😜

Winking Face with Tongue

wing-king fays with tuhng
Unicode: 1F61C
Added: 0.6
Category: Smileys & Emotion
#1
Global Ranking
accessible
Accessibility
very common
Usage Level

Definitions

1
Emotional Β· Playful Very Common
Expresses playfulness, silliness, or mischief. Indicates the sender is joking, teasing, or not being serious about what they've said.
Often used after sarcastic comments or jokes to clarify the sender isn't being serious.
I'm totally an expert at cooking now 😜
Text message after burning dinner
Maybe I'll just quit my job and become a professional gamer 😜
Social media comment
Your outfit looks amazing today 😜
Compliment between friends
Widely used across generations but particularly popular with younger users to defuse potentially awkward messages.
2
Emotional Β· Flirtatious Common
Conveys a flirtatious or suggestive tone, especially when paired with compliments or invitations.
Use with caution in professional contexts; primarily for casual or romantic conversations.
You looked really good in that photo you posted 😜
Direct message on dating app
We should hang out sometime, just the two of us 😜
Text message to crush
The combination of winking and tongue creates a more forward flirtatious signal than other playful emojis.

Evolution Timeline

2010
Introduced in Unicode 6.0, initially used primarily to indicate jokes or silly comments.
Early smartphone adoption expanding emoji usage beyond Japan.
2015
Evolved to take on more flirtatious connotations, particularly in dating app communications.
Rise of dating apps like Tinder normalizing emoji flirtation.
2018
Began appearing in workplace communications as casual office culture expanded across tech industries.
Millennial workplace communication styles influencing corporate culture.
2021
Usage declined among Gen Z in favor of πŸ€ͺ, which became preferred for expressing silliness.
Gen Z establishing distinct communication patterns from Millennials.

Cultural Context

Functions as a tone marker to prevent misinterpretation of text, particularly important when conveying sarcasm or jokes that might otherwise cause offense.
Serves as a digital paralinguistic cue, replacing the physical act of winking and sticking out one's tongue that would occur in face-to-face communication.
Millennials embrace this emoji more than Gen Z, who often view it as slightly outdated or 'cringe' compared to newer alternatives like πŸ€ͺ.
Design variations across platforms can alter perceived meaning; Apple's version appears more flirtatious while Google's appears more silly or goofy.
In Indian English contexts, this emoji is sometimes used more cautiously due to the potentially stronger flirtatious implications it carries in more conservative communities.

Regional Variations

Australia Frequently paired with Australian slang and banter between mates.
United Kingdom Often paired with dry or sarcastic humor, where the emoji helps clarify the joking intent.
United States Often used with slang terms like 'jk' (just kidding) or 'lol' to emphasize the joking nature of a message.

Generational Usage

Gen_X: Adopted primarily for clarifying jokes in text messages with family members or casual workplace communications.
Gen_Z: Used sparingly, often ironically or to mock Millennial communication styles. Many prefer πŸ€ͺ for expressing silliness.
Older: Less commonly used; when employed, typically to indicate a joke with family members, often overused in succession (😜😜😜).
Millennials: Frequently used to soften messages, indicate jokes, or add playfulness to work communications and dating app conversations.

Common Combinations

πŸ˜œπŸ˜‚
Indicates something is especially funny or the sender finds their own joke hilarious.
Common in group chats when someone makes a joke they're particularly proud of.
😜❀️
Playful flirtation with romantic interest.
Often used in early stages of dating or flirting to test receptiveness.
πŸ˜œπŸ’―
Jokingly claiming expertise or excellence at something.
Self-deprecating humor about one's skills or accomplishments.
😜πŸ”₯
Playfully suggesting something is attractive or exciting.
Often used when complimenting friends or commenting on trending content.
😜✨
Being silly or mischievous in a lighthearted, magical way.
Popular in captions about spontaneous decisions or playful moments.

Related Emojis

πŸ˜› Similar playful meaning but without the wink, conveying less mischief or flirtation. πŸ€ͺ More intense version with crossed eyes, suggesting zanier or more unhinged silliness. πŸ˜‰ Shares the winking element but without the tongue, making it more subtle and less playful. 😏 Both convey mischief or flirtation, but the smirking face is more suggestive and less playful. πŸ˜‹ Both show tongue but with different emotions; πŸ˜‹ focuses on food or deliciousness rather than playfulness.