🫰 is the hand with index finger and thumb crossed: the thumb and forefinger overlap to form a tiny heart. It arrived with Emoji 14.0 in 2021. Its official name is plain and descriptive, but most people call it the “finger heart” or “Korean heart.” The gesture spread from K-pop idols, who use it to send small, friendly love to fans, and it has since become a common photo pose and greeting far beyond Korea.
How it’s used
- Birthday wishes: “Happy birthday, hope it’s a good one 🫰”
- Fan love: “That performance was incredible, love you 🫰”
- A small thank-you: “Thanks so much for the help 🫰”
- Comment support: “Always cheering for you 🫰”
- Photo posts: “Today’s mood 🫰”
Since it is a tiny heart rather than a big arms-overhead one, it comes across as light but warm. It is subtler and cuter than 🫶 (heart hands) and less intense than ❤️, closer to “I like you and I’m rooting for you” than to a serious declaration.
Korea, Japan and the English-speaking world
In English, the gesture is known as the “finger heart” or “Korean heart” and became popular first among K-pop fans. Because the shape is similar to a finger snap, or to the thumb-rubbing gesture meaning “money,” some people read it that way instead. The heart interpretation is becoming more widely known, but the other readings haven’t gone away.
In Korea, 손가락 하트 (“finger heart”) is both the name and a cultural habit. Idols make it at fan events, in photos and on TV, and it is as natural a pose for ordinary people as a peace sign. Korean has many kinds of body hearts, such as the half heart, big heart and head-top heart, and the finger heart is the smallest and lightest of them.
In Japan, the official name is 親指と人差し指をクロス, but people call it 指ハート. It is recognized as a pose from Korea and is common in 推し活 (fan activities), at live shows and in photos. In Japan, a circle made with thumb and index finger can mean “money” (👌), but the crossed version here is rarely read that way.
Where it gets misread
- In English-language contexts, it may be taken as a snap or a “money” gesture. If the heart is unclear, add a ❤️.
- It looks a little like 🤞 (crossed fingers) but means something different: 🤞 crosses the index and middle fingers for good luck.
- Do not confuse it with 🤏 (a pinch, meaning “a little”) or 👌 (OK or a circle).
- It is relatively new, so on older devices it may appear as an empty box (□).
Design differences by platform
Every platform draws an overlapping thumb and index finger, but the direction of the hand, the exact crossing point and how tightly the other fingers curl differ. Apple’s hand is realistically shaded, Google’s Noto is simple and rounded, Microsoft’s Fluent has a soft three-dimensional look, and Samsung’s has a similar layout with different outlines and tones. As with all hand emojis, skin tone variants are available, and the default yellow is the safe choice for general messages.
