🫤 is a face whose mouth slants diagonally to one side. It was added in Unicode 14.0 in 2021 and is usually called the “meh face” or the “skeptical face.” It was designed for the large gap between “I’m fine” and “I’m upset,” the sort of lukewarm, unconvinced reaction that earlier faces covered poorly.
How it’s used
- Underwhelmed: “Tried the new menu item, it’s okay 🫤”
- Mild disappointment: “Expected more from the sequel 🫤”
- Doubt: “You’re telling me that’s possible? 🫤”
- Quiet disapproval: replying to a plan with only this face
- Awkward silence: when a question is hard to answer without saying no
The line between neighbors is thin. 😐 is a blank, neutral face, 😕 means confused or uneasy, and 😒 has a sharper, side-eyed disapproval. 🫤 sits between them: not against it, not on board either.
Korea, Japan and the English-speaking world
In English, 🫤 goes with “meh,” “I guess,” “hmm, sure…” and “not convinced,” and covers a wide range of unimpressed or skeptical reactions. It is less sarcastic than 🙄 and less pointed than 🤨, which makes it handy for a mild social shrug. It is popular in reviews, group chats about plans, and replies to a friend’s suspiciously good idea.
In Korea the closest words are 떨떠름하다, 애매하다, 글쎄 and 그냥 그래. It is common in taste reviews of food, films and gifts, where it softens a blunt “it wasn’t good.” Because it is less sharp than saying “별로야,” it works well for indirect refusal or disappointment.
In Japan the official name is the plain 「口が斜めの顔」, and it pairs naturally with 「微妙」, 「うーん」 and 「ちょっと…」. The Japanese word 微妙 is already a polite way to say “not great,” so 🫤 tends to be read the same way. It is useful for evaluations that are hard to say to someone’s face, but the recipient will likely understand it as a refusal.
Where it gets misread
- It is not sarcastic like 🙄, but sending only 🫤 to something a friend worked hard on can look dismissive.
- Do not mix it up with 😕, which is confused or troubled, whereas 🫤 leans toward unimpressed.
- Some read it as sad or discouraged. The core is lukewarm skepticism, so it is a poor fit for someone who needs comforting.
- As a newer emoji, it may show as a blank box or question mark on older devices.
Design differences by platform
The layout is roughly the same: wide-open eyes with a mouth tilted to one side. The direction of the tilt and the droop of the brows differ a bit. Apple’s version is plain and deadpan, so it feels the most indifferent. Google’s Noto is rounder and softer and can read as wistful. Microsoft’s Fluent has a clear three-dimensional slant to the mouth, and Samsung’s brow treatment makes it look slightly more doubtful. All carry the same basic meaning, though the strength varies.
