You’ve seen it a million times today. Maybe you sent it. The tongue sticking out face—officially known in the Unicode Standard as "Face with Tongue"—is one of those digital staples that feels almost as old as the internet itself. It’s silly. It’s slightly aggressive if you use it wrong. It’s the ultimate "just kidding" insurance policy for a risky text.
But have you ever stopped to think about why a yellow circle poking a pink muscle out of its mouth carries so much weight in our daily conversations? It isn't just a random drawing. It’s a complex piece of non-verbal communication that bridges the gap between a friendly joke and a genuine insult.
What the Tongue Sticking Out Face Actually Means
Context is everything. Seriously. If your best friend sends you a "you’re so annoying 😛," you know they’re being playful. If a stranger does it after a heated political debate on X (formerly Twitter), it’s a digital raspberry. It’s mocking.
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According to Emojipedia, the standard tongue sticking out face is meant to convey silliness, cuteness, or happiness. But the nuance is wild. We use it to soften the blow of a sarcastic comment. It’s the digital equivalent of a wink. In the early days of emoticons, we just had :P. It was simple. It was horizontal. It got the job done. Now, we have a whole family of these things. You’ve got the one with closed eyes (kinda like "I’m so wacky!"), the one with one eye squinted (the "zany" face), and the classic one.
The psychology here is pretty straightforward. When we talk in person, we use facial expressions to tell the other person how to interpret our words. Text lacks that. Without a face, "I hate you" is terrifying. Add the tongue, and it’s a flirt.
The Evolution of the Digital Raspberry
Let's get technical for a second. The tongue sticking out face was approved as part of Unicode 6.1 back in 2012. Before that, it was a mess of different designs across Japanese carriers like SoftBank and au by KDDI.
Back in the late 90s and early 2000s, emojis were basically a shorthand for "I don't have enough characters in this SMS to tell you I'm joking." We were limited. We were desperate for tone. When Shigetaka Kurita created the first set of 176 emojis for NTT DOCOMO, he was trying to solve a specific problem: the loss of emotional nuance in digital text.
Interestingly, the way this emoji looks varies wildly depending on your phone. Apple’s version is pretty standard—round, yellow, pink tongue. But go back a few years, and Google’s "blob" version looked like a melting gumdrop. Samsung’s version used to have a weirdly realistic tongue that some people found a bit... much.
These design choices matter because they change the "vibe" of your message. An Apple user might think they’re being cute, while the recipient on an older Android might see something that looks a bit more mocking or even gross.
Why Do Humans Stick Out Their Tongues Anyway?
It’s an evolutionary quirk. Honestly.
Developmental psychologists have noted that infants often stick their tongues out when they are concentrating or when they are mimicking adults. It’s one of our first forms of social interaction. Think about the famous study by Meltzoff and Moore (1977). They showed that even newborns just a few hours old would stick out their tongues if they saw an adult doing it. It’s hardwired.
As we get older, sticking out the tongue becomes a sign of "cognitive load." Have you ever watched a kid try to cut a straight line with scissors? Their tongue is usually poking out the side of their mouth. Research suggests this is because the parts of the brain responsible for language and fine motor skills are right next to each other. When one is firing off like crazy, it "leaks" into the motor neurons for the mouth.
So, when we use the tongue sticking out face online, we are tapping into a deeply human, biological signal of play, concentration, or social mimicry. It’s not just a "fun icon." It’s an extension of our physical selves.
The Cultural Divide: When It’s Not Just a Joke
We need to talk about how different cultures view this. In most Western cultures, sticking out your tongue is "the raspberry"—it’s childish, maybe a little rude, but mostly harmless.
In some parts of the world, it’s a much bigger deal.
In Tibet, for example, sticking out your tongue was historically a way of showing respect or a greeting. It was a way to prove that you weren't the reincarnation of a cruel 9th-century king who was said to have a black tongue.
Meanwhile, in some Southeast Asian cultures, showing the inside of your mouth can be seen as quite vulgar. If you’re texting someone from a more conservative background, that tongue sticking out face might not land the way you intended. It might seem less like "I’m being silly" and more like "I’m being incredibly disrespectful."
Misconceptions and Emoji Fails
One of the biggest mistakes people make with the tongue sticking out face is using it in professional settings.
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Don't do it. Just... don't.
Research from the University of Haifa found that using emojis in work emails can actually make you look less competent. The study, titled "The Dark Side of a Smiley," showed that while a smile in person increases perceptions of warmth, a digital smiley (or a tongue face) doesn't have the same effect. It just makes the sender look unprofessional.
Another misconception? That all "tongue" emojis are interchangeable. They aren't.
- The "Face with Tongue" 😛 is for general silliness.
- The "Squinting Face with Tongue" 😝 is for when you're actually laughing or something is super gross.
- The "Winking Face with Tongue" 😜 is the flirtatious one. Use this one carefully.
If you mix these up, you’re sending very different signals. 😜 says "I'm being naughty/suggestive," while 😛 just says "I'm a goofball."
How to Use Emojis Without Being "That Person"
If you want to master digital communication, you have to treat emojis like punctuation. You wouldn't put seven exclamation points after a work memo (hopefully), so don't stack five tongue faces after a sentence.
- Read the Room. If the person you're texting is using full sentences and proper grammar, maybe keep the 😛 in your pocket for a bit.
- One is enough. You don't need a string of them. It dilutes the impact.
- Know your platform. Emojis look different on Slack than they do on WhatsApp or iMessage.
- Avoid the "Zany" face unless you're actually being chaotic. The one with the crazy eyes (🤪) is a lot. It’s high energy. It’s "I’ve had four espressos and I’m losing my mind."
The tongue sticking out face is a tool. Like any tool, if you use it right, it builds a better connection. If you use it wrong, you just look like you're trying too hard to be "random."
The Future of the Face
As we move further into the era of AR and VR, the tongue sticking out face is evolving again. We have Memojis and Animojis now that track our actual face. If you stick your tongue out at your iPhone, your digital avatar does the same.
This brings back that "physicality" we lost with plain text. It makes the digital raspberry feel real again. It’s no longer just a static image; it’s a direct reflection of your current mood and muscle movement.
Actionable Takeaways for Better Texting
To make sure your use of the tongue sticking out face actually helps your social life rather than hurting it, follow these steps:
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- Check the Power Dynamic: Only use this emoji with peers or people you have a solid, playful relationship with. Avoid using it with bosses, clients, or that person you just started dating who seems a bit serious.
- Use it as a "Tone Modifier": If you’re sending a message that could be interpreted as mean or critical, a single 😛 can clarify that you’re teasing.
- Don't Replace Words: Don't let the emoji do all the work. If you're actually sorry or actually joking, sometimes it's better to just say "I'm just kidding."
- Audit Your "Frequently Used": Look at your emoji keyboard. If the tongue face is in your top three, you might be relying on it too much as a crutch for sarcasm. Try using your words more.
The tongue sticking out face isn't going anywhere. It’s a bridge between our primal instincts and our digital future. Just remember: it’s a garnish, not the main course. Use it sparingly, use it wisely, and maybe—just maybe—don't use it in your next email to HR.