See-no-evil Monkey Emoji

A brown monkey face covering both eyes with its hands. Most people use it to say "I can't look" or "that's embarrassing" or "I'm hiding." And it works perfectly for that. But 🙈 carries one of the deepest cultural backstories of any emoji in the entire Unicode standard, spanning 2,500 years, three religions, a Japanese pun, a horse stable, and a complete inversion of meaning between East and West.

🙈 is Mizaru, one of the Three Wise Monkeys. The concept traces to Confucius's Analects (~500 BCE): "Look not at what is contrary to propriety; listen not to what is contrary to propriety; speak not what is contrary to propriety." Buddhist monks brought this teaching to Japan around the 8th century, where it became "mizaru, kikazaru, iwazaru" (see not, hear not, speak not). And here's where the pun happens. In Japanese, the negative suffix "-zaru" (ざる, not) sounds exactly like "saru" (猿, monkey). "See not" sounds like "see-monkey." "Hear not" sounds like "hear-monkey." "Speak not" sounds like "speak-monkey." A philosophical teaching became a visual joke. The monkeys exist because of a pun.

In 1636, sculptor Hidari Jingoro carved the Three Wise Monkeys into a horse stable at the Tōshō-gū Shrine in Nikkō, Japan. The carving is actually panel 2 of an eight-panel sequence depicting the stages of human life through monkey figures. Most people only know panel 2. During the Meiji era (1868-1912), this image was introduced to the West, where the saying "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" was coined. Mahatma Gandhi reportedly kept a small statue of the Three Wise Monkeys as one of his few personal possessions.

In modern texting, 🙈 has drifted far from Confucian philosophy. It's the emoji of hiding: from embarrassment, from something cringeworthy, from your own feelings. Sweetyhigh explains it's "often used playfully or even flirtatiously" and might follow "an admission that they like you" or "asking you out on a date" because "now that they've said what they really feel, they're afraid to look at your response." That's the core modern use: performing avoidance while actually being very present.

On TikTok and Instagram, 🙈 fills comment sections under embarrassing stories, confessions, and content that's equal parts cringe and endearing. It's also the default reaction to compliments you find overwhelming: "You look amazing today" → "🙈." The monkey covers its eyes but it's still smiling underneath, and most platform designs show that smile, which is what separates 🙈 from genuine distress. You're hiding, but you want to be found.

There's also a serious dimension that matters. Emojipedia published an article titled "How the Monkey Emoji is Racist," documenting cases where monkey emojis (including 🙈) were used to racially harass Black football players on Instagram, particularly after England's Euro 2020 loss. The Meta Oversight Board ruled in 2025 that monkey emojis directed at Black individuals constitute hateful conduct. The emoji itself is innocent. The context can make it not.

🙈 is one of the more reliably flirty emojis when sent by a crush, because it specifically signals vulnerability after expressing something brave. Sweetyhigh notes it often follows admissions, compliments, and date requests. Between friends, it's about shared embarrassment rather than romantic nervousness. The distinction: from a crush, 🙈 means "I just said something scary and I'm afraid to see your reaction." From a friend, it means "I did something embarrassing and I'm telling you about it for comedy."

• •Sent after a compliment or confession = shy vulnerability (flirty)
• •Sent after describing an embarrassing situation = sharing cringe (friendly)
• •Sent in response to YOUR compliment about them = overwhelmed by flattery (very flirty)
• •Sent in a group chat about a fail = collective embarrassment (friendly)
• •Sent alone as a standalone response = could go either way, depends on what preceded it

The journey from Chinese philosophy to your phone's keyboard took about 2,500 years.

It starts with Confucius (~500 BCE), whose Analects contain four negations: "Look not at what is contrary to propriety; listen not to what is contrary to propriety; speak not what is contrary to propriety; make no movement which is contrary to propriety." Confucius was talking about moral self-discipline: don't expose yourself to evil. Don't seek it out. Don't spread it.

Around the 8th century, Buddhist monks carried this teaching to Japan, where it was translated as "mizaru, kikazaru, iwazaru" (見ざる、聞かざる、言わざる): see not, hear not, speak not. And here, a linguistic accident created one of the world's most recognizable symbols. In Japanese, the negative suffix "-zaru" (ざる) happens to sound exactly like "saru" (猿), the word for monkey when used in compounds. "See not" becomes "see-monkey." "Hear not" becomes "hear-monkey." A philosophical teaching about moral restraint became, through a pun, three monkeys covering their eyes, ears, and mouth. The monkeys have no inherent connection to the teaching. They exist because Japanese has a homophone.

In 1636, sculptor Hidari Jingoro carved the most famous version of the Three Wise Monkeys into the Sacred Horse Stable at Tōshō-gū Shrine in Nikkō, Japan, dedicated to shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. What most people don't realize is that the three monkeys are just panel 2 of an eight-panel sequence depicting the stages of human life through monkey figures. The panels trace a monkey's journey from birth through adolescence, independence, setbacks, and spiritual growth. Panel 2 (the three wise monkeys) represents childhood: the idea that young children should be shielded from evil to grow up virtuous.

The image traveled to the West during Japan's Meiji era (1868-1912), where the English proverb "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" was coined. And here the meaning inverted completely. In Eastern tradition, the monkeys represent moral discipline: actively choosing not to engage with evil. In Western tradition, the same image came to mean the opposite: willful ignorance, complicity, turning a blind eye. "See no evil" went from "don't seek out bad things" to "pretend bad things aren't happening." The same symbol, in different cultures, means virtue and its absence.

