Seal

A seal: cute, chubby and pleased with itself. Most platforms draw a grey, earless seal with big dark eyes and whiskers, resting on its front flippers. It is one of the few animal emoji that is almost never used as an insult; its whole character is harmless and a bit silly.

The common uses are literal. A day at the aquarium, a seal spotted from a boat, a wildlife documentary, a beach where seals haul out to sunbathe, the Arctic and Antarctic, or a photo of a white fluffy pup. From there it slides into the figurative: lying on the sofa like a seal, a dog or baby that looks like one, anything round, smooth and squishy.

The English pun is the other big use. A “seal of approval” is a stamp of approval, originally a wax seal on a document, and 🦭 next to “approved”, “seal of approval” or a ✅ means “you have my blessing”. Non-English speakers meet this joke constantly in memes and comment sections.

What does it mean when someone sends me 🦭?

Usually “this is adorable” or “look at this animal”. On its own it is a soft, friendly reaction, close to 🥺 or 😍 but goofier. After a compliment or a sweet message it is affection, not a declaration; after a photo it is simply the animal.

Read the words around it. “Seal of approval 🦭” is a joke about agreeing, “🦭🦭🦭” is delighted flailing like a clapping seal, and a lone 🦭 answering a question usually means the sender found something cute rather than anything coded.

Seal or sea lion: what is the difference?

True seals have no ear flaps and wriggle on their bellies. Seals, sea lions, fur seals and walruses all belong to one group, the pinnipeds (“fin-footed” mammals). True seals, like the harbour seal and grey seal of northern coasts, have small holes for ears, short front flippers and move on land by flopping. Sea lions and fur seals have visible ear flaps, long front flippers and can walk, which is why they are the ones doing tricks in shows.

The emoji is meant to be a true seal, and most drawings show one. Because the two animals look alike in a small picture, people use 🦭 for sea lions too; there is no separate sea lion emoji.