Emojion🥶 cold face
Meaning
Originally for expressing extreme cold or chills, this emoji also carries slang meanings — 'ice cold' (impressive) and 'cold-hearted' (harsh). In Japan, it doubles as a reaction to unfunny, cringe-worthy jokes.
Keywords: blue, blue-faced, cold, face, freezing, frostbite, icicles, subzero, teeth
📍 How it's used where you are
United States
Rooted in hip-hop and sports culture, 'ice cold' means something is amazing or clutch, so 🥶 often appears as high praise for a killer play or devastating comeback.
💡 Did you know?
Added in Unicode 11.0 (2018), 🥶 looks different across platforms — Apple and Samsung show icicles hanging from a blue face, while Google and WhatsApp use snow and snowflakes instead.
💡 Did you know?
In English slang, 'cold' means impressive — so 🥶🥶🥶 is high praise. But Japanese speakers may read it as 'samui (lame/unfunny).' The same emoji can flip from maximum praise to maximum cringe depending on your cultural lens.
How it's used around the world
Japan
In Japanese, 'samui (cold)' also means 'not funny / cringe,' so 🥶 is often used as a reaction to bad jokes or embarrassing moments.
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