Family emoji and what each one shows
Family is the original single-character family, in the keyboard since 2010. The gender-neutral family silhouettes came in 2023: two adults and a child, two adults and two children, one parent and a child, and one parent and two children. Together they cover most families without guessing who is mum and who is dad.
Around them sit the people of a family: baby, child, adult and older person for grandparents, the pregnancy emoji , and new-parent life with , and . and are for togetherness, for the couple at the heart of it.
Why the family emoji changed on iPhone
Searches for “family emojis gone” or “removed” come from iOS 17.4 in 2024, when Apple redrew its family emoji as simple white silhouettes on a grey square instead of colourful mum, dad and kids. The characters did not disappear: the same codes now show the new design, and other platforms draw them their own way.
Most family emoji, including combinations like , are several people glued together with invisible zero-width joiners. If an app or an older phone does not know the combined design, the family falls apart into separate people, like . When that matters, the single is the safest family emoji to send.
Family love emoji: hearts, home and the family tree
Family messages lean on warm, simple signs: and for love, and for hugs, or for home, and for the family tree and roots. (a nest with eggs) is a gentle way to share a pregnancy or a full house. Pets belong too: and are family members in plenty of chats.
There is no dedicated family symbol in plain text; (a small house) and are the usual stand-ins in bios and usernames where emoji are not allowed.
Family emoji combos for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Instagram
Mother’s Day messages often pair or with and ; Father’s Day ones use , or . For a family photo caption, with or does the job. For Instagram highlights, a single clear icon such as , or stays readable as a small circle.
In a WhatsApp family group, short combos like (dinner at home) or (a family birthday) say a lot without a long message.
Symbols
40Click a symbol to copy it and open its page.
How to use them
6 situationsClick to copyFamily Emoji combos
13Worth knowing
- Family has been an emoji since Unicode 6.0 in 2010; the gender-neutral family silhouettes like were added in Emoji 15.1 in 2023.
- Apple added same-sex couples and families in iOS 8.3 in 2015, built by joining single people with zero-width joiners.
- Pregnant man and pregnant person were added in Emoji 14.0 (2021), next to the older .
- is seven code points (four people plus three invisible joiners), so a family emoji uses much more of a character limit than it looks.
Questions people ask
6How do I copy and paste family emoji?
Tap any family emoji or combo on this page to copy it, then paste it into WhatsApp, Instagram or a message. The single is the safest if you are not sure the other phone shows combined families.
Why are my family emojis gone on iPhone?
They are not gone. In iOS 17.4 (2024) Apple redesigned family emoji as silhouettes on a grey square, so they look different, but the same emoji still appear when you search “family”.
What emoji represents family?
is the official family emoji. The newer , , and show different family sizes, and are common family love signs.
What is a family emoji combo?
A few emoji that tell a family story together, like for love and home, for a baby on the way, or for Mother’s Day.
Is there a family symbol in text?
Unicode has no plain-text family symbol. For text-only places people use (house), or the emoji where emoji are allowed.
Why does a family emoji show up as separate people?
Most family emoji are several people joined by invisible zero-width joiners. If an app or older device does not support that combination, it shows each person separately.
