Bow and Arrow

Archery, hunting or taking aim, literally or figuratively.

Taken literally it covers everything done with a bow: archery as a sport (it is an Olympic event), bowhunting, and the archers of films, books and games. Figuratively it means aiming: next to a plan or a goal it says you are going for it, and with 🎯 that you hit it.

Two symbolic archers give it its other meanings. Cupid, the Roman god of love and counterpart of the Greek Eros, is pictured shooting arrows that make people fall in love, and he is a familiar Valentine’s Day figure, so 🏹 beside hearts means being struck by love or a crush. Sagittarius, the ninth sign of the Western zodiac (roughly 22 November to 21 December), is drawn as a centaur archer, so 🏹 can stand for the sign in horoscope talk.

Someone sent me 🏹 — are they flirting?

Maybe; on its own it is ambiguous.

Look at what surrounds it. After a sports or game update it is archery, after a horoscope or birthday it is probably Sagittarius, after a goal it is determination. Hearts, compliments or a joke about being struck point to Cupid. If a lone arrow leaves you unsure, ask what they are aiming at rather than reading it as a confession.