple icons. ABC News covered the announcement, noting it was a significant step for LGBTQ+ representation in digital communication. The move predated the US Supreme Court's Obergefell ruling (2015) by three years.
In 2019, the emoji received a massive expansion. Tinder launched the #RepresentLove campaign in partnership with Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and Emojination's Jennifer 8. Lee, petitioning Unicode for interracial couple emojis. The petition gathered 52,443 signatures, and Unicode 12.0 delivered: 71 new couple variants with different gender and skin tone combinations, making 👬 available in 25 different skin tone pairings.
The technical implementation for multi-skin-tone couples uses a ZWJ sequence approach: Person + Skin Tone + ZWJ + 🤝 + ZWJ + Person + Skin Tone. It's one of the most complex emoji sequences in the Unicode standard.
Design history
- 2010Approved in Unicode 6.0 as 'Two Men Holding Hands' (U+1F46C)↗
- 2012Apple includes in iOS 6 — first major platform to offer same-sex couple emojis↗
- 2015Added to Emoji 1.0, officially standardizing cross-platform support
- 2015Russia investigates whether same-sex emojis violate 'gay propaganda' law↗
- 2018Tinder launches #RepresentLove campaign for interracial couple emoji variants↗
- 2019Unicode 12.0 adds 25 skin tone combinations for men holding hands (71 new couple variants total)
Around the world
This might be the most culturally divided emoji in Unicode.
In the Western world (US, UK, Europe, Australia), 👬 is predominantly read as a gay couple. It's a Pride symbol, a relationship marker, and an identity signifier. Even when used for friendship, the romantic connotation is the first thing most Westerners think of.
In the Arab world, men holding hands is a sign of deep friendship and brotherhood, carrying no romantic meaning. The most famous example: in 2005, US President George W. Bush held hands with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah while walking at his Texas ranch, sparking widespread American confusion about a gesture that was perfectly normal diplomatic etiquette in Saudi culture.
In India, male friends routinely hold hands on the street. A British photographer documented this phenomenon across Indian cities, noting that it represents one of the most visible differences between Indian and Western social norms.
In South Korea and K-pop culture, male idols hold hands, hug, and show physical affection freely. BTS members V and Jimin's close friendship, including frequent hand-holding, has helped normalize platonic male touch for a global audience of millions.
In Russia, the emoji was the subject of an official government investigation in 2015. Senator Mikhail Marchenko complained that same-sex emojis promoted "non-traditional sexual relations" among minors, and Russia's media watchdog Roskomnadzor launched an inquiry into whether they violated the country's 2013 anti-gay propaganda law.
In 2015, Russian Senator Mikhail Marchenko complained that same-sex emojis like 👬 violated Russia's 2013 anti-gay 'propaganda' law. Media watchdog Roskomnadzor investigated. The investigation went nowhere — you can't ban emojis from globally distributed operating systems — but it made 👬 a symbol of digital LGBTQ+ resistance.
Absolutely. In the Middle East, South Asia, and K-pop culture, men holding hands is a normal friendship gesture. Even in Western contexts, 👬 is increasingly used for bromance and close male friendships, often with a layer of irony that actually helps normalize male emotional closeness.
K-pop fandoms, especially BTS ARMY, use 👬 to caption photos of male idols showing physical affection. In Korean culture, male friends holding hands is normal. V and Jimin's close public friendship has been credited with helping normalize platonic male touch for a global audience.
Holding hands emoji variants (relative usage)
Often confused with
🧑🤝🧑 People Holding Hands is the gender-neutral version. 👬 specifically shows two men. If you want to avoid gendering the couple, use 🧑🤝🧑. If you want to specifically represent two men, use 👬.
🧑🤝🧑 People Holding Hands is the gender-neutral version. 👬 specifically shows two men. If you want to avoid gendering the couple, use 🧑🤝🧑. If you want to specifically represent two men, use 👬.
👫 shows a woman and man holding hands (opposite-sex couple). 👬 shows two men. They're different emojis in the same family. Using the wrong one can change the meaning of your message significantly.
👫 shows a woman and man holding hands (opposite-sex couple). 👬 shows two men. They're different emojis in the same family. Using the wrong one can change the meaning of your message significantly.
👬 specifically shows two men holding hands. 🧑🤝🧑 shows two gender-neutral people holding hands. Use 👬 when you want to represent two men specifically (romantic or platonic). Use 🧑🤝🧑 when gender isn't relevant or when you want an inclusive default.
