Wink emoji
Copy the winking face 😉 and see how a wink changes a sentence, when it is flirting and when it is just a joke, plus the tongue-out 😜 and blown-kiss 😘 winks.
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What a wink does to a message
😉 (winking face) is a tone marker. Put it after a sentence and the sentence becomes a joke, a hint or a shared secret. “I might have eaten the last slice 😉” is a confession with a smile. It is flirtatious only when the words are; on their own the wink is playful rather than romantic.
😜 (winking face with tongue) is sillier and louder, the wink for teasing and “just kidding”. 😘 (face blowing a kiss) is a wink plus a kiss and is openly affectionate, so it belongs with the faces in the kiss emoji guide. If you want a knowing look without the friendliness, the smirk emoji guide is the next stop.
Compare the options
| Emoji | Name | Use it for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| winking faceU+1F609 | Joking, hinting, gentle flirting | Can seem smarmy if used in every message | |
| winking face with tongueU+1F61C | Teasing, being silly, “jk” | Childish in a serious thread | |
| face blowing a kissU+1F618 | Affection, a sent kiss | Romantic or close-friend only | |
| smirking faceU+1F60F | Knowing, suggestive | Reads as cocky; see the smirk guide |
Reading a wink correctly
- After a compliment: playful, possibly flirting (“nice outfit 😉”).
- After a favour: “you owe me one 😉” means no debt at all.
- After bad news: softens it (“running 10 minutes late 😉”), though 😅 is more common now.
- In work chat: fine with people you know; some find it too familiar.
Text faces you can copy
Plain-character faces that paste anywhere. Tap one to copy.
- wink
- cheeky wink
- wink and peace
- playful
- wink cheer
The wink's visual signature
The wink emoji 😉 shows one eye open and one eye closed, with a small smile. This single-eyed expression is what gives it the feel of a knowing nudge, a visual shorthand for “we’re in on something together.” The same look appears in the text emoticon ;), which uses a semicolon for the winking eye.
The German word zwinkern, meaning “to wink,” captures the same playful signal. Winking is widely understood as a friendly or conspiratorial cue, and the emoji borrows that non-verbal gesture directly.
Chat examples
Real messages with 😉, and a reply that fits.
don’t tell anyone I ate the last slice 😉
your secret is safe 😉
see you at 8 😉
can’t wait
I might have ordered dessert for both of us 😜
you know me too well
Questions people ask
Is 😉 flirty?
Sometimes. The wink itself is neutral and playful; the words decide. A wink after a compliment is flirtier than a wink after a joke.
What is the difference between 😉 and 😜?
😜 adds a stuck-out tongue, which makes it sillier and less subtle. 😉 is the one for hints and gentle jokes.
Is there a wink with both eyes closed?
No. The kissing faces 😚 and 😙 have closed eyes but are kisses, not winks.
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.
