Shh emoji
🤫 asks for silence, keeps a secret, or signals the mewing meme. Copy it here and see how it differs from 🤐.
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What the shh emoji means
🤫 (shushing face) holds a finger to its lips. It means quiet, keep it secret, don’t tell, and in a caption it hints that a surprise is coming: “big news soon 🤫”. Added in Emoji 5.0 (2017), it replaced years of people typing “shh” or using 🤐. It has one strong slang use as well: paired with 🧏 it is the mewing emoji, a TikTok joke meaning “can’t talk, I’m mewing”.
🤐 (zipper-mouth face) is the firmer promise, “my lips are sealed”. 🤭 giggles rather than shushes. 🧏 on its own is the deaf person emoji and only becomes part of the mewing joke next to 🤫.
Compare the options
| Emoji | Name | Use it for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| shushing faceU+1F92B | Shh, a secret, a teaser, “quiet” | Playful; can be bossy if aimed at someone | |
| zipper-mouth faceU+1F910 | Sealed lips, “I won’t say” | Firmer and less playful | |
| face with hand over mouthU+1F92D | Giggling behind a hand | See the blushing emoji guide | |
| shushing face / deaf personU+1F92B · U+1F9CF | The mewing meme | See the mewing guide | |
| speak-no-evil monkeyU+1F64A | “Oops, said too much” | See the monkey emoji guide |
How people use it
- Teasers: “something’s coming Friday 🤫”
- Secrets: “don’t tell him I told you 🤫”
- Quiet hours: “baby’s asleep 🤫”
- Playful shushing: “🤫 spoilers!”
Other names for the shh emoji: shhh, shush, hush and whisper
People call the 🤫 emoji by many names. Some write “shhh” with three h’s, others shorten it to “sh”, and phrases like “shush”, “hush”, “be quiet” and “shut up” all describe the same finger-on-lips gesture. The “whisper emoji” is another common name, since a whisper is the quietest way to speak. You might also see the “shhh face” or “shhh hand” when someone refers to the gesture itself. Whatever name you use, it is the same emoji.
The mewing emoji combo: 🤫🧏 and its variations
The mewing meme pairs 🤫 with 🧏 (deaf person) to say “can’t talk, I’m mewing” — a TikTok trend about jaw exercises. Sometimes people add 🗿 (moai) to the combo, making it 🤫🧏🗿, for a stoic, chiselled look. The moai’s stone expression reinforces the idea of holding a pose and staying silent.
The deaf person emoji has gender variants: 🧏♂️ is the man and 🧏♀️ is the woman, so you might see 🤫🧏♂️ or 🤫🧏♀️ used instead.
Chat examples
Real messages with 🤫, and a reply that fits.
surprise party Friday 🤫
my lips are sealed 🤐
🤭 I heard something
tell me
quiet, baby’s asleep 🤫
got it
Questions people ask
What does 🤫 mean from a girl or a guy?
A secret, a surprise or “keep quiet”, from anyone. Next to 🧏 it is the mewing joke rather than an actual request for silence.
What is the difference between 🤫 and 🤐?
🤫 asks for quiet or hints at a secret; 🤐 promises to keep one. 🤫 is the playful one.
Why does 🤫 look different on my friend’s phone?
Each platform draws the face. The character is U+1F92B everywhere.
Is there a silent emoji or shut up emoji?
🤫 is often called the silent emoji or shut up emoji because the finger to the lips signals “be quiet”. It’s the same shushing face, just under a different name.
Is there a sh emoji?
There is no separate “sh” emoji, but the shushing face emoji 🤫 is used to represent the “shh” sound. It shows a face with a finger to its lips, the usual gesture for asking someone to be quiet.
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.