Do's and don'ts
- ✗Don't assume someone's orientation based on this emoji — it has friendship meanings in many cultures
- ✗Avoid using it mockingly or as a punchline — that reads as homophobic
- ✗Don't use it to out someone or imply someone's orientation without their consent
- ✗Skip it in professional contexts unless it's a Pride-specific conversation
Not at all — it's a symbol of representation. Using it to represent a gay couple, show Pride support, or express male friendship is all positive. What IS offensive is using it mockingly or as a punchline, which reads as homophobic. The emoji itself is inclusive; the intent behind its use matters.
Caption ideas
Aesthetic sets
Type it as text
Fun facts
- •Apple included 👬 in iOS 6 (2012), three years before the US Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in Obergefell v. Hodges (2015).
- •Russia's media watchdog Roskomnadzor investigated whether 👬 violated the country's 2013 anti-gay propaganda law. Senator Mikhail Marchenko claimed same-sex emojis encouraged "non-traditional sexual relations among minors."
- •Tinder's #RepresentLove campaign, co-led by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and Emojination's Jennifer 8. Lee, gathered 52,443 signatures and resulted in 71 new couple emoji variants in Unicode 12.0.
- •In 2005, George W. Bush held hands with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah at his Texas ranch. Americans were confused; Saudis weren't. Hand-holding between men is a standard sign of friendship and respect in Arab culture.
- •The multi-skin-tone version of 👬 uses one of the most complex ZWJ sequences in Unicode: Person + Skin Tone + ZWJ + 🤝 Handshake + ZWJ + Person + Skin Tone. That's seven codepoints for one emoji.
Common misinterpretations
- •Western users almost always default to the romantic reading, which can cause confusion when used by South Asian or Middle Eastern users who mean it platonically. If someone from India uses 👬 with a friend, they're expressing friendship, not romance.
- •Some people interpret 👬 in bios as a definitive statement of sexual orientation, but it can also represent allyship, a specific relationship, or cultural norms around male friendship. Don't assume.
In pop culture
- •Apple's iOS 6 launch in 2012 made international news for including same-sex couple emojis. Gizmodo, TechCrunch, and ABC News covered it as a milestone for LGBTQ+ digital representation.
- •Russia's 2015 investigation into "gay emojis" turned 👬 into an international symbol of digital resistance. Dazed, Cult of Mac, and Freedom House covered the controversy.
- •BTS members V and Jimin's public friendship, including frequent hand-holding, was covered by Koreaboo as changing how the world sees men holding hands. ARMY fans regularly caption V/Jimin photos with 👬💜.
- •The Bush-Abdullah hand-holding photo (Crawford, Texas, 2005) remains one of the most-discussed images of cross-cultural communication. Slate's Daniel Gross wrote a viral explainer on why it happened.
Trivia
For developers
- •👬 is TWO MEN HOLDING HANDS — a single codepoint, not a ZWJ sequence.
- •Skin-toned interracial variants use a complex ZWJ sequence: Man + Skin Tone + ZWJ + 🤝 + ZWJ + Man + Skin Tone = 7 codepoints. Example: = .
- •Shortcodes: or depending on platform. GitHub uses the former.
- •If you need a gender-neutral alternative, use ().
It was approved in Unicode 6.0 (2010) as 'Two Men Holding Hands.' Apple added it to iOS 6 in 2012, making it the first major platform to include same-sex couple icons. In 2019, Unicode 12.0 added 25 skin tone combinations thanks to Tinder's #RepresentLove petition.
See the full Emoji Developer Tools guide for regex patterns, encoding helpers, and more.
What does 👬 represent to you?
Select all that apply
- Men Holding Hands Emoji (emojipedia.org)
- Two Men Holding Hands Emoji (dictionary.com)
- Men Holding Hands — EmojiTerra (emojiterra.com)
- iOS 6 Includes Gay and Lesbian Couple Emoji — TechCrunch (techcrunch.com)
- Apple iOS 6 Gay Couple Icons — ABC News (abcnews.go.com)
- Russia Could Ban Gay Emojis — Newsweek (newsweek.com)
- Russia Gay Emoji Investigation — Daily Dot (dailydot.com)
- Tinder Interracial Couple Emoji — CNN (money.cnn.com)
- Emoji Update Particularly Queer — LGBTQ Nation (lgbtqnation.com)
- Ask Ali: Men Holding Hands — The National (thenationalnews.com)
- Indian Men Holding Hands — Scroll.in (scroll.in)
- Why Bush Held Hands — Slate (slate.com)
- BTS V and Jimin Changing Men Holding Hands — Koreaboo (koreaboo.com)
- Unicode ZWJ Holding Hands Proposal (unicode.org)
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