Book emoji
Stack, open book or a single coloured one: copy the book emoji here and see which says โreadingโ versus โstudyingโ.
Published ยท Updated
What the book emoji means
๐ (books) is a stack, and it means studying, reading lists, exams, โback to schoolโ. ๐ (open book) is reading in progress, a story, or โthe whole storyโ (โ๐ timeโ). The closed books ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ and the notebook ๐ are mostly decorative colour choices, and ๐ is a bookmark. For โbookwormโ captions ๐ plus โ or ๐ฏ๏ธ sets the scene; the coffee emoji guide has the rest.
Unicode name: books ยท U+1F4DA ยท Emoji 0.6 (original set) ยท group: Objects.
How people use it
- Studying: ๐โ๏ธ
- Reading: ๐โ
- Book recommendations: ๐ in captions and bios
- โStorytimeโ: ๐ before a long post
- Back to school: ๐๐ โ see the school emoji guide
Compare the options
| Emoji | Name | Use it for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| booksU+1F4DA | Studying, a reading list | The default | |
| open bookU+1F4D6 | Reading now, a story | Open | |
| closed book / green book / blue book / orange bookU+1F4D5 ยท U+1F4D7 ยท U+1F4D8 ยท U+1F4D9 | Closed books in colours | Decorative | |
| bookmarkU+1F516 | Bookmark; saved | Also โtaggedโ |
Chat examples
Real messages with ๐, and a reply that fits.
finished the book ๐
thoughts?
๐ reading in the park
lovely
๐ new chapter
letโs go
Questions people ask
What is the difference between ๐ and ๐?
๐ is a stack of books (studying, lists); ๐ is one open book (reading, a story).
Which emoji means storytime?
๐ open book, often before a long post.
About this guide
Written and maintained by the Emoji Directory editorial team, without ads or sponsorship. Meanings describe how the emoji is commonly used in public posts and messages, not an official definition. Names, code points, versions, keywords and translations come from the Unicode Emoji 18.0 and CLDR data; shortcodes from the gemoji project. Last reviewed . Spotted a mistake or a new usage? Tell us, or read how the directory is made.
