😜 Winking Face with Tongue Emoji Meaning
The Winking Face with Tongue emoji depicts a yellow face with one eye closed in a wink, the other eye open, and its tongue sticking out. It represents cheekiness, playful flirting, harmless teasing, sarcasm, or letting someone in on a joke.
Chat examples
Cheeky Flirting:
Person A: I can't believe you beat me at bowling.
Person B: What can I say? I'm just naturally talented 😜🎳
Teasing / Sarcasm:
Person A: I'm going to start waking up at 5 AM every day to run.
Person B: Sure you are. I'll believe it when I see it 😜🏃♂️
Inside Jokes:
Person A: Did you tell them what happened at the party?
Person B: Nope, omitted that part entirely 😜
How people use this emoji
- I might have accidentally eaten the last slice of pizza 😜🍕
- You know you missed me 😜
- Don't worry, your secret is safe with me 😜🤐
Fun fact
This emoji combines the universal sign for a secret (the wink) with the universal sign for silliness (the tongue), making it the internet's ultimate symbol for cheeky, rebellious behavior!
Frequently asked questions
What does the 😜 Winking Face with Tongue emoji mean?
It means you are joking, being cheeky, flirting playfully, or sharing an inside secret.
How is 😜 different from 😛?
The simple Face with Tongue 😛 is just silly. Adding the wink 😜 makes it much more cheeky, implying a secret, a flirtatious tease, or a heavy dose of sarcasm.
Is the 😜 emoji used for flirting?
Yes! It is very commonly used in early stages of dating to keep banter light, playful, and slightly suggestive without being overly romantic.
Can it be used to apologize?
Sometimes. People use it to soften the blow when they playfully admit to doing something mildly annoying, like eating the last cookie.
Is it considered passive-aggressive?
It can be, if used to mock someone's idea while pretending to just be 'joking around.'
When was the winking face with tongue emoji added?
It was approved in Unicode 6.0 in 2010.
What emojis pair well with 😜?
Shushing Face 🤫 (for keeping secrets), Smirking Face 😏 (for flirting), and Beer Mug 🍺 (for cheeky weekend plans).
Is it safe for work?
It is generally too informal and cheeky for professional emails, but fine for a relaxed chat with a close coworker.
Emoji meaning in detail
The Winking Face with Tongue emoji 😜 features a yellow smiley face with one eye sharply closed in a wink, and a pink tongue happily sticking out of its smiling mouth.
It is the digital icon for harmless rebellion. It perfectly captures the tone of someone who just pulled a harmless prank or made a sarcastic remark. The wink invites the reader into the joke, while the stuck-out tongue ensures the interaction remains strictly playful and casual.
Real-life usage scenarios
Used on dating apps to initiate playful, teasing banter.
Used in text messages to playfully brag about winning a bet.
Used to casually confess to a minor, humorous mistake.
How this emoji affects tone and emotion
It adds a cheeky, flirtatious, sarcastic, and highly playful tone.
It signals that the sender is being intentionally mischievous.
Professional vs casual usage
In casual settings, it is the absolute go-to emoji for sarcasm and cheeky flirting.
In professional settings, it should be completely avoided as it is highly informal.
When to use
Use this to soften a sarcastic joke, to flirt playfully with a crush, or to let a friend know you are keeping their secret safe.
When not to use
Avoid using it when discussing serious mistakes, as the tongue-out expression makes it seem like you don't care about the consequences.
Common mistakes and misuse
Using it to deliver a genuinely mean insult disguised as a 'joke' is a common passive-aggressive misuse.
Unicode and technical information
Unicode name: WINKING FACE WITH STUCK-OUT TONGUE
Unicode version: Unicode 6.0
Code point: U+1F61C
Shortcodes: :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
Platform appearance
Universally shown winking with the tongue out. Most platforms have the left eye open and the right eye winking.