The menorah emoji and other Hanukkah emoji meanings
The menorah is the Hanukkah emoji. Its Unicode name is MENORAH WITH NINE BRANCHES: eight lights for the eight nights plus the shamash, the helper candle used to light the others. That nine-branched lamp is properly called a hanukkiah; the seven-branched menorah of the ancient Temple, the one on Israelโs emblem, has no emoji of its own. arrived in Unicode 8.0 in 2015.
The candle , fire , sparkles and the glowing star carry the light of each night, and the keycap is a quick way to say โeight nightsโ. The Star of David is the general symbol of Jewish identity rather than of Hanukkah itself, but it appears in most Hanukkah greetings. The dotted six-pointed star looks similar and is sometimes picked by mistake; it was meant as a fortune-telling hexagram.
Hanukkah food emoji: latkes, sufganiyot and oil
Hanukkah remembers the oil that burned for eight days, so its food is fried. There is no latke emoji, so people use the potato with the frying pan , and the apple for the applesauce on the side. The doughnut stands for sufganiyot, the jam-filled doughnuts eaten in Israel; the emoji has a hole, the real thing does not.
The olive and the jar point to the story itself: one small jar of pure olive oil, enough for a single day, that kept the Temple lamp burning for eight. The coin and the chocolate bar stand for gelt, the money (and now chocolate coins) given to children, and for the presents many families give on each night.
Hanukkah symbols and their meanings
Hanukkah (also spelled Chanukah) means โdedicationโ. It starts on the 25th of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar, which falls in late November or December, and marks the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabeesโ revolt, around 164 BCE. Families light the hanukkiah at home, one more candle each night, often in a window so the light can be seen from the street.
Blue and white are the colours of Hanukkah decorations. The synagogue and the scroll bring in the religious side. Unicode has no dreidel emoji so far; if you want the spinning top, type its Hebrew letters ื ื ื ืฉ, short for โa great miracle happened thereโ (in Israel the last letter is ืค, โhereโ).
Symbols
24Click a symbol to copy it and open its page.
Lights of Hanukkah
eight nights, one candle more each night
Food and gelt
fried in oil: latkes and doughnuts
How to use them
5 situationsClick to copyHanukkah Emoji combos
11Worth knowing
- The story of the oil lasting eight days is told in the Talmud (tractate Shabbat 21b); the earlier Books of Maccabees describe the revolt and the rededication without mentioning it.
- The Hebrew name can be spelled in English more than a dozen ways โ Hanukkah, Chanukah, Hanukah, Chanukkah and so on โ because the first letter, ื, has no exact English equivalent.
- The menorah emoji has nine branches, but the menorah on the emblem of Israel has seven: the first is for Hanukkah, the second is the lamp of the ancient Temple.
- Hanukkah occasionally overlaps Thanksgiving: in 2013 the first day of Hanukkah fell on Thanksgiving Day, nicknamed โThanksgivukkahโ.
Questions people ask
7What is the Hanukkah emoji?
The menorah โ a nine-branched Hanukkah candle holder. It is usually sent with , or .
How do I copy and paste Hanukkah emoji?
Tap or click any emoji on this page to copy it, then paste it into a message, a card or a post. The combos copy as one line.
Is there a menorah emoji on iPhone?
Yes. has been on iPhone and Android since 2015 (Unicode 8.0). Search the emoji keyboard for โmenorahโ.
What does the menorah emoji mean?
It stands for Hanukkah and its eight nights of candle lighting, which remember the rededication of the Temple and the oil that lasted eight days.
Is there a dreidel emoji?
Not yet. People type the dreidelโs letters ื ื ื ืฉ instead, or use and for the holiday.
What are the symbols of Hanukkah?
The hanukkiah or menorah , candles , the dreidel, oil , latkes , sufganiyot , gelt and the colours blue and white .
What is the Hanukkah text symbol?
The Star of David works as plain text almost everywhere; the menorah exists only as an emoji.
