You’ve seen it. You've probably used it. The 😜—officially known in the Unicode Standard as "Winking Face with Tongue"—is a staple of digital communication that somehow manages to be both incredibly common and wildly confusing. It’s that chaotic energy in a yellow circle. One eye shut, tongue lolling out to the side, it sits there in your "frequently used" tray, waiting to save a dry text or, occasionally, ruin a professional reputation.
Most people think they know what it means.
They don't.
Jeremy Burge, the founder of Emojipedia, has often pointed out that emoji meanings aren't set in stone by the developers at Apple or Google. Instead, they’re defined by us. By how we use them in the trenches of the group chat. The 😜 is a prime example of "semantic drift," where a symbol starts with one intended meaning and ends up somewhere completely different.
The Weird History of the 😜 Tongue Out Wink Emoji
Back in the early days of Unicode 6.0, which was released in 2010, the "Winking Face with Tongue" was added alongside a host of other expressive icons. At the time, the design was relatively simple. It was meant to convey a sense of "zany" or "goofy" behavior. It was the digital equivalent of making a funny face to lighten the mood.
But things got complicated when different platforms started drawing it differently.
If you were on an old Samsung device years ago, the tongue out wink emoji looked legitimately unhinged. On Apple, it looked a bit more playful. This "cross-platform fragmentation" led to some legendary social mishaps. You might send a playful 😜 from an iPhone thinking you look cute, but your friend on a different device sees a face that looks like it’s having a mild medical emergency.
Context is everything. Without it, 😜 is just a yellow blob with a muscle sticking out.
Is It Flirty, Funny, or Just Plain Aggressive?
This is where things get messy. Honestly, the tongue out wink emoji is the "Choose Your Own Adventure" of the emoji world.
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If you’re texting a crush and you drop a "See you tonight 😜," you’re leaning into the flirtatious side of things. It’s a bit suggestive. It says, "I’m being cheeky, and I know it." It’s less serious than the standard wink 😉 and way more high-energy than the simple tongue out 😛. It signals a level of comfort. You’re being vulnerable enough to be weird.
But then there’s the "sarcastic 😜."
This is the version you use when you’ve just said something slightly mean but want to pretend it was a joke. "You're late again, what a surprise 😜." In this context, the emoji acts as a shield. It’s a way to deliver a "micro-aggression" while maintaining plausible deniability. You aren't being a jerk; you're being zany.
Except, usually, everyone knows you're being a jerk.
Psychologists who study digital communication, like Dr. Linda Kaye from Edge Hill University, suggest that emojis serve as "non-verbal cues" that replace hand gestures and facial expressions in text. The 😜 specifically acts as a "play frame." It tells the recipient, "Don't take the literal words I just typed seriously."
Why Gen Z Is Kind Of Done With It
If you want to feel old, just use 😜 in front of a 19-year-old.
The younger generation has largely moved away from the 😜 in favor of more "ironic" or "chaotic" emojis. For them, 😜 feels a bit "Millennial cringe." It’s too earnest. It’s trying too hard to be funny. Instead, they might use the 💀 (dead) or the 😭 (loudly crying face) to express the same sense of zaniness or humor.
It’s a fascinating cycle. What was once the height of digital coolness becomes a "parent emoji" in less than a decade.
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There’s also the "crazy" factor. Because the 😜 is so exaggerated, it can sometimes come off as manic. In a world where "quiet luxury" and "clean aesthetics" have dominated social media, the 😜 is the loud, neon-colored Hawaiian shirt of the keyboard. It’s a lot. Sometimes, it’s just too much.
The Professional "No-Go" Zone
Can you use the tongue out wink emoji at work?
Short answer: No.
Long answer: Only if you want to be the subject of a very awkward HR seminar.
Unless you are on incredibly close terms with a colleague, 😜 has no place in Slack, Teams, or—heaven forbid—email. The problem is the ambiguity. Because it sits on the line between "I'm joking" and "I'm flirting," it's a minefield for workplace harassment or simple unprofessionalism. Imagine receiving a performance review that ends with "Needs improvement on project management 😜."
