Head shaking horizontally emoji 🙂↔️ (shaking head no)
🙂↔️ is the head shaking horizontally: a slightly smiling face with a left-right arrow, meaning “no” or “shaking my head”.
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What the head shaking horizontally 🙂↔️ (shaking head no) emoji means
🙂↔️ is the head shaking horizontally: a slightly smiling face with a left-right arrow, meaning “no” or “shaking my head”. Added in Emoji 15.1 (2023) as a sequence of 🙂 and ↔️, it is animated on some platforms — Apple and Google actually shake the head — and static elsewhere. Its partner 🙂↕️ nods yes; the nod emoji guide covers that one. Because the base face is the polite 🙂, the shake reads as a gentle, slightly disappointed no rather than an angry one, which makes it perfect for “SMH”.
Unicode name: head shaking horizontally · U+1F642 U+200D U+2194 U+FE0F · Emoji 15.1 (2023) · group: Smileys & Emotion.
How people use it
- No: a polite refusal or disagreement
- SMH: disbelief at something silly
- Disapproval: without saying a word
- Answering yes/no questions: with 🙂↕️ for yes
Compare the options
| Emoji | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| head shaking horizontallyU+1F642 U+200D U+2194 U+FE0F | No, shaking my head | |
| head shaking verticallyU+1F642 U+200D U+2195 U+FE0F | Yes, nodding | |
| person gesturing NOU+1F645 | Arms crossed: no | |
| prohibitedU+1F6AB | Not allowed | |
| person facepalmingU+1F926 | Disbelief, exasperation |
The head shake emoji as SMDH
SMDH stands for “shaking my damn head”, a stronger version of the common “SMH” abbreviation. The 🙂↔️ head shaking emoji works as a visual equivalent for both, and the face’s mild smile tends to keep the tone light. If someone tells you they queued for an hour for cold chips, replying with the head shaking emoji shows amused disbelief rather than anger.
Questions people ask
What does 🙂↔️ mean?
Shaking the head: no, disagreement or “SMH”. The arrow shows the direction of the shake.
Why does 🙂↔️ show as a face and an arrow?
It is a ZWJ sequence of 🙂 and ↔️. Devices without Emoji 15.1 support (before iOS 17.4 / Android 14) show the two parts separately.
Does the head shake emoji move?
On Apple and Google it is animated in some apps; most platforms draw a static face with motion lines.
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.
