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Waving Hand Emoji

The waving hand emoji () โ€” Unicode name Waving Hand โ€” means hello, goodbye, or "hey there." An open hand moving side to side is the universal greeting and sign-off gesture in texts, Slack, and social comments. Not approval () or thanks (). Copy below.

Quick answer

means hello, goodbye, or casual hey โ€” the wave greeting emoji. Approval โ†’ . Thanks โ†’ . Copy below.

Quick information

Emoji

Unicode name

WAVING HAND

Common name

Wave Emoji

Code point

U+1F44B

Decimal

128075

HTML entity

👋

Category

People & Body

Subcategory

hand-fingers-open

Shortcode

:wave: ยท :waving_hand:

CLDR keywords

bye, cya, greetings, hand, hello, hey, hi, later, wave, yo

Unicode version

0.6 (2010)

Emoji version

0.6 (2015)

Skin tones

Fitzpatrick modifiers U+1F3FBโ€“1F3FF

Which hello or greeting emoji should I use?

is an open-hand wave โ€” hello or goodbye. approves. salutes. is peace/victory. Pick the gesture that matches greet vs OK vs respect.

  • Waving Hand

    Open hand wave โ€” hello, goodbye, hey there, joining a chat.

    Best for: Greetings, sign-offs, introductions, stream hellos

  • Thumbs Up

    Approval and OK โ€” not a greeting wave.

    Best for: Sounds good, agree โ€” not hello default

  • Saluting Face

    Salute โ€” respectful acknowledgment, military or meme tone.

    Best for: Yes sir energy, respectful nod โ€” not casual wave

  • Victory Hand

    Peace or victory V-sign โ€” not side-to-side wave.

    Best for: Peace out, victory photo โ€” different hand shape

  • Call Me Hand

    Shaka / call me โ€” hang loose, call you later.

    Best for: Casual cool bye, surf vibe โ€” not standard hello

  • Folded Hands

    Thanks and please โ€” palms together, not waving.

    Best for: Gratitude, prayer โ€” not hello/goodbye wave

  • Smiling Face

    Friendly smile without hand gesture โ€” pair with ๐Ÿ‘‹ for warm hi.

    Best for: Polite hello text โ€” stack ๐Ÿ‘‹๐Ÿ˜Š

  • Handshake

    Formal agreement shake โ€” meeting energy, not casual wave.

    Best for: Deal sealed, welcome aboard โ€” professional intro

Heart color emojis

Each heart color carries different meaning. Copy any heart or open its full meaning page.

Current
Thumbs Up
Saluting Face
Victory Hand
Call Me Hand
Handshake
Folded Hands
Hands Hub

Who sent you Waving Hand?

Pick the generation of the sender โ€” the same emoji often means something different depending on how old they are.

Gen Z reading ยท born 1997โ€“2012

Ironic "oh hey" energy, stream chat spam, meme entrance โ€” context decides.

Waving Hand emoji meaning

Context decides which reading applies. These are the most common uses in 2026.

Hello / hi
Most common

Greeting someone when arriving or starting a chat.

e.g. Hey!

Goodbye / bye
Most common

Signing off, leaving a conversation, or heading out.

e.g. Gotta run, bye

Introduction
Most common

New person saying hi โ€” Discord, Slack, group chats.

e.g. Nice to meet you

Casual hey
Most common

Low-key acknowledgment or checking in.

e.g. what's up

vs ๐Ÿ‘ thumbs up
Literal

๐Ÿ‘‹ greets or says bye; ๐Ÿ‘ approves or confirms.

e.g. Hi vs OK

vs ๐Ÿซก saluting face
Literal

๐Ÿ‘‹ is casual wave; ๐Ÿซก is salute respect or meme acknowledgment.

e.g. Hey team vs Yes sir

Group chat entry
Most common

Announcing presence when joining a thread or channel.

e.g. I'm here

Professional hello
Most common

Friendly but neutral opener in Slack or team email.

e.g. Hi everyone

Live stream / chat
Platform-specific

Streamers and viewers greeting chat on Twitch or YouTube.

e.g. Chat

Ironic wave
Less common

Sarcastic "oh hey" when someone appears unexpectedly.

e.g. Well well well

Long goodbye
Most common

Leaving a job, moving away, or closing a chapter.

e.g. Moving on

Unicode name
Literal

Official name WAVING HAND (U+1F44B).

e.g. U+1F44B

Build a combo

Add this emoji and related ones to your combo tray, then copy the full sequence from the bar at the bottom of the page.

Platform designs

The same Unicode character renders differently on each platform. Reference previews use Twemoji where vendor artwork is unavailable โ€” your device may show a different design.

Apple

Apple Color Emoji โ€” yellow default waving hand on iOS and macOS.

Reference preview (Twemoji)

Google

Noto Color Emoji on Android and Chrome.

Apache 2.0

Microsoft

Fluent emoji on Windows 11 โ€” 3D waving hand.

Reference preview (Twemoji)

Samsung

One UI emoji on Galaxy devices.

Reference preview (Twemoji)

WhatsApp

Common hello and goodbye gesture in WhatsApp chats.

Reference preview (Twemoji)

Discord

Supports :wave: shortcode โ€” server join greetings.

