Shrug emoji
The shrug 🤷 is “no idea”, “whatever” and “not my problem” in one gesture. Copy it — or the text version ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ — and learn when it sounds dismissive.
Published · Updated
What the shrug emoji means
🤷 (person shrugging) means I don’t know, who knows, not my problem or whatever. It is one of the most useful reaction emoji because it commits to nothing: it can be innocent (“no idea what time it starts 🤷”) or pointed (“he said he’d handle it 🤷”). The gendered versions 🤷♀️ (woman shrugging) and 🤷♂️ (man shrugging) are zero-width-joiner sequences of the base person plus a gender sign, and every version supports the five skin-tone modifiers.
The shrug arrived in Emoji 3.0 (2016), and it came in only because so many people were already typing its text ancestor, the shruggie: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. That emoticon still travels better in a few places — code comments, plain-text email, usernames — because it is ordinary characters (the face is the Japanese katakana tsu) and needs no emoji font.
Compare the options
| Emoji | Name | Use it for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| person shruggingU+1F937 | “No idea”, indifference, “what can you do” | Gender-neutral; some platforms draw it ambiguously | |
| woman shrugging / man shruggingU+1F937 U+200D U+2640 U+FE0F · U+1F937 U+200D U+2642 U+FE0F | The same, with an explicit woman or man | ZWJ sequences; old devices show 🤷 plus a sign | |
| face with diagonal mouthU+1FAE4 | Unsure, “ehh” | Newer; see the confused emoji guide | |
| thinking faceU+1F914 | Still thinking it over | See the thinking emoji guide | |
| person gesturing NO / person gesturing OKU+1F645 · U+1F646 | “No” and “OK” gestures | Often confused with the shrug at small sizes |
Innocent or passive-aggressive?
- After a question you can’t answer: innocent (“Saturday or Sunday? 🤷”).
- After someone else’s mistake: pointed (“told them twice 🤷”).
- About your own choices: playful (“bought the shoes 🤷♀️”).
- In a disagreement: dismissive; it reads as “I’m done arguing”. Use words instead.
- Work chat: fine for genuine uncertainty, risky as a reply to a request.
Chat examples
Real messages with 🤷, and a reply that fits.
where did the remote go?
🤷
did he say why?
🤷♀️ nothing
should we bring a gift?
🤷♂️ maybe wine
Questions people ask
How do I type the shrug emoji?
Search “shrug” in your device’s emoji keyboard, or copy 🤷 from this page. Windows: Win + . opens the emoji panel; macOS: Control + Command + Space.
How do I type ¯\_(ツ)_/¯?
It is hard to type by hand because ツ is a Japanese character. Use the copy button above; the text works anywhere, including places that strip emoji.
Is 🤷 rude?
Not by itself. It becomes dismissive when it replaces a real answer to a real question, especially about something the other person cares about.
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.
