Religious symbols emoji: cross, star of David, om, yin yang and more
Emoji has a symbol for most major faiths, and a few for none. Copy them here and see what each one represents.
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Symbols of faith
Most of these symbols came into emoji in Emoji 1.0 (2015) from the existing Unicode symbol blocks, which is why several of them are plain text characters with a variation selector. They are used respectfully in the overwhelming majority of posts: to mark a holiday, a place of worship, a prayer or an identity in a bio.
| Emoji | Name | Use it for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| latin crossU+271D U+FE0F | Latin cross ยท Christianity | Easter, Good Friday, church posts; see the cross guide | |
| orthodox crossU+2626 U+FE0F | Orthodox cross ยท Eastern Orthodox Christianity | Three bars, the lower one slanted | |
| star of DavidU+2721 U+FE0F | Star of David ยท Judaism | Hanukkah, Shabbat, Jewish identity | |
| dotted six-pointed starU+1F52F | A hexagram with a centre dot; less specific than โก๏ธ | ||
| star and crescentU+262A U+FE0F | Star and crescent ยท Islam | Ramadan, Eid; also on several flags | |
| omU+1F549 U+FE0F | Om ยท Hinduism (also Buddhism, Jainism) | Diwali, yoga and meditation posts | |
| wheel of dharmaU+2638 U+FE0F | Wheel of dharma ยท Buddhism | Eight spokes for the Noble Eightfold Path | |
| khandaU+1FAAF | Khanda ยท Sikhism | Added in Emoji 15.0 (2022) | |
| yin yangU+262F U+FE0F | Yin yang ยท Taoism | Balance; also used loosely for โchillโ | |
| atom symbolU+269B U+FE0F | Science, and the symbol adopted by many atheists | ||
| place of worshipU+1F6D0 | A generic kneeling figure; used for any faith or interfaith posts |
Places of worship and objects
The buildings are drawn as generic examples of their type: โช church, ๐ mosque, ๐ synagogue, ๐ Hindu temple (Emoji 12.0, 2019) and ๐ Kaaba, the cube in Mecca. ๐ menorah is the nine-branch Hanukkah lamp, and ๐ฟ prayer beads covers rosaries, misbaha and malas alike. The folded hands and angel guides cover the gestures and figures.
Holidays and how the symbols are used
- Christmas and Easter: โ๏ธ with ๐ or ๐ฃ; the Christmas and Easter lists have the full sets.
- Ramadan and Eid: โช๏ธ ๐ ๐ and ๐คฒ (palms up, the dua gesture).
- Hanukkah: ๐ โก๏ธ and ๐ฏ๏ธ.
- Diwali: ๐ช diya lamp, ๐๏ธ and ๐.
- Vaisakhi and Sikh posts: ๐ชฏ and ๐งก.
There is no emoji for every faith. Requests for a Bahรกโรญ nine-pointed star, a Shinto torii (โฉ๏ธ exists as a โshrineโ and is used for it) and a Zoroastrian faravahar have not been accepted by Unicode.
Christian emoji and Catholic symbols
The main Christian emoji is the Latin cross โ๏ธ, used across Catholic and Protestant traditions. The Orthodox cross โฆ๏ธ represents Eastern Orthodox churches, and the church โช can stand for any Christian place of worship. Catholic users may pair the cross with ๐ฟ prayer beads to represent the rosary, and add ๐ฏ๏ธ candle for prayer intentions.
- โ๏ธ Latin cross โ general Christian symbol
- โฆ๏ธ Orthodox cross โ Eastern Orthodox
- โช church โ building
- ๐ฟ prayer beads โ rosary or devotional beads
Wiccan and pagan emoji
Unicode does not include a dedicated Wiccan emoji, but several general-purpose symbols appear in Wiccan and pagan contexts. The crescent moon ๐, crystal ball ๐ฎ, and sparkles โจ are possible choices. The five-pointed star โญ can stand in for a pentagram in informal contexts, though it lacks the surrounding circle of a Wiccan pentacle. Nature symbols like ๐ฟ herb, ๐ spiral shell, and ๐ can suit earth-based practices. These can be combined with ๐ฏ๏ธ candle and ๐ bell for ritual-themed messages, since there is no single official symbol.
Questions people ask
What is the Jewish emoji?
โก๏ธ star of David is the main one, with ๐ menorah for Hanukkah and ๐ synagogue for the building.
What does the โ๏ธ emoji mean?
It is the atom symbol: science in general, and specifically the symbol many atheists and humanists use. It sits in the religion subgroup of the emoji charts for that reason.
Is there a Sikh emoji?
Yes, ๐ชฏ khanda, added in Emoji 15.0 in 2022. It needs a 2023 or newer phone to display.
Is there a Buddhist emoji?
โธ๏ธ wheel of dharma is the Buddhist symbol; ๐๏ธ om and ๐ชท lotus are also used, and ๐ง for meditation.
What does the ๐๏ธ om symbol mean?
The om symbol ๐๏ธ (also written โohmโ) represents a sacred sound in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, often used in meditation and yoga contexts.
Are these religious emojis free to use?
Yes, all emoji are standard Unicode characters, so you can copy and paste them anywhere without permission or payment.
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. Facts were checked against the sources listed above. Last reviewed . Spotted a mistake or a new usage? Tell us, or read how the directory is made.
