nerd face

🤓

nerd face

Used to show that you’re being a little geeky, book-smart, or proudly awkward. It’s playful self-mockery — like saying “yes, I’m a nerd and I know it.” Often softens bragging about knowledge or enthusiasm for something technical or niche.

  • There was a stubborn system issue nobody could fix, and you solved it overnight by digging all the way down to the root cause.

    I literally wrote a custom script just to debug the whole thing 🤓

Subgroups
Unicode
U+1F913
Variant status
Fully-qualified
Emoji version
E1.0
General

Can also express quiet pride in being knowledgeable or passionate about something others might find “nerdy.”

Heads-up

Overusing it in work chats can come off as smug or condescending, especially if others don’t share your enthusiasm.

Cross-cultural

In some cultures and subcultures — especially academic communities and tech circles — being a “nerd” is seen as admirable rather than awkward. The emoji can signal confidence in expertise and pride in intelligence instead of playful self-mockery.

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Differences between 🤓 (nerd face) and 😏 (smirking face)

Both have expressive faces and focused eyes. 🤓 conveys playful nerdiness and proud awkwardness, hinting at bookish enthusiasm. 😏 feels sly and quietly confident. Its smile suggests teasing or knowing more than is admitted. The tone of 😏 is more suggestive and mischievous, less earnest and self-deprecating. While 🤓 reads as warm and affable, 😏 comes across as privately amused and a touch provocative.

Usage

Use 🤓 when you’re describing your own curious or bookish enthusiasm and want to be endearing about being a bit nerdy. Use 😏 when you want to tease, hint that you have an edge or secret, or send a flirtatious, confident aside.

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