What 🐻 means
A bear, or a little warmth with the claws tucked away.
Most platforms draw just a bear's face rather than a whole animal. After thanks or a rough day, 🐻 stands in for a bear hug. When the message is clearly about wildlife, take it literally.
What does 🐻 mean in gay slang?
It can signal bear identity, pride, or attraction.
In English queer slang, a “bear” is a gay or bisexual man, typically larger and often hairy, and a bear community took shape in the 1980s. In a queer dating profile or a flirty exchange, 🐻 can draw on that meaning.
Read the surrounding words before assigning anyone an identity. A hug is not a coming-out announcement.
Cuddly in affectionate chat; identity-related in some queer contexts.
Do not assume a queer identity from 🐻 alone.
What it means when someone sends it to you
3 readingsDon't confuse it with
2Combination ideas
3Worth knowing
- The best-known bear pride flag, the International Bear Brotherhood flag, dates from 1995: seven stripes running from dark brown through rust, gold, tan, white and grey to black, with a black paw print in the upper-left corner.
Questions people ask
1Can I send 🐻 to my boss?
If your chat is already informal. A virtual bear hug can feel too personal in a formal work exchange; use words of support instead.
How to type 🐻
:bear:the common shortcode; support varies by platform.🐻Codes and encoding1 code points
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.