🥹
Face Holding Back Tears Emoji
Emoji Appearance
Apple
Apple Color Emoji
iOS (iPhone / iPad)Mac
Google
Noto Color Emoji
Android
Twitter / X
Twemoji
Windows
Fluent Emoji
Emoji Overview
Unicode Code Point | U+1F979 1F979 |
Emoji Name | face holding back tears |
Unicode Version Date Added for Emoji | 14.0September 2021 |
Category | |
Keywords | face holding back tearssademotionalholding backtears |
🥹 Meaning and Explanation
The 🥹 emoji, or Face Holding Back Tears, depicts a yellow face with a slight smile and tears welling up in its eyes, as if trying to hold them back. It conveys a mix of overwhelming emotion, often positive like pride, gratitude, or tenderness, but can also suggest sadness or disappointment being bravely suppressed.
This emoji is perfect for moments that are bittersweet or deeply moving, where you're touched to the point of tears but are also trying to maintain composure. It captures the feeling of being so moved that you're on the verge of crying, but in a gentle, often heartwarming way.
It's a relatively new emoji that quickly gained popularity for its ability to express complex, nuanced emotions that were previously hard to convey with a single symbol.
🥹 How to Use
This emoji is commonly used to express deep, often positive, emotional responses.
- To show overwhelming emotion (often positive)
Use it when you are incredibly proud, grateful, or touched by something. - For bittersweet moments
When something is both happy and a little sad, like a farewell or a nostalgic memory. - To express tenderness or empathy
It can convey a soft, caring feeling towards someone or a situation. - To convey being moved to tears
When a moment or gesture is so impactful that it brings tears to your eyes.
🥹 Cultural Background
| Region | Common Meaning | Additional Notes or Misunderstandings |
|---|---|---|
| 🌍 Global | Overwhelming emotion, pride, gratitude, tenderness | Widely adopted for nuanced emotional expression |
| 🇺🇸 Western Cultures | "So touched," "proud," "aww" | Often used for heartwarming content or emotional moments |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | Deeply moved, touched, emotional | Similar to global meaning, used for moments of profound feeling |
| 🇰🇷 Korea | "Touching," "heartwarming," "emotional" | Popular in K-drama and K-pop fandoms for emotional reactions |
Common Misunderstandings of 🥹
Misinterpreting as purely sad
While tears are present, the slight smile often indicates a positive or mixed emotion, not just sadness.
Tip: If you intend pure sadness, consider 😢 or 😭. If it's a mix, 🥹 is perfect.
Overuse in casual contexts
Using it for minor emotional reactions might dilute its impact for truly profound moments.
Tip: Reserve it for genuinely moving or deeply emotional situations to maintain its significance.