The 🧎 emoji, represented with the Unicode 1F9CE, is officially known as the
Person Kneeling emoji. It depicts a person on their knees, with their hands resting on their thighs. The emoji is not a combined Unicode, meaning it is a standalone symbol. It is designed to represent the act of kneeling, a position often associated with prayer, submission, or respect.
The primary and most common uses for the Person Kneeling emoji are to express humility, respect, or prayer. It is often used in religious contexts to symbolize prayer or worship. On social media, it can be used to show deference or respect towards someone or something. It can also be used to indicate a proposal, as it is common to kneel when proposing marriage.
Non-romantic or non-obvious uses of the emoji could include its use to represent the act of kneeling in protest, a gesture popularized by athletes like Colin Kaepernick to protest racial injustice. It can also be used to symbolize surrender or submission in a non-romantic context, such as admitting defeat in a friendly competition.
The Person Kneeling emoji is not among the most popular emojis, but it holds cultural significance due to its association with various forms of respect and protest. Its use has increased in recent years due to the prominence of kneeling protests in the media.
Related emojis include the
Person Bowing emoji (🙇), which also represents a form of respect or deference, and the Prayer Hands emoji (🙏), which is often used in religious contexts. The Person Kneeling emoji also has gender variations, including a male (🧎♂️) and female (🧎♀️) version.
In specific apps or communities, the Person Kneeling emoji can take on unique associations. For example, in discussions about social justice on platforms like Twitter or Instagram, the emoji is often used to symbolize solidarity with movements like Black Lives Matter. It can also be used in fitness communities to represent exercises that involve kneeling.