๐ผ
Regional Indicator Symbol Letter W
duhb-uhl-yoo
Definitions
1
Symbol ยท Communication
uncommon
A blue square containing the letter W, used primarily as a component to form country flag emojis when paired with another regional indicator letter.
Rarely used alone. Most platforms display as 'W' in a blue square rather than a standalone letter.
The ๐ผ by itself just shows as a letter in a box on most devices.
Text message explaining emoji behavior
Part of the regional indicator symbol set designed for creating country flag emojis according to ISO country codes.
2
Technical ยท Coding
rare
Used in technical contexts when discussing emoji encoding or when deliberately avoiding flag emoji formation.
Used by developers, linguists, and in technical documentation about emoji standards.
To avoid creating a flag emoji, separate the regional indicators like ๐ผ with another character.
Technical forum discussion
Represents the technical nature of digital communication standards that underpin modern global text exchange.
Evolution Timeline
2010
Introduced as part of Unicode 6.0 specifically to create country flag emojis.
Need for standardized representation of country flags in emoji format.
Cultural Context
Regional indicator symbols were designed specifically to allow flags without requiring individual code points for each country flag.
The isolated use of regional indicators demonstrates the sometimes unintuitive nature of emoji encoding systems.
Regional Variations
United States
Almost exclusively seen in technical contexts or as an unintended single character.
Generational Usage
Gen_X: Minimal usage, generally only seen when flag emojis don't render properly.
Gen_Z: Rarely used intentionally except in technical discussions or emoji education.
Older: Unlikely to use or recognize as a meaningful symbol.
Millennials: May encounter when copying/pasting text that breaks flag emoji pairs.
Common Combinations
๐ผ๐ธ
Flag of Samoa
Used to represent Samoa in international contexts or by Samoans.
๐ช๐ผ
Flag of Western Sahara
Used in discussions about Western Sahara or by people from the region.