🥂 shows two champagne flutes meeting in a toast. It joined Unicode 9.0 in 2016, and the official name is “clinking glasses.” People often call it the “cheers emoji” or the “champagne toast.” It is less about drinking and more about sharing a happy moment, which is why it often turns up in messages that have nothing to do with alcohol.
How it’s used
- A win: “Signed the lease on my first flat today 🥂”
- A big moment: “Congratulations to you both on the engagement 🥂”
- A project wrapped: “We shipped! Cheers to everyone on the team 🥂”
- New Year’s: “Here’s to a better one next year 🥂”
- A casual plan: “Drinks after work on Friday? 🥂”
A bare 🥂 under a friend’s good-news post says “congratulations” in one character. Paired with 🎉 (party popper) the mood gets louder, and with 🍾 (bottle with popping cork) it becomes a full celebration scene.
Korea, Japan and the English-speaking world
In English, 🥂 sits alongside “Cheers,” “Congrats” and “Here’s to…” and fits New Year’s Eve, weddings, birthdays and promotions. It can feel a bit upscale, which is why some people choose 🍻 (clinking beer mugs) for pub nights and keep 🥂 for toasts that deserve a bit of ceremony. In professional chat it is usually safe, though some workplaces prefer non-alcohol symbols.
In Korea, company dinners and the habit of a formal 건배사 (toast speech) give 🥂 a clear social meaning of “let’s celebrate together,” most often at year-end gatherings and in New Year greetings. Compared with 🍻, which fits relaxed drinking sessions, it feels more polished.
In Japan, 乾杯 is the word that opens nearly every dinner party, so 🥂 recalls the first moment of a gathering. The Japanese name グラスで乾杯 is as literal as it gets, and the emoji appears in reports of get-togethers and in congratulations. Many people also picture wine rather than strictly champagne.
Where it gets misread
- For someone who doesn’t drink, or avoids alcohol for religious reasons, 🥂 can feel like an invitation to a drink. If you only mean “congratulations,” 🎉 is the safer pick.
- 🍻 is casual beer-and-pub energy; 🥂 is formal celebration. Swapping them can feel off.
- 🍷 (wine glass) suggests a quiet drink, sometimes solo, while 🥂 assumes company.
- Using it after sad or serious news, a funeral or an accident is tone-deaf. The emoji carries a strong “let’s share a joyful moment” signal.
Design differences by platform
Most platforms draw two tall flutes touching, with golden liquid and bubbles. Apple’s glasses are crisp with noticeable highlights, Google’s Noto is simpler with brighter colour, Microsoft’s Fluent leans into depth and a translucent look, and Samsung usually shows the drink in a richer tone. Tilt and bubble details vary, so the celebration comes through everywhere, though the picture itself isn’t identical from phone to phone.
