Star emoji
⭐ for ratings and favourites, 🌟 for praise, 🌠 for wishes: every star emoji explained, with the one people mistake for a shooting star.
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Which star emoji is which
⭐ (star) is the plain yellow five-pointed star: ratings, favourites, “starred”, gold-star praise. 🌟 (glowing star) adds a glow and reads as a compliment (“you’re a star”) or a highlight. 💫 (dizzy) is a star with a swirl; its Unicode name gives away its original meaning, but most people use it as a shooting or whirling star. 🌠 (shooting star) is the literal night-sky version, for wishes and wonder. ✨ (sparkles) is not a star at all, and it has its own page in the sparkles emoji guide.
| Emoji | Name | Use it for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| starU+2B50 | Ratings, favourites, “starred”, gold-star praise | Plain; can look like a bullet point | |
| glowing starU+1F31F | “You’re a star”, highlights, VIP | Slightly dated in some circles | |
| dizzyU+1F4AB | Whirling, shooting star, wonder; also dizzy | Ambiguous between magic and dizziness | |
| shooting starU+1F320 | A wish, a night sky, something fleeting | Small and hard to read at small sizes | |
| eight-pointed star / sparkleU+2734 U+FE0F · U+2747 U+FE0F | Decorative bullets, emphasis | Text-style symbols; render inconsistently | |
| dotted six-pointed starU+1F52F | Six-pointed star symbol | Religious or decorative; not a rating star | |
| sparklerU+1F387 | Sparkler, fireworks | Celebration rather than a star | |
| star-struckU+1F929 | Star-struck face, excitement | A face, not a star |
Stars in ratings, reviews and captions
- Ratings: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ is universally read as five stars; use ⭐ not 🌟 so the count is clear.
- Praise: “you were a 🌟 tonight”, “gold ⭐ for you”.
- Highlights and pins: ⭐ at the start of a line marks an item as important in lists and bios.
- Night and dreams: 🌠, 💫 and 🌙 together; the moon emoji guide covers the moons.
- Achievements: 🏆⭐ or 🥇⭐ for a win; ✅⭐ for “done and done well” (see the check mark guide).
Aesthetic star symbols to copy and paste
The star emoji fits easily into softer, more decorated text. Combine ⭐ with other symbols to create dividers, name decorations and profile bios. This page shows every star emoji, and you can copy them straight from this site.
- ⭐─────────────
- ✴️ ✧ name ✧ ❇️
- nights like this 💫 🌠
- ✨ star girl ✨
To copy any star from this page, tap or click it once and it goes to your clipboard. From there, paste it into a caption, bio or message. The process is the same on iPhone, Android and desktop.
Star emoji variations: red, 3D and Microsoft styles
While the standard star emoji ⭐ is always yellow, other star-like symbols can appear in different colours depending on the app you use. There is no dedicated red star emoji. If you need a red star, your best options are the eight-pointed star ✴️ or the sparkle ❇️, or you can combine the red circle emoji with a star, like 🔴⭐, to imply a red star.
The shooting star emoji 🌠 is a star with a trailing tail. There is no separate 3D shooting star emoji. If you want a more dynamic look, pair 🌠 with 💫 or 🌟 for extra depth.
On Microsoft platforms such as Windows or Teams, the star emoji can look slightly different from Apple or Google versions, but it remains the same character with the same meaning. The difference is only visual styling, not the symbol itself.
Chat examples
Real messages with ⭐, and a reply that fits.
you were the star tonight ⭐
the whole team was 🌟
five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
wow, thank you
wish upon it 🌠
wished ✨
Questions people ask
What is the difference between ⭐ and 🌟?
⭐ is a plain star used for ratings and marking things. 🌟 glows and is used as a compliment or a highlight. They are separate characters (U+2B50 and U+1F31F).
Is 💫 a shooting star?
Its Unicode name is dizzy, from the stars-circling-the-head idea, but most people use it as a shooting or whirling star. Both readings are common; context decides.
Why does my star emoji look white or black?
✴️ and ❇️ are older text symbols and some apps draw them as plain glyphs. ⭐ is a dedicated emoji and shows in colour everywhere.
Is there a red star emoji?
You can use ✴️ or ❇️, or combine a red circle with a star, like 🔴⭐.
How do I copy and paste a star emoji on iPhone or Android?
Tap the star emoji you want on this page and it will be copied to your clipboard automatically. Then paste it into any app by long-pressing and choosing Paste. This works the same on iPhone and Android.
Is ⭐ an emoji or an emoticon?
⭐ is an emoji: a single, colourful character that looks the same on different devices. An emoticon is text-based, like :-), made from punctuation. Emoji are standardised, so they display consistently, while emoticons can vary. The star symbols on this page are emoji.
How do I copy n paste stars?
To copy a single star, click its copy button on this page. For a whole row like ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, select the string from the chat examples and copy it as one piece. On mobile, long-press and choose Copy; on desktop, use Ctrl+C (Cmd+C on Mac). Then paste it anywhere.
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.
