What Does the 🙌 Hands Up Emoji Mean?

Co-authored by Dan Hickey

Last Updated: April 7, 2022

Curious about the 🙌 (hands up) emoji? Also called the raising hands emoji, this versatile symbol has a variety of meanings depending on the context of the message. Whether you want to send someone a double-High 5 or praise the Lord, we’ve got you covered. Read on to discover all the meanings of the 🙌 (hands up) emoji and how you can use it in your own texts and posts.

Section 1 of 3:

🙌 (Hands Up) Emoji Meanings

1
The 🙌 (hands up) emoji means you’re celebrating something. Throw your hands up because it’s time to party! The 🙌 emoji symbolizes good times and celebrations. It shows up when someone’s excited or expressing pride and joy in something.^{[1]
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- “I’m going to Harvard! 🙌”
- “Who’s turning up tonight!? 🙌”
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🙌 can also mean you’re grateful. Someone can use 🙌 to say that they’re thankful or relieved that something good happened. Some people use it in a religious sense (“Praise be to God! 🙌”) and some use it secularly (“Phew! 🙌”)—it just depends on the context.^{[2]
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- “Hallelujah, I passed the exam! 🙌”
- “Feeling grateful today 🙌”
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3
The 🙌 emoji tells people you’re optimistic. It’s common to see the 🙌 emoji when people are talking about their dreams and aspirations. It symbolizes that you’re keeping the faith and feel like good things are coming your way.
- “Manifesting an awesome New Year 🙌”
- “Keep up the grind and you’ll get rewarded, baby! 🙌”
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🙌 can be a double High 5. The 🙌 emoji means “Give me 10!” (holding up both hands and slapping palms with another person) in a sports or team context. It pops up a lot among teammates, collaborators, or between people that just want to hype each other up.^{[3]
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- “Give me 10, man! 🙌”
- “Good job team! Put ‘em up! 🙌”
5
The 🙌 emoji shows you agree whole-heartedly. The 🙌 emoji appears a lot in social media comments when someone strongly agrees with an opinion shared in someone’s post. Imagine someone in a crowd yelling “Yaas!” or “Preach!”^{[4]
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- “You said it sister 🙌”
- “🙌 Ain't that the truth!!”
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The 🙌 emoji also signals that you’re surprised. Didn’t see that coming! Picture someone walking into a surprise party—the 🙌 emoji mimics them throwing up their hands in shock (in the good way). It also shows up in surprise announcements, like a band posting their tour dates or a couple revealing that they’re pregnant.
- “Surprise! 🙌 I’m gonna make it home for the holidays after all!”
- “🙌 We’re engaged! ❤️”

Section 2 of 3:

How to Use the 🙌 (Hands Up) Emoji

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Add a 🙌 to your post to say "Time to celebrate!" Use 🙌 when you want to ramp up the energy in a conversation or you’re talking about fun plans happening later. It works for casual nights out or fancy events—whatever you feel like celebrating!
- “It’s finally the weekend 🙌”
- Who’s going to Kayla’s graduation party!? 🙌”
2
Send the 🙌 emoji to tell someone "I’m so proud of you!" Use the 🙌 emoji to show how proud you are of someone (or yourself!). Attach it to a compliment or a congratulatory message. You can also just say who and what it is you’re proud of.
- “So proud of my daughter winning her first fencing tournament! 🙌”
- “🙌 Congrats on your engagement!!”
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Use 🙌 to yell "Surprise!" Treating someone to an unexpected party or gift? Include the 🙌 emoji to add a little flair to your message. You can also use it to describe a time when you were surprised or something pleasantly unexpected happened to you.
- “Guess what!? I just got us tickets to see Marina next week! 🙌”
- “Here’s some pics from Brian’s surprise party 🙌 He had no idea! 🤣”
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Text someone a 🙌 emoji to say "Give me 10!" Send a virtual double-High 5 to someone to congratulate them or add some encouraging energy to your message. Give 10 to anyone, especially teammates or partners in something competitive like sports or video games.
- “We did it!! 🙌”
- “Nice job on the soccer field today!” 🙌”
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Shout "Hallelujah!" with a 🙌 emoji. Express your gratitude or relief when something goes your way. Use 🙌 by itself as a standalone “Thank God!” or pair it with a sentence explaining what happened or what you’re thankful for.
- “Aced my last college exam of senior year! 🙌”
- “I love when my grandchildren come to visit 🙌”
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Let your followers know "Good things are coming" with a 🙌 emoji. Got a feeling that your hard work is going to pay off soon? Use the 🙌 emoji to illustrate your optimism or reflect on how far you’ve come.
- “Good things come to those who hustle 🙌 Keep up the good work!”
- “One year ago I was broke. Today I own my own business 🙌”
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Yell "That’s what I’m saying!" with the 🙌 emoji. Show your strong support of what somebody said. You can use a few 🙌 emojis by themselves or pair one with an exclamation of agreement.
- “🙌 🙌 🙌”
- “YES 🙌”

Section 3 of 3:

🙌 (Hands Up) Emoji Substitutes

Need to shake things up? There are a ton of different emojis you can use to illustrate your messages and make your point. Try some of these in place of the 🙌 emoji—variety is the spice of life, after all!
- 🥂 or 🎉 = Time to celebrate (“Cheers!” or “Party time!”)
- 🙏 = Praying or thankful
- ✋ = High 5
- 😮 = Surprised Face
- 👍 = Thumbs Up (“I agree!”)