The Rightwards Thumb Sign emoji with a medium-light skin tone (🏼) shows a thumb pointing to the right, used to indicate direction, point toward something on the right, or signal a noncommittal "that way" gesture. It is part of Emoji 18.0 and adds a sideways thumb to the hand-gesture family.
What Does the Rightwards Thumb Sign Emoji Mean?
The Rightwards Thumb Sign emoji means "this way" or "over there to the right," shown as a thumb jutting sideways.
Unlike the upright thumb used for approval, this gesture is about direction. Think of someone hitching a ride, or jerking a thumb over a shoulder to say "that's where it is." The medium-light skin tone variant (🏼) simply renders that same gesture in a medium-light skin tone, so the meaning is identical to the default version on the Rightwards Thumb Sign emoji page.
Because the emoji is new, its everyday meaning is still settling. Early usage will most likely lean on three ideas: pointing right, a shrug-like "this way or that, whatever," and a casual "go that way" instruction.
What Are the Technical Details of This Emoji?
The emoji is a sequence of two Unicode codepoints: U+1FAFA (Rightwards Thumb Sign) followed by U+1F3FC (the medium-light skin tone modifier).
Here are the key facts from the Unicode data:
- Unicode name: RIGHTWARDS THUMB SIGN: MEDIUM-LIGHT SKIN TONE
- Codepoints: U+1FAFA, U+1F3FC
- Unicode version: 18.0
- Emoji version: 18.0
- Category: People & Body
- Shortcode: :rightwards_thumb_sign_medium_light_skin_tone:
Because it belongs to People & Body, it sits alongside other hand gestures. You can browse the whole group on the People & Body emoji category page.
Why Is the Skin Tone Modifier Attached?
The base emoji is U+1FAFA, and the skin tone modifier U+1F3FC is added after it to produce this variant. The tone follows the standard Fitzpatrick-based scale used across Unicode emoji, where U+1F3FC is the medium-light option.
How Do You Use the Rightwards Thumb Sign Emoji?
You use it wherever you want to point someone toward the right or toward "that way" without writing the instruction out.
Because the gesture is flexible, it works in several situations:
- Giving directions: pointing to where something is, such as a room, a table, or a link placed to the right.
- Referring to something nearby: a casual nod toward a person or object on the right side of a photo or screenshot.
- Noncommittal reactions: a loose "it could go that way" when you are undecided.
Here are three example messages:
- Coffee machine is down the hall 🏼
- Check the second screenshot 🏼 that's the bug I mean
- Dinner at 7 or 8? 🏼 honestly either works for me
What Does 🏼 Mean in Texting and on Social Media?
In texting, 🏼 most plausibly reads as a casual "over there" or "go that way," with a relaxed, slightly offhand tone.
On social media, it can act like an arrow made from a hand. A caption such as New post 🏼 link is on the right uses it to guide attention. In a photo caption, it can point at someone standing on the right side of the frame.
Treat any more specific slang meaning with caution. The emoji is part of the newest Unicode release, so no firm conventions have been established yet, and meanings may evolve as people start using it.
How Is It Different From the Thumbs Up Emoji?
The Rightwards Thumb Sign points sideways to indicate direction, while the Thumbs Up emoji points upward to signal approval.
This distinction matters in practice. If you send 🏼 in reply to "Is this okay?", the reader may be unsure whether you mean "yes," "go that way," or "so-so." For a clear yes, the thumbs up is the safer choice. Use the rightwards thumb when your message is about location, direction, or a shrugging sort of ambivalence.
Which Emojis Pair Well With 🏼?
The best pairings combine the pointing thumb with an emoji that names the thing you are pointing at or the feeling you attach to it.
- 🏼 + 👀 Eyes: "look over there," drawing attention to something on the right.
- 🏼 + 🤷🏻♀️ Woman Shrugging: a "who knows, maybe that way" tone for undecided moments.
- 🏼 + 🥷 Ninja: a playful, stealthy "sneak off that way" joke.
Example: Mystery exit is 🏼 👀 shhh
When Should You Avoid the Rightwards Thumb Sign Emoji?
Avoid it when you need an unambiguous answer, since a sideways thumb can be read as direction, approval, or indifference.
- Formal or professional messages: where a clear sentence is better than a gesture.
- Confirmations and approvals: use a thumbs up or plain words instead.
- Sensitive conversations: where a loose, offhand gesture could come across as dismissive. If you want to show frustration, the facepalming emoji says it more clearly.
- Audiences on older devices: since this is a new emoji, some people may see a placeholder box or two separate symbols instead.
How Does the Emoji Look on Different Platforms?
Appearance will vary by platform, and support data for this emoji is still marked as to be determined for Apple, Google, Microsoft, Samsung, Meta, and Twitter.
That matters because Emoji 18.0 is a recent release, and platforms roll out new emojis on their own schedules. Until your device's operating system or app adds support, the sequence may display as a fallback character followed by a colored square showing the skin tone. Each vendor will also draw its own artwork, so the thumb's shape and shading will differ from one platform to another.
If your recipient cannot see the emoji, add a few words of text so the message still makes sense without it.
How Do You Copy and Paste the Rightwards Thumb Sign Emoji?
You can copy 🏼 with one click on this page, then paste it into any message, post, or document.
Click the emoji or copy button on this page, switch to your app, and paste with Ctrl+V on Windows or Cmd+V on Mac, or press and hold in the text field on a phone. Pasting preserves both codepoints, so the medium-light skin tone stays attached.
Want to turn a sentence into emojis? Try the Emoji Translator, or see what people are sending right now on the trending emojis page. Copy 🏼 above and start pointing the way.
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