It’s confusing. It’s jarring. It feels like a prank.
How to Actually Use It Without Being Weird
If you’re going to keep 😜 in your rotation, you need a strategy. You can't just sprinkle it like digital salt. It needs a purpose.
- Self-Deprecation: This is the safest way to use it. "I just spent 45 minutes looking for my glasses while they were on my head 😜." It shows you can laugh at yourself.
- Hyperbole: When you're making a claim so ridiculous that nobody could possibly believe it. "I'm definitely going to start training for a marathon tomorrow 😜."
- The "I'm Joking" Safety Net: Use it when you've said something that could be misinterpreted as cold. "I guess I'll just eat this whole pizza by myself then 😜."
Avoid using it after asking for a favor. "Can you pick me up from the airport at 3 AM? 😜" No. That’s not cute; that’s annoying. The emoji doesn't make the request any less burdensome; it just makes you look like you're enjoying the fact that you're inconveniencing someone.
Technical Nuances: The Unicode Perspective
Technically, 😜 is U+1F61C.
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When you type it, you aren't sending a picture. You're sending a code. The device on the other end interprets that code and displays its own version of the image. This is why 😜 looks different on an iPhone than it does on a Google Pixel or a Windows laptop.
Over the years, the designs have moved toward "convergence." They’re looking more alike now than they did in 2015. Most platforms have settled on a face with both eyes open, one squinting tightly, and a tongue protruding from the corner of the mouth. However, the angle of the tongue and the intensity of the wink still vary.
WhatsApp’s version, for instance, often feels a bit more "cartoonish" than Apple’s "slick" 3D-shaded version. These tiny design choices influence how your message is received. An Apple 😜 feels like a polished joke; a WhatsApp 😜 feels like a quick, casual jab.
The Evolution into Stickers and Memes
The 😜 has transcended the keyboard. It’s a physical prop now. You’ll find 😜 cushions in bargain bins and 😜 stickers on laptops. In the world of "Emoji Kitchen" (a Google feature that lets you merge emojis), the 😜 is a popular base.
Merge 😜 with a 🤠 (Cowboy Hat Face) and you get a chaotic rodeo vibe.
Merge it with a 😇 (Smiling Face with Halo) and you get a "mischievous but innocent" hybrid that’s honestly pretty terrifying.
This modularity is why the emoji persists. It’s a building block for digital identity. Even if it’s "cringe" to some, it remains one of the most effective ways to inject a specific type of high-energy irony into a sentence that would otherwise fall flat.
Actionable Takeaways for Your Digital Communication
To master the 😜 without looking like a "digital dinosaur" or a creep, follow these rules of engagement:
- Audit Your Audience: If the person you are texting is under 25, use 😜 sparingly. If they are over 40, they will likely take it at face value as a "just kidding" sign.
- Avoid the "Double-Down": Never use more than one 😜 in a row. 😜😜 looks like a glitch in the matrix or a desperate plea for attention.
- Check the "Flirt Factor": Before hitting send, ask yourself: "If I said this in person, would I actually wink and stick my tongue out?" If the answer is no, because that would be incredibly weird in a grocery store, maybe rethink the emoji.
- Use it for Ridiculousness: The 😜 thrives in the land of the absurd. Use it when you’re talking about something genuinely goofy, not when you’re trying to soften a serious blow.
- Watch the Platform: Remember that what you see isn't always what they get. If you’re on a desktop computer, the emoji might look more "static" and less "playful" than it does on a mobile screen.
The tongue out wink emoji isn't going anywhere. It’s too baked into the way we communicate "edge" and "humor" in a space that lacks tone of voice. Just remember: it’s a power tool. Use it precisely, or you might just end up looking like you’re trying way too hard to be the life of a digital party that ended ten minutes ago.