Which emoji is used for sorry?
There is no official apology emoji, so people combine a few clear signals. Pleading Face (Unicode 11.0, 2018) is the one most people reach for: big wet eyes that say “please don’t be mad”. In Japan it is nicknamed pien, after the sound of a small sob. Pensive Face is quieter regret, is disappointment in yourself, and or say you feel bad about it.
For a serious apology, add a gesture: Person Bowing is the formal deep bow from Japanese etiquette, where a lower bow means a bigger apology, and Person Kneeling is begging forgiveness. Folded Hands asks for forgiveness, “please”.
Sorry emoji face for “oops” moments
Not every apology is heavy. For small mistakes use the awkward faces: grimace (“yikes, my bad”), hand over mouth (“oops”), see-no-evil monkey (embarrassed), flushed, melting from embarrassment, -style sweat with , and facepalm when the mistake is obviously yours. These keep a light tone; pairing or with a real problem can look like you are not taking it seriously.
The shy-fingers combo , often with , is a cute, slightly sheepish “sorry… are we okay?”, popular with partners and close friends.
Sorry emoji with flowers, hearts and a hug
Flowers have been an apology gift for a long time, and the emoji keep that meaning: bouquet, rose for a partner, tulip as a gentle peace offering. wilted flower admits things went wrong. works as a written apology and or as a small make-up gift.
Hearts show the relationship matters more than the argument: Mending Heart (Emoji 13.1) is literally “let’s heal this”, admits the hurt, is a calm, sincere sorry. People Hugging and offer a hug, is making up, a dove and a white flag call a truce.
Sorry emoji for your girlfriend, best friend or at work
For a partner or girlfriend: , or , always after real words, never instead of them. For a best friend, or keeps it warm and a little funny. At work, one plain emoji after a clear sentence is enough ( or ); skip hearts and flowers.
In Slack, :bow: gives and :pray: gives . On Windows, press Win . and search “sad” or “pleading”; on a Mac, press Ctrl Cmd Space.
Sorry emoji text and symbols
Before emoji, apologies were typed: :( and :-( for sad, ;_; for crying, and Japanese text art such as m(_ _)m, a person bowing with their head on the floor, and orz, a kneeling figure seen from the side. The kaomoji (｡•́︿•̀｡) is a teary sorry face. The plain frown and frowning face work where colour emoji are not shown.
Symbols
44Click a symbol to copy it and open its page.
How to use them
6 situationsClick to copySorry Emoji combos
14Worth knowing
- In Japan, and the text art m(_ _)m mean both “sorry” and “thank you”; the deep bow (dogeza) is the strongest form of apology.
- “orz” is Japanese internet slang for a person kneeling with their head down: o is the head, r the arms, z the legs.
- In India, people often search for a “sorry emoji with holding ears”: holding your ears is a traditional apology gesture there, but Unicode has no emoji for it, so or is used instead.
- is called “pien” (ぴえん) in Japan, an onomatopoeia for a small sob; it was so popular there that it was used in slang lists and ads.
Questions people ask
7What is the sorry emoji?
There is no single official one; Pleading Face is the most common sorry emoji, with Person Bowing and Folded Hands for a more formal apology and for regret.
How do I copy and paste sorry emoji?
Tap or click any emoji on this page to copy it, then paste it into WhatsApp, Instagram, a text or an email. The combos copy as a whole.
What is the apology emoji face?
, and are the classic apology faces; and are for small “oops” mistakes.
Which sorry emoji hand should I use?
folded hands (please forgive me), a bow, to make up, and for a shy, cute sorry.
What emoji to send with a sorry text to your girlfriend?
, , or after a real apology. Avoid jokey faces like if she is genuinely hurt.
What does mean?
Shy or sheepish pleading: “sorry… please don’t be mad” or “can I ask you something?”. It is playful, best for close friends and partners.
Is there a sorry symbol in text?
Yes: :( and , , the kaomoji (｡•́︿•̀｡), m(_ _)m (bowing) and orz (kneeling).
