Medical symbol emoji ⚕️
⚕️ is the medical symbol: the Rod of Asclepius, a single snake coiled around a staff. It means medicine and healthcare — doctors, nurses, pharmacies, health services…
Published · Updated
What the medical symbol ⚕️ emoji means
⚕️ is the medical symbol: the Rod of Asclepius, a single snake coiled around a staff. It means medicine and healthcare — doctors, nurses, pharmacies, health services, medical students’ bios — and it is the symbol behind 🧑⚕️ health worker. It is often confused with the caduceus (two snakes and wings), which is not an emoji. Added in Emoji 4.0 (2016) from an older text symbol, with a variation selector. Medical set: 🧑⚕️ health worker, 🩺 stethoscope, 💊 pill, 🏥 hospital, 🚑 ambulance.
Unicode name: medical symbol · U+2695 U+FE0F · Emoji 4.0 (2016) · group: Symbols.
How people use it
- Healthcare: doctors, nurses, pharmacies
- Bios: medical students, clinicians
- Health posts: awareness days
- Symbols: the staff of Asclepius
Compare the options
| Emoji | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| medical symbolU+2695 U+FE0F | Staff of Asclepius | |
| health workerU+1F9D1 U+200D U+2695 U+FE0F | Doctor, nurse | |
| stethoscopeU+1FA7A | Exam | |
| pillU+1F48A | Medicine | |
| hospitalU+1F3E5 | Hospital |
Hospital cross and the medical symbol emoji
The red cross is a common symbol of medical care. It appears on many first aid kits and is closely associated with the International Red Cross movement. The medical symbol emoji ⚕️, however, is not a red cross — it is the Rod of Asclepius, a single snake coiled around a staff. This staff-and-snake emblem has been associated with healing since ancient Greece, and it is the symbol encoded as an emoji.
You cannot type the red cross itself as an emoji. The closest emoji is ⚕️, which also conveys medical care in digital messages. If you need a plain cross symbol, you can use the heavy greek cross ✚ or the cross mark ❌, but neither is a medical symbol.
Questions people ask
What does ⚕️ mean?
Medicine and healthcare — the Rod of Asclepius.
Is ⚕️ the caduceus?
No. The caduceus has two snakes and wings; ⚕️ has one snake and is the correct medical symbol.
Why does ⚕ look plain?
⚕ began as a plain text character, so some apps show it in black and white. The copy button on this page includes the emoji selector (U+FE0F), which asks for the colour version.
Is there a medical symbol for change?
The medical symbol emoji ⚕️ is not a symbol for change; it represents medicine and healthcare. If you need an emoji for change, consider 🔄 counterclockwise arrows or 📈 chart increasing, but they are not specifically medical.
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.
