Meanings
A mythical aquatic creature with human upper body and fish tail instead of legs. Gender-neutral representation of merfolk.
Used to reference fantasy, mythology, beach culture, or swimming. Often appears in vacation or ocean-related content.
Represents mythological beings found in folklore worldwide. Modern usage influenced by popular culture depictions in films and literature.
Symbol for gender fluidity, transformation, or existing between two worlds. Used in LGBTQ+ contexts to represent non-binary identities.
Often used metaphorically to express feeling caught between different identities or states of being.
Increasingly adopted in queer communities as a symbol of transformation and existing outside binary categories.
Combos with ๐ง
Culture
Merfolk appear in folklore worldwide, from Greek sirens to the Mami Wata of African traditions. The modern Western image was popularized by Hans Christian Andersen's 'The Little Mermaid'.
Merpeople represent the human fascination with transformation and existing between worlds. They symbolize both freedom and entrapment in different cultural contexts.
Part of Unicode's effort to provide gender-neutral alternatives to previously gendered emoji concepts, reflecting changing social awareness about gender representation.
Younger users often employ this emoji metaphorically to represent feelings of not belonging or existing between different states, extending beyond literal mythological references.
History
Introduced in Unicode 10.0 as gender-neutral alternative to mermaid/merman emojis.
Growing awareness of gender-inclusive representation in emoji design.
Gained popularity following release of gender-specific mermaid/merman variants.
Increased interest in fantasy creatures in popular culture.
Adopted in some LGBTQ+ communities as symbol of gender fluidity and transformation.
Expanding emoji usage for identity expression beyond literal meanings.