Reference preview (Twemoji)

X (Twitter)

Twemoji-style waving hand on X.

CC BY 4.0

OpenMoji

Open-source reference design for comparison previews.

CC BY-SA 4.0

Waving Hand emoji copy and paste

Click any variant to copy. Use stacks for extra emphasis in comments and captions.

Waving Hand skin tones

These are Fitzpatrick skin-tone variations of the same Waving Hand emoji (๐Ÿ‘‹) โ€” not separate Unicode characters. Tap any to copy.

Waving Hand emoji combinations

Pair with other emojis to sharpen your message. Copy any combo in one tap.

Friendly hello
Very popular

Wave plus smile โ€” warm greeting stack.

Meaning guide

Wave and salute
Very popular

Casual hi plus respectful ack โ€” meme-friendly.

Meaning guide

Hi and approve
Popular

Greet then confirm โ€” onboarding energy.

Meaning guide

Warm goodbye
Popular

Wave plus heart โ€” affectionate sign-off.

Meaning guide

New here intro
Popular

Introduction plus sparkle โ€” Discord/Reddit intro posts.

Meaning guide

Peace out
Popular

Wave plus victory hand โ€” casual leaving stack.

Meaning guide

Thanks and bye
Niche

Gratitude plus wave โ€” polite close.

Meaning guide

Chat spam hello
Popular

Triple wave โ€” live stream chat greeting.

Meaning guide

Waving Hand emoji examples

Real phrases people use. Tap to copy the full line.

Text hello
iMessage
Slack channel join
Slack
Discord introduction
Discord
Signing off
WhatsApp
Professional hello
LinkedIn
Stream greeting
Twitch
Dating app opener
Hinge
Ironic wave
X / Twitter
Joining group chat
Group text
Leaving job
Email / casual

Waving Hand emoji caption & message ideas

Phrases that pair naturally with . Tap the copy icon to grab any example line.

โ€œwave / wave emojiโ€

Universal shorthand for ๐Ÿ‘‹ hello or bye

e.g. wave

โ€œhey heyโ€

Casual enthusiastic greeting

e.g. hey hey

โ€œhiiiiโ€

Extended hi with extra warmth

e.g. hiiii

โ€œsee ya / cyaโ€

Casual goodbye with wave

e.g. cya

โ€œpeace outโ€

Leaving โ€” sometimes with โœŒ๏ธ instead

e.g. peace out

โ€œpop in / popping inโ€

Brief visit announcement

e.g. just popping in

โ€œnew hereโ€

Introduction phrase in online communities

e.g. new here

โ€œttfn / ttylโ€

Ta-ta for now โ€” goodbye with wave

e.g. ttyl

People also ask

Common questions about the waving hand emoji, answered clearly.

Waving Hand emoji complete guide

History, usage, and context โ€” everything beyond a quick copy-paste.

What does the waving hand emoji mean?

The waving hand emoji () shows an open hand with motion lines โ€” Unicode name Waving Hand. It signals hello when arriving, goodbye when leaving, or a casual "hey" when checking in.

It is one of the most universal gesture emojis โ€” understood across languages when paired with context words like hi or bye.

๐Ÿ‘‹ vs ๐Ÿ‘ wave vs thumbs up

A common mix-up: is not approval. confirms plans or says OK. opens or closes social contact.

See our comparison at /compare/waving-hand-vs-thumbs-up for side-by-side examples.

๐Ÿ‘‹ vs โœŒ๏ธ wave vs peace sign

Victory Hand is a V-shape โ€” peace, victory, or photo pose. is a side-to-side wave for greetings.

Some people say "peace out" with either gesture; is the clearer default for hello and goodbye.

Waving hand emoji meaning in texting

In iMessage and WhatsApp, starts conversations ("Hey ") or ends them ("Night "). It softens tone compared to a bare text.

Stack for extra warmth or for playful respect.

Slack and professional hellos

Remote teams use in channel intros, Monday check-ins, and welcome messages for new hires. It reads friendly without being overly casual in most tech workplaces.

Pair with clear words โ€” "Hi everyone quick update" โ€” so the wave supports rather than replaces your message.

Discord, streams, and communities

Discord introductions often lead with . Twitch chat spams when a streamer goes live or returns.

Reddit "new here" posts use for a soft community entrance.

When to use ๐Ÿ‘‹

Use for hello, goodbye, introductions, joining chats, and casual check-ins. Works in DMs, group chats, comments, Slack, and dating app openers.

Double adds enthusiasm โ€” common among friends.

When to choose a different emoji

Use for approval, for thanks, for formal agreement, for salute respect, for peace sign photos.

Skip as a standalone reply when someone needs substantive acknowledgment โ€” add words or use .

Skin tone variants

Waving Hand supports Fitzpatrick skin tone modifiers. Use the skin tones section on this page or long-press on mobile keyboards.

Tone choice personalizes the wave without changing hello/goodbye meaning.

Unicode and technical details

Waving Hand is U+1F44B, category People & Body. Unicode 0.6 (2010). CLDR keywords include hello, hi, bye, wave, greetings.

Shortcodes :wave: and :waving_hand: are widely supported on chat platforms.

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