What Does the 🥲 (Crying Smile) Emoji Mean?

Download Article

Understand this emotionally complex emoji in no time

Co-authored by Bailey Cho Reviewed by Candace Gasper

Last Updated: June 9, 2025 Fact Checked

Download Article

• 🥲 (Crying Smile) Emoji Meaning
|
• Uses
|
• 🥲 Emoji Copy & Paste
|
• Emoji Pairings
|
• Related Emojis

|Show more |Show less

The 🥲 (crying smile) emoji usually symbolizes the feeling of being happy and sad at the same time, but it can also represent a complex mix of emotions—depending on the context of the conversation. In this article, we’ll teach you everything you need to know about this versatile emoji, including all of its possible meanings and the best ways to use it. We’ve also included a list of other teary-eyed emojis you can use to express your feelings.

Meaning of the 🥲 (Crying Smile) Emoji

The 🥲 (crying smile) emoji often symbolizes mixed emotions, like feeling happy and sad at the same time. It can also signal that you’re smiling through pain or feeling bittersweet. Send 🥲 to convey you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, or to express relief or gratitude after a difficult situation.

Steps

Section 1 of 5:

What does the 🥲 (crying smile) emoji mean?

Download Article

1. 
   The 🥲 emoji represents a complex mix of emotions. Also called the smiling face with tear emoji, the 🥲 emoji symbolizes a wide range of emotions—including happiness, sadness, gratitude, relief, nostalgia, vulnerability, or a combination of a few! People typically send it when they’re experiencing something bittersweet or smiling through pain.

   • Sometimes, people use the 🥲 emoji to be sarcastic. If they’re dealing with a negative situation, they might send it to lighten the mood or make themselves feel better.
Advertisement

Section 2 of 5:

How to Use the 🥲 (Crying Smile) Emoji

Download Article

1. 
   1
   Text the 🥲 emoji to convey you’re stressed or overwhelmed. Are you really going through it right now? Use the 🥲 emoji to let a loved one know that you have a lot on your plate. Whether it’s due to work, school, or life in general, sharing your feelings can help you relieve stress and boost your overall well-being.

   • “I can’t deal with work right now 🥲”
   • “I have 4 finals on the same day 🥲”
   • “I’m so anxious about the project 🥲 I hope it goes well 🤞”
2. 
   2
   Use the 🥲 emoji to express relief or gratitude after a hardship. If you just completed a difficult task or overcame a huge hurdle in life, celebrate your achievement with the 🥲 emoji. It’s basically the digital version of exhaling a deep breath or holding your hand over your chest—just be sure to thank the other person if they helped you out!

   • “The semester is finally over 🥲 I’m gonna nap for the next 3 days 😆”
   • “We finished the experiment and everything went according to plan 🥲”
   • “Just found out I passed my exam 🥲 Thank you for helping me study ❤️”
3. 
   3
   Send the 🥲 emoji to respond to something bittersweet. If someone tells you they’re graduating, moving to a new city, or going through a major life change, drop a 🥲 to let them know you’re happy and sad at the same time. It shows that you’re excited for their future but also teary-eyed about what they’re leaving behind.

   • “My sister just got engaged 🥲”
   • “I can’t believe you’re moving to NY this summer 🥲”
   • “OMG, you’re graduating this year? It really is the end of an era 🥲”
4. 
   4
   Use the 🥲 emoji to be humorous during a difficult situation. If things are going downhill in life, send a 🥲 to lighten the mood and keep moving forward. It’s a great way to make light of a negative experience, plus show you’re resilient and don’t take life too seriously.

   • “I got a $100 ticket for fare evasion 🥲”
   • “My car got towed while I was at the mall 🥲🔫”
   • “Just spilled coffee all over my shirt before my presentation 🥲”
Advertisement

Section 3 of 5:

🥲 (Crying Smile) Emoji Copy and Paste

Download Article

1. 
   The 🥲 emoji was approved as part of Unicode 13.0 in 2020.

   • Unicode: U+1F972

Section 4 of 5:

🥲 Emoji Pairings

Download Article

1. 
   Pair the 🥲 with other emojis to create a fun and unique message. Spice up a standard text message by adding some extra emojis to the mix. Not sure what to send? Here are a few examples to help you get started:

   • 🤰👶🍼🥲 = celebrating a pregnancy
   • 👰‍♀️❤️🤵‍♂️👏🥲 = celebrating a marriage
   • 👪👨‍🎓🥲 = bittersweet about graduating
   • 🎭🥲 = watching a moving performance
   • 📝💯🥲 = relieved about passing a test
Advertisement

Section 5 of 5:

Related Emojis

Download Article

1. 
   The 🥲 (crying smile) emoji is just one of many sad and teary-eyed emojis. From the classic crying face emoji to the holding back tears emoji, there are so many ways to express that you’re feeling down. Use any of the following emojis when 🥲 doesn’t convey what you’re trying to say:

   • 😢 (crying face) = sadness or pain
   • 😭 (loudly crying face) = inconsolable grief
   • 😥 (sad but relieved face) = concern or anxiety
   • 😣 (persevering face) = frustration, sadness, helplessness, or struggle
   • 😰 (anxious face with sweat) = sadness, disappointment, fear, or anxiety
   • 🥹 (holding back tears face) = sadness, anger, embarrassment, admiration, or gratitude

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Advertisement

Tips

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Name

Please provide your name and last initial

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!