The Kiss: Man, Man, Light Skin Tone, Medium-dark Skin Tone emoji (👨🏻❤️💋👨🏾) shows two men kissing, one with a light skin tone and one with a medium-dark skin tone. It represents romantic love between two men, and the paired skin tones let couples depict themselves, including interracial relationships.
What Does the Kiss: Man, Man, Light Skin Tone, Medium-dark Skin Tone Emoji Mean?
This emoji means romantic affection between two men, shown through a kiss, with each partner carrying a different skin tone. It is a single image made from a sequence of characters, not a standalone symbol.
The pairing of a light skin tone and a medium-dark skin tone is the whole point of this variant. Instead of a generic couple, it lets two people who differ in skin tone see their own relationship reflected in a message.
Common ideas attached to this emoji include:
- Romantic love: a kiss between two male partners
- Affection: a warm goodnight, anniversary, or reunion message
- Representation: a visible, personalized symbol of a same-sex couple
- Pride and inclusion: support for LGBTQ+ relationships
How Is This Emoji Built, and Which Skin Tones Does It Use?
The emoji is a ZWJ (zero width joiner) sequence that combines a man, a heart, a kiss mark, and a second man, with a skin tone modifier applied to each man.
Its codepoints are U+1F468 (man), U+1F3FB (light skin tone), U+200D (joiner), U+2764 and U+FE0F (red heart), U+200D, U+1F48B (kiss mark), U+200D, U+1F468 (man), and U+1F3FE (medium-dark skin tone). Devices that understand the sequence render it as one image.
It belongs to the People & Body category and was introduced in Unicode 13.1 and Emoji 13.1. That release is what made individual skin tones for each person in a couple emoji possible, so earlier systems cannot show this exact image.
Note that the data for this emoji lists skin tone support as No. That means you cannot swap its tones further, because the tones are already fixed in the sequence. If you want a version with no tone specified, see the default Kiss: Man, Man emoji.
What Does This Emoji Mean in Texting and on Social Media?
In texting and on social media, this emoji signals romantic affection between two men, often used by couples or by friends celebrating a couple.
It appears most in direct messages between partners, in anniversary posts, and in captions that mark a relationship milestone. Because it is specific, it reads as sincere and personal rather than casual.
Realistic examples include:
- Three years today and I'd choose you again 👨🏻❤️💋👨🏾
- Goodnight, love. See you at the airport tomorrow 👨🏻❤️💋👨🏾
- So happy for these two, congratulations on the engagement! 👨🏻❤️💋👨🏾
Is it only for couples?
No. Friends, family, and allies also use it to congratulate a couple or to show support for a relationship, as long as the context is clearly warm and respectful.
Why Do Skin Tone Combinations Like This One Matter?
Mixed skin tone couple emojis matter because they let people see their own relationship in the emoji keyboard instead of settling for a default.
Before individual tones could be set for each person, couples with different skin tones had to use a single shared image. This variant lets one partner appear with a light skin tone and the other with a medium-dark skin tone, which directly supports interracial couples.
It is also useful for anyone who simply wants to match a photo, a story, or a real-life description. A caption about "us" feels more accurate when the emoji looks like the people involved.
The category it sits in, People & Body emojis, contains many other tone-aware designs if you want to explore related options.
Which Platforms Support the Kiss: Man, Man, Light Skin Tone, Medium-dark Skin Tone Emoji?
Support for this emoji arrived with Emoji 13.1, so it works on recent versions of major platforms but not on older devices.
The supported versions listed for this emoji are:
- Apple: iOS 14.5+ and macOS 11.3+
- Google: Android 12.0+
- Microsoft: Windows 11+
- Samsung: One UI 4.0+
- WhatsApp: 2.21.16+
- Twitter: Twemoji 13.1+
What happens on unsupported devices?
On a device that does not recognize the sequence, it may break apart into its parts. You might see a man with a light skin tone swatch, a heart, a kiss mark, and a second man with a swatch, shown side by side instead of one combined image. The message is still understandable, but it looks less polished.
Each platform draws its own artwork, so the clothing, hair, and style of the two men will differ between Apple, Google, Samsung, and others. The meaning stays the same even when the design changes.
Which Emojis Pair Well With This Kiss Emoji?
Pair this emoji with hearts, rings, or celebratory symbols to strengthen the romantic or supportive message you want to send.
Good combinations include a red heart for warmth, a ring for engagement and wedding news, a rainbow flag for Pride posts, and sparkles or party symbols for celebrations. Keep the combination short so the kiss remains the focus.
If you are reacting to a couple's photo or announcement, a quick pairing with the Eyes emoji can playfully show you noticed something sweet, while the Thumbs Up emoji works as a simple, friendly approval.
To see which romantic and relationship emojis are being used most widely at the moment, check the trending emojis page.
When Should You Avoid This Emoji?
Avoid this emoji when the message could be unwelcome, when it could out someone without their consent, or when the setting calls for a neutral tone.
Do not use it to speak for a couple who has not made their relationship public. Posting or commenting with a romantic same-sex emoji on someone's behalf can expose personal information they wanted to keep private.
It is also best left out of formal or professional messages, such as client emails or workplace announcements, unless the context is clearly personal and appropriate. In group chats, check that the tone fits before sending something intimate.
Finally, never use it to mock or tease. The emoji represents real relationships, and treating it as a punchline can be hurtful. If you are unsure how a message will land, a gentler option such as a heart is a safer choice.
How Do You Copy and Paste the Kiss: Man, Man, Light Skin Tone, Medium-dark Skin Tone Emoji?
You can copy this emoji with one click on this page, then paste it into any app that supports Emoji 13.1.
Use the copy button near the top of the page, then paste with Ctrl+V (Windows) or Cmd+V (Mac), or press and hold in your phone's text field and choose Paste. The emoji will carry its full ZWJ sequence, so it should appear as one image on supported devices.
If you would like to build a message that mixes words and symbols, the Emoji Translator tool can help turn plain text into emojis, which you can then edit and personalize with this kiss.
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