Side eye emoji
There is no official “side eye” emoji. Copy the four people use for it — 👀, 😒, 🙄 and 🤨 — and see which kind of side eye each one gives.
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Which emoji is the side eye?
“Side eye” describes a look, not a Unicode character, so people map it onto several emoji. 👀 (eyes) is the most common: two eyes glancing to the side, used for “I saw that”, “suspicious” or “who’s going to say something?”. 😒 (unamused face) is the judgemental side eye. 🙄 (face with rolling eyes) is exasperated. 🤨 (face with raised eyebrow) is sceptical, a raised-eyebrow “really?”.
If you want the eyes on their own, the eyes emoji guide covers 👀 in depth, and the eye emoji guide explains the single eye 👁️, which is a different character with a different feel.
Compare the options
| Emoji | Name | Use it for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| eyesU+1F440 | Noticing, suspicion, “spill the tea” | Also just means “looking” or “I’m watching this” | |
| unamused faceU+1F612 | Judgement, unimpressed | Reads as cold rather than playful | |
| face with rolling eyesU+1F644 | Exasperation, “here we go again” | Can come across as rude to the person you send it to | |
| face with raised eyebrowU+1F928 | Doubt, “are you serious?” | Newer; may not render on old devices |
Reading the tone
The side eye emoji are almost always aimed at a third party or a situation, not at the person you are messaging. Sending 🙄 or 😒 directly in reply to someone tends to read as an insult unless you are close. 👀 is the safest because it is ambiguous: it can be playful curiosity as easily as suspicion.
Questions people ask
Is there a real side eye emoji?
No. There is no Unicode character named side eye. 👀, 😒, 🙄 and 🤨 are the emoji people use for the expression.
What does 👀 mean in a comment?
Usually “I’m watching this”, “interesting” or “I want the details”. On social posts it often means the commenter is waiting to see how something plays out.
Is 😒 the same as 🙄?
No. 😒 is unimpressed and looks sideways; 🙄 rolls its eyes upward and is more exasperated. Both are side-eye adjacent, but 🙄 is the stronger of the two.