Mahatma Gandhi reportedly kept a small statue of the Three Wise Monkeys as one of his few personal possessions, interpreting them in the Eastern (positive) sense. There's even a fourth monkey, Shizaru, who covers his genitals or crosses his arms to represent "do no evil," completing Confucius's original four negations. Shizaru is rarely depicted and may have been invented by the souvenir industry.

When Unicode approved 🙈 in Unicode 6.0 (2010) alongside its siblings 🙉 and 🙊, the cultural weight didn't travel with it. In texting, 🙈 just means "I can't look." But it's one of the only emojis on your keyboard that carries a 2,500-year intellectual lineage from Chinese philosophy, through Japanese Buddhism, past a linguistic coincidence, into a 17th-century shrine carving, across a cultural inversion between East and West, through Gandhi's pocket, and into your DMs.

Approved in Unicode 6.0 (2010) as U+1F648U+1F648 SEE-NO-EVIL MONKEY. Added to Emoji 1.0 in 2015. Part of a trio with 🙉 Hear-No-Evil Monkey (U+1F649U+1F649) and 🙊 Speak-No-Evil Monkey (U+1F64AU+1F64A), all approved in the same batch. The design references the Three Wise Monkeys (三猿, sanzaru), a pictorial maxim from Japanese Buddhist tradition. The concept combines Confucian philosophy (~500 BCE), a Japanese linguistic pun (-zaru = "not" sounds like saru = "monkey"), and a 17th-century carving at the Tōshō-gū Shrine in Nikkō.

1. -500Confucius's Analects contain the four negations: look not, listen not, speak not, move not contrary to propriety
2. 800Buddhist monks bring the three negations teaching from China to Japan, where it becomes mizaru/kikazaru/iwazaru
3. 1636Hidari Jingoro carves the Three Wise Monkeys into the Sacred Horse Stable at Tōshō-gū Shrine, Nikkō↗
4. 1868Meiji era introduces the image to the West. English proverb "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" is coined
5. 2010Unicode 6.0 approves 🙈 (U+1F648), 🙉 (U+1F649), and 🙊 (U+1F64A) as a trio↗
6. 2021After Euro 2020 racial abuse, debate intensifies over monkey emojis used in racist contexts↗
7. 2025Meta Oversight Board rules monkey emojis directed at Black individuals constitute hateful conduct↗

The Three Wise Monkeys carry opposite meanings in Eastern and Western cultures. In Japan and across East Asian Buddhist traditions, the monkeys represent moral self-discipline: actively choosing not to engage with evil, not exposing yourself to harmful influences. This is a positive, virtuous teaching about personal responsibility.

In the West, the same image has been reinterpreted as willful ignorance: refusing to acknowledge wrongdoing, turning a blind eye, complicity through silence. "See no evil" became an accusation rather than an aspiration. The phrase is often used sarcastically against people who, through cowardice or self-interest, ignore injustice.

This inversion is remarkable. The same visual symbol means "choose virtue" in one culture and "choose denial" in another. When you send 🙈 in a text, you're participating in the Western reading (hiding from something) rather than the Eastern one (disciplining yourself away from evil). But the monkey was always meant to be wise, not avoidant.

• •The Three Wise Monkeys exist because of a Japanese pun. The negative suffix "-zaru" (ざる, not) sounds exactly like "saru" (猿, monkey) in compounds. "See not" = "see-monkey." A 2,500-year-old philosophical teaching became three monkeys because of a homophone.
• •The famous 1636 carving at Tōshō-gū Shrine is just panel 2 of an eight-panel sequence depicting the stages of human life through monkey figures. Most people only know one-eighth of the story. Panel 2 represents childhood: shielding children from evil.
• •Mahatma Gandhi kept a small Three Wise Monkeys statue as one of his few personal possessions, interpreting the monkeys in their original Eastern sense (choosing virtue, not choosing denial).
• •There's a fourth monkey, Shizaru, who represents "do no evil" and is shown covering his genitals or crossing his arms. He completes Confucius's original four negations. Some scholars believe Shizaru was invented by the souvenir industry rather than being part of the original tradition.
• •In Eastern tradition, "see no evil" means actively choosing not to engage with harmful things (moral discipline). In Western tradition, it means refusing to acknowledge wrongdoing (willful ignorance). The same symbol carries opposite moral weight depending on which side of the Pacific you're on.
• •The Meta Oversight Board ruled in 2025 that monkey emojis directed at Black individuals constitute hateful conduct, following documented racial abuse of England football players after Euro 2020.

• •The most serious misuse: monkey emojis (including 🙈) have been documented as tools for racial harassment against Black individuals, particularly athletes. The emoji isn't inherently racist, but context determines everything. Be aware of this dimension.
• •Some people use 🙈 when they mean 🫣 (hiding but still watching). The difference matters: 🙈 is total avoidance, 🫣 is curious peeking. If you're fascinated by something you shouldn't watch, 🫣 is more accurate.
• •Using 🙈 to literally mean "see no evil" (as in ignoring wrongdoing) carries the Western negative interpretation rather than the Eastern positive one. Most texting uses are about playful embarrassment, not moral philosophy.

• •The Three Wise Monkeys appear in countless films, including Planet of the Apes, where a chimpanzee court covers their eyes, ears, and mouth during a trial scene.
• •Mahatma Gandhi kept a small Three Wise Monkeys statue as one of his few personal possessions, in the Eastern (positive discipline) interpretation.
• •The emoji trio 🙈🙉🙊 is one of the most recognizable three-character sequences in digital communication, used for comprehensive avoidance.