🪣
Bucket
BUH-kit
Definitions
1
Objects · Household
Common
A cylindrical container with a handle used to carry or hold liquids or other materials. Often used to represent cleaning, gardening, or carrying water.
Used to indicate cleaning activities, water collection, or carrying items. Sometimes represents a simple tool or container.
Time to clean the bathroom 🧹🪣🧽
Personal messaging
Beach day essentials: 👙🕶️🪣🏖️
Instagram caption
In digital communication, often represents domestic chores, gardening tasks, or beach activities.
2
Slang · Internet Culture
Emerging
Used metaphorically to represent collecting or gathering things, especially in online gaming and social media contexts.
Often appears in phrases like 'bucket list' or to indicate collecting items in games.
Just 🪣 all these resources before the other team finds them
Gaming chat
Has gained traction in gaming communities to represent inventory collection or resource gathering.
Cultural Context
The term 'bucket' vs 'pail' varies regionally, with 'pail' being more common in British English and certain American dialects.
In digital contexts, the bucket emoji often represents domestic labor, which reflects traditional household role divisions in many cultures.
Added to major platforms in 2020 as part of Unicode 13.0, filling a gap in household and cleaning-related emoji options.
Regional Variations
Australia
Sometimes referred to as a 'billy' in rural contexts, though this typically refers to a specific type of camping bucket.
United Kingdom
Often called a 'pail' in some British contexts, particularly in older or more formal settings.
Generational Usage
Gen_X: Primarily used literally to represent cleaning tasks or outdoor activities like gardening.
Gen_Z: Used in gaming contexts to represent collecting items or 'grinding' for resources. Sometimes used ironically in memes.
Older: Limited usage, typically only in literal contexts related to household tasks or gardening.
Millennials: Commonly used to represent household chores, DIY projects, or in reference to 'bucket lists' of experiences.
Common Combinations
🪣🧹
Cleaning supplies or household chores
Universally recognized symbol for cleaning activities or housework
🪣🏖️
Beach activities, especially building sandcastles
Associated with childhood beach play and vacation activities
🪣💧
Water collection or carrying water
May reference water scarcity or household water tasks