Black heart emoji meaning
The black heart 🖤 can mean dark humour, grief, elegance or plain love, depending on who sends it. Copy it here and see how it differs from the red, white, grey and purple hearts.
Published · Updated
What the black heart means
🖤 (black heart) was added in Emoji 3.0 and picked up several meanings at once. In goth, metal and alternative circles it is simply love, in the sender’s preferred colour. In fashion and design captions it means sleek or elegant. In mourning it stands for grief and solidarity, and it was used widely during moments of collective loss. In jokes it flags dark humour or a sarcastic “love that for me”.
Because the same heart can be affectionate or morbid, the surrounding text decides. “Happy birthday 🖤” from a friend who always uses black hearts is warm. “🖤” alone under bad news is condolence. Compare it with the red ❤️ (default love), the white 🤍 (pure, calm, sometimes memorial), the grey 🩶 (neutral, moody) and the purple 💜, which has its own page in the purple heart emoji guide.
Compare the options
| Emoji | Name | Use it for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| black heartU+1F5A4 | Love in an alternative style, grief, elegance, dark humour | Can read as cold to people who expect ❤️ | |
| red heartU+2764 U+FE0F | Straightforward love and warmth | Romantic in some contexts | |
| white heartU+1F90D | Purity, calm, support, remembrance | Faint on light backgrounds | |
| grey heartU+1FA76 | Muted, moody, neutral affection | Newer; may not render | |
| broken heartU+1F494 | Heartbreak | See the broken heart emoji guide |
How people use 🖤
- As a signature: some people use 🖤 the way others use ❤️, in every message.
- Fashion and photography: “all black everything 🖤”.
- Condolence: 🖤 or 🤍 under a loss post.
- Dark jokes: “Monday again 🖤”.
- Fandoms and teams: hearts in club or brand colours, e.g. 🖤💛.
Questions people ask
What does 🖤 mean from a girl or a guy?
Usually affection with an alternative or elegant style, not a hidden message. If they use black hearts routinely, it means what a red heart would.
Is the black heart emoji negative?
Not inherently. It can express grief or dark humour, but most everyday uses are stylistic love or “that’s cool”.
What is the difference between 🖤 and 🩶?
🖤 is black and established (Emoji 3.0). 🩶 is grey, added in Emoji 15.0, and reads as muted or neutral; it also renders on fewer devices.
