Olive Emoji

A small olive, green or dark, one of the newest fruit emojis and one of the most culturally loaded. The olive branch is the oldest peace symbol in the Western world, predating the dove by centuries. The olive tree is sacred in Greek mythology, central to Mediterranean identity, and mentioned over 40 times in the Bible.

🫒 was added in 2020 after a dedicated Unicode proposal argued the olive was too culturally significant to be missing from the emoji keyboard. Before that, there was no way to represent the fruit behind a $17.6 billion global oil industry. In texting, 🫒 is used for Mediterranean food, olive oil, peace gestures ("extending an olive branch"), and as a coded "olive you" = "I love you" pun.

Approved in Unicode 13.0 (2020) as U+1FAD2U+1FAD2 OLIVE.

🫒 is niche but has clear lanes.

Mediterranean food. Pizza toppings, charcuterie boards, Greek salads, tapas. The olive is a staple of Southern European cuisine and 🫒 shows up in food content from those regions constantly.

Olive oil. Cooking content, health benefits discussions, and the "EVOO" (extra virgin olive oil) corner of food TikTok. Olive oil is a US$17.6 billion global market.

Peace and reconciliation. "Extending an olive branch 🫒" is used in posts about making peace, apologizing, or diplomatic gestures. The metaphor is so embedded in Western culture that it's nearly universal.

"Olive you" pun. "Olive you" sounds like "I love you," making 🫒 a quirky way to say "I love you" without a heart emoji. It shows up in Valentine's Day content and playful couple messages.

Greek/Italian pride. Cultural identity marker for Mediterranean communities. 🫒 paired with 🇬🇷 or 🇮🇹 signals heritage.

The olive tree has been cultivated for at least 6,000 years in the Eastern Mediterranean, making it one of the oldest domesticated crops. Some olive trees alive today are over 2,000 years old), including specimens in Crete and the Gethsemane garden in Jerusalem.

In Greek mythology, Athena and Poseidon competed for patronage of Athens. Poseidon struck the Acropolis with his trident, producing a saltwater spring. Athena planted the first olive tree. The gods judged Athena's gift superior, and she won the city. The sacred olive tree on the Acropolis was burned when Xerxes sacked Athens in 480 BCE, but according to Herodotus, it sprouted back the same day to a height of two cubits.

The Biblical olive branch comes from Genesis 8:11: after the flood, a dove returns to Noah's Ark carrying a freshly plucked olive leaf, signaling that the waters had receded and the earth was habitable again. This image became the foundation of "extending an olive branch" as a peace metaphor.

The emoji itself was approved after a 2019 Unicode proposal that argued the olive was too culturally and economically important to be absent from the emoji keyboard. Supported by the Emojination community, it entered Unicode 13.0 in 2020.

1. -4000Olive trees domesticated in the Eastern Mediterranean, at least 6,000 years ago. Among the oldest cultivated crops.
2. -480Xerxes' armies burn the sacred olive tree on the Acropolis during the sack of Athens. According to Herodotus, it regrew the same day.↗
3. 1782The Great Seal of the United States is adopted, featuring an eagle with an olive branch in its right talon.
4. 2019Unicode proposal L2/19-146 argues the olive is too culturally significant to be missing from the emoji keyboard.↗
5. 2020Approved in Unicode 13.0 as U+1FAD2 OLIVE. One of the newest food emojis.

• •The olive branch is the oldest peace symbol in Western civilization, predating Christianity. Ancient Greek supplicants held olive branches when visiting temples or approaching rulers.
• •Athena won patronage of Athens by planting the first olive tree on the Acropolis. Poseidon offered a saltwater spring. The gods picked olives.
• •The sacred olive tree on the Acropolis was burned in 480 BCE when Xerxes sacked Athens. According to Herodotus, it regrew the same day.
• •The Vouves olive tree) in Crete is estimated to be 2,000-3,000+ years old and still produces olives.
• •"Gethsemane," where Jesus prayed before the crucifixion, literally means "olive press" in Aramaic.
• •The global olive oil market is worth US$17.6 billion (2025). Spain alone produces over 38% of the world's supply.
• •Over $11.7 billion worth of olive oil was exported worldwide in 2023. Spain ($4.69B), Italy ($2.14B), and Greece ($1.35B) lead.
• •Olympic victors in ancient Greece were crowned with olive wreaths, not gold medals. The olive wreath symbolized honor, peace, and divine favor.