The Kiss: Man, Man, Medium-light Skin Tone, Dark Skin Tone emoji 👨🏼❤️💋👨🏿 means two men sharing a romantic kiss, with one man shown in a medium-light skin tone and the other in a dark skin tone. People use it to celebrate male couples, express affection, and represent interracial same-sex love.
What Does the Kiss: Man, Man, Medium-light Skin Tone, Dark Skin Tone Emoji Mean?
This emoji depicts two men kissing, with a medium-light skin tone on the first man and a dark skin tone on the second.
It belongs to the kissing couple family of emojis, which show two people in a romantic embrace with a red heart and a kiss mark between them. In this version, both people are men, and each one carries a different skin tone, so the image reflects a specific pairing rather than a generic one.
The emoji is most often read as a sign of romantic love between two men. It can stand in for a kiss, a relationship status, an anniversary, or simple affection toward a partner.
Because the two skin tones differ, many people also read it as a representation of an interracial male couple. That matters to users who want an emoji that looks like their own relationship, not a default yellow figure.
Why Does This Emoji Have Two Different Skin Tones?
Unicode lets each person in a couple emoji have an independent skin tone, so partners can choose the exact pairing that matches them.
Emoji Version 13.1 added a large set of couple emojis, including kissing and couple-with-heart emojis, that allow separate tones for each person. Before that release, many of these emojis could only appear in one shared tone or in the default style. The update gave users far more combinations to pick from.
This particular emoji uses a medium-light skin tone for the first man and a dark skin tone for the second. It is one specific combination out of the full grid of possible pairings.
If you want a different pairing, such as two light tones or two dark tones, you would choose a different variant from the keyboard picker or from the emoji's main page.
How Is This Emoji Built Under the Hood?
It is a sequence of several Unicode characters joined by zero width joiners, which your device renders as a single image.
The full sequence is: U+1F468 (man), U+1F3FC (medium-light skin tone modifier), U+200D (zero width joiner), U+2764 (red heart), U+FE0F (variation selector for emoji style), U+200D, U+1F48B (kiss mark), U+200D, U+1F468 (man), and U+1F3FF (dark skin tone modifier).
Here is how the pieces map to the picture:
- U+1F468 with U+1F3FC: the first man in a medium-light skin tone.
- U+2764 U+FE0F: the heart that signals romance.
- U+1F48B: the kiss mark.
- U+1F468 with U+1F3FF: the second man in a dark skin tone.
The emoji is listed in the People & Body category, and its Unicode and Emoji version are both 13.1. Its shortcode is :kiss_man_man_medium_light_skin_tone_dark_skin_tone:.
If a device does not recognize the whole sequence, it may show the individual parts separately, such as two men, a heart, and a kiss mark side by side, instead of one combined image.
How Do You Use This Emoji in Texting and on Social Media?
Use it when you want to show romantic affection between two men, whether you are talking about your own relationship or celebrating someone else's.
In a message to a partner, it works as a quick kiss or a sign of closeness. On social media, it often appears in anniversary posts, couple photos, Pride celebrations, and relationship announcements.
Here are a few realistic examples:
- Three years with this man and I still get butterflies 👨🏼❤️💋👨🏿
- Happy anniversary to my favorite person, goodnight kiss incoming 👨🏼❤️💋👨🏿
- So happy for these two! Congratulations on the engagement 👨🏼❤️💋👨🏿
Some people also use it in bios or usernames to signal that they are part of a male couple. In that setting, matching the skin tones to your own relationship can feel personal and affirming.
How Does It Differ From the Default Kiss: Man, Man Emoji?
The default version uses the standard yellow emoji style, while this one specifies exact skin tones for each man.
If you do not want to focus on skin tone, the plain Kiss: Man, Man emoji is a neutral choice that works for any male couple. It conveys the same romantic meaning without picking a particular appearance.
The skin-toned version is the better pick when representation matters to you, or when you want the emoji to mirror a real couple. Neither version is more correct. The choice comes down to how personal you want the image to feel.
One practical note: a skin-toned couple emoji carries more visual specificity, so it is a stronger match for a message about your own relationship than for a general reaction.
How Does the Emoji Look on Different Platforms?
Each platform draws its own artwork, so the faces, hair, and style vary, but the meaning stays the same everywhere the emoji is supported.
Support depends on your operating system and app version. Based on the supported platform data, here is where it appears:
- Apple: iOS 14.5 and later, macOS 11.3 and later.
- Google: Android 12.0 and later.
- Microsoft: Windows 11 and later.
- Samsung: One UI 4.0 and later.
- WhatsApp: version 2.21.16 and later.
- Twitter: Twemoji 13.1 and later.
If your device is older than these versions, you may see a fallback such as separate emojis or a blank box. Updating your operating system or messaging app is the usual fix.
Because artwork differs by platform, the exact look of the two men can change when you send the emoji from one device to another. The skin tones and the kiss meaning remain the same.
Which Emojis Pair Well With This Emoji?
Hearts, sparkles, and celebration emojis are the most natural partners, since they reinforce the romantic or festive tone.
Try these combinations:
- Hearts and sparkles: add warmth to an anniversary or love note.
- Rainbow flag: adds a Pride message to a celebratory post.
- Party popper or champagne: works for engagements, weddings, and milestones.
When a friend shares exciting relationship news, you might react with the Eyes emoji for curiosity or the Thumbs Up emoji for approval before following with this one. If you want to explore more figures and gestures, browse the full People & Body emoji category.
You can also see what is popular right now on the trending emojis page, which is a handy place to find fresh ideas for pairing.
When Should You Avoid This Emoji?
Skip it when the setting is formal or when the romantic meaning does not fit the relationship you are describing.
It is generally a poor fit for professional emails, work chats with colleagues, or messages to people you do not know well, because it signals romantic intimacy. It also does not suit platonic situations, since the kiss and heart clearly point to a romantic relationship.
Consider your audience before posting publicly about a relationship. Some people prefer to keep their personal life private, and that choice belongs to them. Never use the emoji to speculate about or label someone else's relationship without their consent.
If you are unsure how a message will land, a simpler option such as a heart is a safer, more general way to express warmth.
Can This Emoji Help You Communicate More Inclusively?
Yes, it gives male couples, and interracial male couples in particular, an emoji that looks like them.
Representation in everyday communication matters because people want the symbols they send to reflect their own lives. A skin-toned couple emoji lets users express love without defaulting to a generic image.
If you are not sure which emoji fits a given message, the Emoji Translator tool can turn plain text into emojis and help you explore options. For other expressive reactions, you can also look at emojis like the Woman Shrugging emoji when you want a lighter, more casual tone in a conversation.
Choosing the right skin tone combination is a small detail, but it makes your message feel more personal.
How Do You Copy and Paste This Emoji?
Click the emoji on this page to copy it with one click, then paste it into any app that supports it.
Here is the quick process:
- Click the emoji 👨🏼❤️💋👨🏿 on this page to copy it to your clipboard.
- Open your message, post, or document.
- Paste it using Ctrl+V on Windows or Command+V on Mac, or press and hold in the text field on mobile.
If the pasted emoji appears as separate characters, your device or app may be too old to render the combined sequence. Check the platform support list above and update if needed.
You can copy the emoji as many times as you like, so keep this page handy whenever you want to send a loving note to someone special.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!