You’ve seen it. It’s that crisp, minimalist little symbol sitting in your emoji keyboard—the white heart outline emoji. Sometimes people call it the "hollow heart" or the "transparent heart." It looks clean. It’s aesthetic. But honestly, if you’re just tapping it because it matches your Instagram grid’s vibe, you might be missing the subtle social cues that come with it. Digital communication is weird like that. A single pixelated shape can change the entire "temperature" of a text message.
We live in a world where sending a red heart to a coworker is a HR nightmare waiting to happen, while sending no heart at all makes you look like a cold, unfeeling robot. Enter the white heart outline emoji. It’s the middle ground. It’s the "I care about you, but I’m not trying to date you or overstep" symbol. But where did it actually come from? And why does it feel so different from the solid white heart ($🤍$)?
The Evolution of the White Heart Outline Emoji
Technically, if we’re looking at the Unicode Standard—which is basically the "dictionary" for every character on your screen—the white heart outline has been around longer than you’d think. It’s officially known as the White Heart Suit (U+2661). It was part of Unicode 1.1 way back in 1993.
Wait. 1993?
Yeah. It wasn’t an "emoji" back then in the way we think of them today with bright colors and 3D shading. It was a simple glyph designed for digital card games. It was the counterpart to the Black Heart Suit ($♥$). For decades, it lived a quiet life in the "Symbols" section of your computer, mostly ignored by everyone except people coding solitaire clones.
Then came the "Aesthetic" era of the 2010s. Tumblr and early Instagram users started hunting for symbols that weren’t "basic." The standard red heart ($❤️$) felt too heavy, too loud. The white heart outline emoji became a favorite because it was "clean." It didn’t demand attention. It whispered. This transition from a technical card-game symbol to a cornerstone of digital expression is a perfect example of how users, not developers, decide what a symbol actually means.
Why the Outline Hits Differently Than the Solid Heart
Context is everything. If you send the solid white heart ($🤍$), which was added much later in Unicode 12.0 (2019), you’re usually conveying purity, sympathy, or a very "soft" kind of love. It’s popular for condolences or showing support for a "pure" friendship.
The white heart outline emoji is its cooler, more detached cousin.
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Because it’s just an outline, it feels lighter. In the world of UI/UX design, "hollow" icons usually represent an unselected state or something secondary. In texting, that translates to a "low-stakes" emotion. It’s perfect for:
- Reacting to a photo of a latte.
- Acknowledging a "thanks" from someone you don't know well.
- Adding a bit of flair to a professional-yet-friendly email signature.
It’s the "cool girl" of emojis. It’s minimalist. It doesn't try too hard.
The Secret Language of Emoji Aesthetics
Designers like Paula Scher have often talked about how typography and symbols carry weight beyond their literal meaning. The white heart outline emoji carries a "modernist" weight. When you see it in a brand’s Instagram bio—say, a minimalist jewelry line or a high-end skincare brand—it’s a signal. It says, "We value simplicity."
If you use it, you’re often tapping into that same vibe.
But there’s a catch. Not every device renders this emoji the same way. This is where things get tricky and why some people get confused. On some older Android systems or specific web browsers, the white heart outline emoji might not even appear as a heart. It might show up as a "tofu" block—that annoying little rectangle with an X in it. Or, it might look like a very thin, spindly line that’s hard to see against a white background.
This is a classic "cross-platform" headache. Apple’s iOS renders the outline heart with a very specific, slightly rounded stroke that looks intentional and chic. On Windows, it can look a bit more "clip-art" and jagged. If you’re sending it from an iPhone to someone on an old PC, your "chic" message might just look like a glitch.
Misconceptions and Cultural Nuance
Is it "less" than a red heart?
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In terms of emotional intensity, yes. According to a 2022 study on emoji sentiment analysis by researchers at the University of Michigan, users consistently rank "hollow" or "outlined" emojis as having lower emotional arousal than their filled-in counterparts. This makes the white heart outline emoji the safest bet for acquaintances.
However, don't confuse it with the "suit" symbols used in professional gambling or statistics. While it is the White Heart Suit, using it in a text message is almost never about card games anymore. It’s about style.
Some people also mistake it for a "broken heart" variant because of the emptiness inside. That’s a massive reach. If you’re trying to show you’re heartbroken, stick to the actual broken heart ($💔$). Using the outline to show sadness will just leave the recipient wondering if you’re trying to be trendy while they're crying.
The "Copy-Paste" Culture
One of the most interesting things about the white heart outline emoji is that it isn't always on the primary emoji keyboard for everyone. On many keyboards, you have to dig into the "Symbols" sub-menu or literally copy-paste it from a website.
This creates a "barrier to entry."
When someone uses it, it often shows they’ve put in a tiny bit more effort than just hitting the first heart they saw. It’s a subtle "I know what I’m doing" in the digital space. It’s popular in "copy-paste" bios and "link in bio" trees (like Linktree) because it creates a cleaner visual break between lines of text than a bright, solid-colored emoji would.
How to Actually Use It (Without Looking Weird)
If you're worried about overthinking it, don't be. Most people will just think, "Oh, a heart." But if you want to be precise, here is the unwritten rulebook for the white heart outline emoji.
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Don't use it for deep romantic declarations. It’s too thin. It’s too wispy. If you’re telling your spouse of ten years that you love them, and you use an outline heart, they might ask if something’s wrong. It’s like giving someone a drawing of a flower instead of an actual rose. It’s artistic, sure, but it lacks the "oomph."
Do use it for "vibe" checks. If you’re posting a photo of a sunset, a new pair of sneakers, or a clean desk setup, the white heart outline emoji is your best friend. It complements the visual without distracting from it.
Technical Specs for the Geeks
For those who care about the "how" behind the "what," here is the data.
- Unicode Name: White Heart Suit
- Unicode Point: U+2661
- HTML Entity: ♡
- CSS Content: "\2661"
You can actually use that HTML entity in your website's code to display the heart without needing an image file. It’s super lightweight and scales perfectly because it’s treated like a font character, not a picture.
The Future of the Outline
As we move toward more personalized digital identities, symbols like the white heart outline emoji are only going to get more popular. We’re seeing a shift away from the "yellow face" emojis of the 2010s toward more abstract, line-based art. It feels more mature. It feels more integrated into the "design" of our lives.
The emoji isn’t just a heart. It’s a tool for tone. It’s the difference between shouting "I LIKE THIS!" and nodding your head in quiet approval.
Next Steps for Better Texting:
If you want to start using this emoji properly, start by replacing your "thumbs up" ($👍$) in casual conversations with the white heart outline. The thumbs up has become increasingly seen as "passive-aggressive" or "dismissive" by younger generations (Gen Z specifically). The outline heart provides a similar "message received" confirmation but with a friendlier, softer edge that doesn't feel like you're "ending" the conversation abruptly.
Check your own keyboard's "Symbols" or "Math" section to see if it’s natively available. If not, save it in your phone’s "Text Replacement" settings (e.g., set "whrt" to automatically turn into ♡). This saves you from the constant hunt and keeps your digital aesthetic consistent across all your platforms.