- The ???? emoji represents the same ideas as a real-life handshake—it can be a greeting, a sign of an agreement, or a symbol for a truce.
- In almost every case, respond to the ???? emoji by sending another one back. This shows you acknowledge and reciprocate the greeting, agreement, or truce.
- Tap and hold the ???? emoji to change the skin tone of either or both hands and symbolize a handshake between 2 different people.
???? (Handshake Emoji) Meanings
Send ???? as a greeting, especially if you’re “meeting” someone new. Just like in real life, a handshaking emoji over text, on social media, or even on a dating app is a way to politely say hello to or meet a new acquaintance. Send the emoji along with a short message along the lines of “Hello!” or “Nice to meet you!” to be friendly and kick off the conversation. Use the ???? emoji with friends or in casual encounters—it’s probably not considered “professional” to send an emoji to your boss, for example (even though it’s very professional to shake hands in person). “Hey there! Nice to meet you ????” “Hi! I’m glad to see we matched on here. I’m Brian ????”
Use ???? to symbolize that you’ve come to an agreement with somebody. Whether you were playfully bickering with a pal about where to grab dinner or negotiating with your partner about who has to take the dog out after work, send ???? to say “you’ve got a deal” or “I accept your terms.” In a group chat setting, send ???? as a shorthand way to support a suggestion or acknowledge a group consensus (similar to using the ✋ (hand) emoji). “Fine! I’ll pick up the kids after school today ????” “Your plan sounds good to me! You’ve got yourself a deal ????”
Declare a truce after an argument with the ???? emoji. If you and a pal have been going back and forth in a light argument or you just want to have peace between you after a small misunderstanding, use the ???? emoji to say “let’s put this behind us.” Keep in mind that an emoji is usually only good for silly or very minor disagreements (a serious, relationship-altering argument probably needs a face-to-face conversation). “Let’s just move on. Water under the bridge? ????” “I don’t want to squabble anymore! Let’s have a truce ????”
Responding to ???? (Handshake Emoji)
Reply to greetings with “hello!” and a handshake. If someone sends you a ???? to open up a conversation, just say “hey!” and reciprocate their handshake by sending one right back. Feel free to add a question like “How are you?” or just wait for them to mention their reason for messaging you. Them: “Morning! ????”You: “Hey there! ???? How’s it going?” Them: “Hi Stacy! Nice to make your acquaintance ????”You: “Hi! Nice to meet you too ????”Them: “So what brings you to Hinge?”
Reciprocate a ???? after an agreement to show you’re on board. Once you strike a deal about who’s hosting game night or who’s in charge of the vacation itinerary, answer a ???? with a ????. This shows you’re down to hold up your half of the agreement and that whatever matter you were discussing is settled. Them: “I’ll bring snacks if you bring all your beach blankets. Deal? ????”You: “Sounds good ????” Them: “I owe you a birthday drink! Let’s meet at Halligan’s and I’ll treat you? ????”You: “Free drinks? Deal! ????”
Confirm someone’s truce offer by sending another ???? back at them. When it’s time to let bygones be bygones, return your friend’s handshake as a sign of good faith. Remember that a truce doesn’t have to mean everything’s A-OK, but it lets the other person know you’re committed to finding a resolution or moving peacefully forward. Include a short message with your emoji, or send a ???? by itself to acknowledge the truce. Them: “I promise I won’t spread any more rumors about you, and I’m sorry I hurt you. Truce? ????”You: “Of course, I forgive you. Truce! ????” Them: “OK, no more pranks at school! Lol you win! Let’s have a truce ????”You: “Haha, gotcha! Fine, truce it is ????”
Adjusting the ???? (Handshake Emoji) Skin Tone
Change the skin tone of either hand of ???? from your emoji keyboard. In 2022, the shaking hands emoji was updated so that users can change the skin tone of the right and left hands separately. Locate ???? on your phone’s emoji keyboard, then tap and hold the emoji. A box appears with a row of skin tones for the left hand in the top row and for the right hand in the bottom row—select which tones you’d like to represent to create a custom emoji! Change the skin tones to acknowledge and celebrate both your own skin and that of who you’re shaking hands with. This helps a diverse group of people feel included in the emoji phenomenon. If you’re unsure what the person you’re sending it to looks like, stick with the default yellow emoji. There are 25 possible combinations of different skin tones to use in the ???? emoji. The update took several years because the coding needed to customize an emoji with 2 different skin tones is surprisingly complex.
???? (Handshake Emoji) Combos
Pair ???? with other emojis to represent peace, friendship, or unity. Think of the ???? emoji like a bridge that connects separate ideas (and emojis!). Place it between 2 emojis to illustrate unity between them, or at the end of a string of emojis to show general harmony. Try some of these combos for starters: ???????? = handshake or truce after a fight ???????????? = friendship, peace, “let’s be friends” ???????? = truce, love, reunion ???????????????? or ???????????????????? = world peace or countries united ???????? = “don’t use handshakes” (for example, if someone is sick) ???????????????????????? ???? = strong bond or close friends
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