Orangutan emoji 🦧
The orangutan emoji 🦧 shows a red-haired great ape. It’s used for orangutans, apes in general, and sometimes as a playful animal symbol.
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What the orangutan emoji means
The orangutan emoji 🦧 represents the great ape of the same name, known for its reddish-brown hair and long arms. In Unicode, it is simply named “orangutan,” and it is one of two ape emojis: the other is the gorilla emoji.
Because orangutans are critically endangered and closely associated with rainforest conservation, the emoji often appears in messages about wildlife protection, deforestation, and sanctuaries. It can also be used more casually to mean “monkey” or “ape” in a playful sense, though technically orangutans are not monkeys.
How people use the orangutan emoji
- Posting about a trip to the zoo or seeing an orangutan in a documentary
- Raising awareness for rainforest conservation or orangutan rescue organisations
- Referring to someone as clever or mischievous in a lighthearted way, since apes are seen as intelligent
In most contexts, the tone is positive or neutral.
On social media, the orangutan emoji often appears alongside other nature emoji to suggest a jungle or rainforest setting. It can also accompany messages about sustainable palm oil, since orangutan habitats are threatened by palm oil plantations.
Compare orangutan with similar emoji
| Emoji | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| orangutanU+1F9A7 | Long arms, red-orange fur, the only ape emoji besides gorilla | |
| gorillaU+1F98D | Dark fur, larger and more muscular, also an ape | |
| monkeyU+1F412 | Often brown, smaller, represents a monkey (not an ape) | |
| monkey faceU+1F435 | Cartoonish monkey face, used for playful monkey expressions |
How to type or copy the orangutan emoji
On iPhone and iPad, open the emoji keyboard and search “orangutan.” On Android, it’s under the animals section or you can type the name in the search bar.
If you’re building a website, you can copy the character directly or use the standard emoji code point U+1F9A7 in your markup. The emoji is supported on all major platforms.
Orangutan vs. gorilla and monkey emojis
The orangutan emoji is often confused with the gorilla emoji and the monkey emoji. The comparison table on this page sums up the main differences: orangutans have longer, redder fur and are more slender; gorillas are darker and bulkier; monkeys are smaller and often have tails.
The monkey face emoji 🐵 is a cartoonish face and is often used for playful or monkey-like expressions, while the monkey emoji 🐒 shows a full-bodied monkey. Neither is an ape, so if you mean the great ape group, the orangutan or gorilla emoji is more accurate.
In everyday chat, people might use any of these to refer to a “monkey” loosely, but if you want to be precise, the orangutan emoji is the one with the reddish fur and long arms.
Questions people ask
What does the orangutan emoji mean?
It represents the orangutan, a great ape found in the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra. It’s used for the animal itself, for conservation topics, or sometimes as a general ape or monkey symbol.
What is the ape emoji?
There is no single “ape” emoji, but the orangutan 🦧 and gorilla 🦍 are the two ape emojis. People often use either one when they mean an ape, though each depicts a different species.
How do I type the 🦧 emoji?
On most phones, open the emoji keyboard and search for “orangutan.” On computers, use the emoji panel (Windows key + period on Windows, Control + Command + Space on Mac) and search the same term. You can also copy it from this page.
Is the orangutan emoji the same as the gorilla emoji?
No. The orangutan 🦧 has reddish-brown hair and longer arms, while the gorilla 🦍 has darker, thicker fur and a heavier build. They are different species and have separate emojis.
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.
