The Rightwards Thumb Sign: Light Skin Tone emoji (🏻) shows a hand with the thumb pointing to the right, rendered in a light skin tone. It signals direction, a gesture toward something on the right, or a sideways nod. It belongs to the People & Body category and arrives with Unicode 18.0.
What Does the Rightwards Thumb Sign: Light Skin Tone Emoji Mean?
The rightwards thumb sign emoji means "this way" or "over there on the right," expressed with a thumb instead of a pointing finger.
Unlike a classic thumbs up, which communicates approval, the sideways thumb is a directional gesture. People use a thumb jerk in real life to say "go that way," "he's over there," or "check the thing next to me." This emoji brings that casual, informal pointing into text.
The light skin tone modifier (U+1F3FB) changes only the color of the hand. The meaning stays identical to the default yellow version, which has its own page: Rightwards Thumb Sign.
What Is the Unicode Information for This Emoji?
This emoji is a sequence of two codepoints: U+1FAFA (the rightwards thumb sign) followed by U+1F3FB (the light skin tone modifier).
- Unicode name: RIGHTWARDS THUMB SIGN: LIGHT SKIN TONE
- Codepoints: U+1FAFA, U+1F3FB
- Unicode version: 18.0
- Emoji version: 18.0
- Category: People & Body
- Shortcode: :rightwards_thumb_sign_light_skin_tone:
Because it is part of Unicode 18.0, a very recent release, this emoji will only display correctly once your device or app has received an update that includes the new characters.
How Do You Use the Rightwards Thumb Sign Emoji?
Use it whenever you want to point someone toward something on the right side, or to add a casual "over that way" gesture to a message.
Giving directions
The most literal use is navigation. Pair it with a place name or landmark to guide someone quickly in a chat.
- Coffee machine is down the hall 🏻
- Parking is around the corner 🏻 look for the blue sign
Pointing at a person or thing
In group chats, it works like a thumb jerk toward someone nearby: a playful way to say "ask them" or "that's on them."
- Who ate the last slice? 🏻 (pointing at Jake)
Casual, informal tone
A thumb gesture feels looser than a pointing finger. It carries a relaxed, offhand energy that suits friends and teammates more than formal correspondence.
What Does 🏻 Mean in Texting and on Social Media?
In texting and social media, the emoji acts as a visual "over there" or "that one," often with a hint of attitude.
Because the emoji is brand new, its slang meanings are still forming. Given how people use similar hand gestures, you can expect it to show up as a sideways indicator in captions, replies, and reaction posts, such as pointing toward a tagged account or a related post.
Existing keyword associations for this emoji include "sideways thumb," "thumb right," "hand gesture," and "direction." Those give a good sense of its core meaning: it is about where to look or go, not about approval.
It may also pick up a so-so or undecided flavor when used loosely. A thumb held sideways, rather than up or down, reads as neutral in everyday life, and some people will carry that "meh, could go either way" feeling into text. If your message could be read two ways, add a few words of context.
How Is It Different From Thumbs Up and Other Hand Emojis?
The key difference is intent: the rightwards thumb sign points the way, while 👍 Thumbs Up approves of something.
A thumbs up says "yes," "good job," or "got it." The sideways thumb says "that direction" or "over there." Mixing them up can create confusion, so choose based on whether you want to agree or to redirect attention.
It also differs from emojis that express uncertainty. Compare it with 🤷🏻♀️ Woman Shrugging: Light Skin Tone, which conveys "I don't know" or "who cares," and with 🤦🏻♀️ Woman Facepalming: Light Skin Tone, which signals disbelief or embarrassment. The sideways thumb does neither: its job is to direct attention.
Which Emojis Pair Well With 🏻?
The best pairings add context about what the thumb is pointing at or how you feel about it.
- 🏻 + 👀 Eyes: "Look over here," useful for drawing attention to a post, a person, or gossip.
- 🏻 + 🥷 Ninja: A sneaky "it was them" or "I'm slipping away that direction."
- 🏻 + 🅿️: Directions to parking.
- 🏻 + 🚪: "Exit is on the right."
Example caption: New menu is up 👀🏻 swipe to see.
To experiment with combinations, the Emoji Translator can turn a phrase into emojis so you can see how the sideways thumb fits into a longer message.
How Does the Emoji Look on Different Platforms?
Appearance will vary by vendor, and platform support data for this emoji is still listed as "TBD" for Apple, Google, Microsoft, Samsung, Meta, and Twitter.
That means support is not yet confirmed across these platforms. Since the emoji comes from Unicode 18.0, you may see a blank box, a question mark, or two separate symbols (a fallback glyph followed by a light skin tone swatch) on devices that have not updated.
When support does arrive, expect each vendor to draw its own version of a right-pointing thumb in the light skin tone, with differences in shading, outline, and hand shape, as is typical for other emojis in the People & Body category.
If you are sending it to someone and unsure whether their device will show it, add a short text note such as "(thumb pointing right)" so the message still makes sense.
When Should You Avoid the Rightwards Thumb Sign Emoji?
Avoid it in formal or high-stakes messages, and anywhere the gesture could be mistaken for a rude jab.
A thumb jerk toward a person can feel dismissive or blunt in some contexts, especially if you are pointing at someone in a group chat. In professional emails or messages to clients, a plain written direction is clearer.
Also avoid relying on it when your audience may not have updated devices. A broken symbol can distract from your message, and in a situation where clarity matters, such as giving someone directions to an appointment, words are safer.
Finally, remember that it is not a thumbs up. If you want to confirm or approve, use 👍 instead so your meaning is unambiguous.
What Does the Light Skin Tone Modifier Do?
The light skin tone modifier (U+1F3FB) gives the hand a lighter appearance without changing the gesture.
Choosing a skin tone is a personal preference: many people select the tone that matches their own, while others use the default or a different shade. There is no meaning difference between tones, only representation.
Note that the data for this emoji lists skin tone support as "No" for further modifiers, because the light skin tone is already applied in this sequence. To use a different shade, you would select the corresponding variant of the base emoji.
How Do You Copy and Paste the Rightwards Thumb Sign: Light Skin Tone Emoji?
You can copy 🏻 with one click on this page and paste it anywhere that accepts emoji.
Click the emoji, then paste it into your messaging app, social post, document, or email with the standard paste shortcut (Ctrl+V on Windows, Cmd+V on Mac, or a long press on mobile). Because it is a two-codepoint sequence, copying the full character ensures the skin tone stays attached to the thumb.
For more options, browse the trending emojis to see what people are copying right now, or explore the rest of the People & Body collection.
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