Is 🫺 officially approved?

Not yet. It's part of the Emoji 18.0 draft candidate set, targeted for release September 2026. The Unicode Technical Committee can still modify or reject it.

Why did 🫺 spend 10 years in limbo?

The original 2015 proposal (L2/15-054) didn't have a strong use-case pitch. Unicode generally doesn't accept emoji that duplicate existing meanings. The 2025 re-proposal framed 🫹/🫺 as swipe-gesture emoji (a category phones didn't dominate in 2015), which gave the pair a clearer purpose.

What does 🫺 look like if my font doesn't have it?

A closed fist in profile with the thumb extended horizontally to the right. Same base hand as 👍, rotated 90° clockwise.

What's the cultural meaning of 'swipe right'?

Tinder popularized "swipe right to match" starting in 2012, and the phrase has since become shorthand for any kind of approval or yes-this-one judgment. If 🫺 ships, it'll probably become the visual emoji for that entire cultural register within weeks.

←🫹👶→

🫺

Rightwards Thumb Emoji

Gestures & BodyU+1FAFA:rightwards_thumb:

thumbrightrightwardsgesturehandswipe

About Rightwards Thumb 🫺

Rightwards Thumb () is part of the Gestures & Body group in Unicode. Added in Unicode E18.0. 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 thumb, right, rightwards, and 3 more keywords.

Scroll down for the full story: meaning, trends, combos, and more.

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How it looks

What does it mean?

🫺 Rightwards Thumb Sign is a closed fist with the thumb pointing sideways to the right. The partner emoji to 🫹 Leftwards Thumb. Together the pair gives the emoji keyboard a full four-way thumb grid alongside 👍 Thumbs Up and 👎 Thumbs Down.

Expect heavy usage around "swipe right" culture (Tinder, dating metaphors) and in any context where you need to gesture toward something rather than at it. Unlike 👉 Backhand Index Pointing Right, which reads as instructional ("look over here"), 🫺 reads as consenting or endorsing ("yes, that way," "send it right," "swipe right on this"). The social register is warmer, more agreement-coded.

"Swipe right" / match energyDirectional endorsementTinder and dating humorPointing at something to your rightPass it that way

Thumbs, four directions

👍Up (2010)

Approval. 'Like' button energy.

👎Down (2010)

Disapproval. 'Dislike' button energy.

🫹Left (2026?)

Swipe left or point-left endorsement.

🫺Right (2026?)

Swipe right or point-right endorsement.

Emoji combos

Origin story

Originally proposed as L2/15-054 in 2015, where it sat on the candidate shelf for a decade. The 2025 sideways-thumb pair proposal (covering both 🫹 and 🫺) revived it with a stronger argument rooted in swipe-based UI gestures. Unicode is expected to finalize the pair as part of Emoji 18.0 in September 2026.

Often confused with

👉 points with the index finger (instructional, "look there"). 🫺 uses the thumb (endorsing, "yes that direction").

👉 Backhand Index Pointing Right

👉 points with the index finger (instructional, "look there"). 🫺 uses the thumb (endorsing, "yes that direction").

🫹 is the left-facing partner; 🫺 points right. Designed to ship together.

🫹 Leftwards Thumb

🫹 is the left-facing partner; 🫺 points right. Designed to ship together.

More Gestures & Body

👂Ear 🦻Ear With Hearing Aid 👃Nose 🧠Brain 🫀Anatomical Heart 🫁Lungs 🦷Tooth 🦴Bone 👀Eyes 👁️Eye 👅Tongue 👄Mouth 💋Kiss Mark 🩸Drop Of Blood 🫹Leftwards Thumb

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