Shows a bittersweet feeling—happy or relieved, but a little emotional. Use it for “I’m okay, just touched/exhausted/proud” moments, like grateful tears or laughing-through-the-struggle.
You just submitted your final project and post in your group chat to let everyone know you survived the semester. You want to sound relieved but emotional.
It’s finally over 🥲 can’t believe we made it
Often used when you feel touched or grateful in a slightly emotional way — for example, when a friend stays up helping you study or someone does something kind. It says “thank you, I might cry a little” without being dramatic.
In Japan, 🥲 is commonly read as a mix of 泣き笑い (“laughing while crying”) — emotional but not tragic. It’s close to kaomoji like (;_;) or (´；ω；｀) with a tiny smile, showing effort or endurance rather than sadness.
Not the same as 😢: 🥲 has a tiny smile and reads a bit sweet or grateful. If you’re purely sad, use 😢 (or 😞) instead.
Use cautiously with non-close contacts: 🥲 can feel a bit intimate or self-pitying; when in doubt, stick to 🙂 or plain text.
See what they share and how they differ to choose the right one.
More on sad but relieved face
Both 🥲 smiling face with tear and 😥 sad but relieved face convey mixed feelings where relief and sorrow coexist, and both work for moments that are not purely joyful or purely devastated; they signal complex emotional nuance and can soften hard news or mark recovery after stress. The key difference is tone and social framing: 🥲 often reads as resilient warmth—grateful, touched, or wryly proud after struggle—and suits gentle self-deprecation, thanks, or bittersweet pride, whereas 😥 carries a starker, more melancholy relief—acknowledging disappointment or weariness while noting that the worst is past—and fits reactions to narrowly avoided harm or to subdued endings. Use 🥲 when you want to show you’re okay and emotionally moved in a tender or slightly humorous way; reach for 😥 when you need to communicate that things were rough and you’re relieved they ended, but you’re still feeling down.
If you’re saying “I’m emotionally tired but okay” after an awkward or touching moment, choose 🥲 to convey warmth and bittersweet acceptance. If you’re expressing “that was hard and I’m relieved it’s over” after a stressful or disappointing situation, choose 😥 to communicate sadness mixed with relief.
Related emojis that share similar meanings or usage.
