Foot

A bare foot, shown from the side, standing for feet in general. People reach for it when the topic is literally feet: a hike that left them aching, a pedicure or freshly painted toenails, a blister, a visit to the podiatrist (a foot doctor), new shoes that pinch, or the pleasure of kicking shoes off and going barefoot on grass or sand. Runners and walkers add it to step-count screenshots and race photos.

It also works as an action. Next to a ball it is a kick or a shot on goal; in a story it can be a stomp, a tap of the toe, or someone "putting their foot down". English speakers use it for the idioms too: a foot in the door, a foot in your mouth, getting off on the wrong foot.

Before 2018 there was no foot emoji at all, and people made do with footprints 👣 or a shoe. The foot arrived with a batch of missing body parts (leg 🦵, bone 🦴, tooth 🦷), which is why it comes in the same five skin tones as hands and faces, plus the default yellow.

What does it mean when someone sends it?

In a normal chat, it is about feet; sent alone, it is probably a joke. If you have been talking about shoes, a long walk, a spa day or a football match, the foot is literal and the words around it tell you which. A foot that lands with no context is a different animal. Online humour has turned feet into a running gag about foot fetishes and selling "feet pics", so a bare 🦶 from a friend, or in a comment under your photo, often means "nice feet" with a smirk, or is teasing you about the joke itself.

That makes it a mildly risky emoji to send to someone you don't know well. It isn't offensive in itself, but a stranger receiving a lone foot may wonder what you are implying. If you mean sore feet or a pedicure, say so in words.