What Do All the Heart Emojis Mean? A Guide To Using the Symbols of Love (2024)

Whoever said that a picture is worth a thousand words must not have foreseen the invention of the emoji. In the form of a tiny yet highly detailed graphic, the emoji not only represents the words we can't formulate but also the feelings we can't verbalize. Throughout the years, we've gone from handwritten letters to short texts featuring acronyms like "lol" and "brb" to entire conversations composed of emojis that we frequently exchange today. While most slang words and acronyms explicitly stand for words in the English language, emojis, on the other hand, are slightly more ambiguous. Yes, we have some straightforward emojis, like the birthday cake (🎂) or cowboy (🤠), but many others are up to interpretation, like the hearts.

At its simplest, the heart symbolizes love and affection. Throw in a dozen different colors and shapes, though, and the meaning of those hearts becomes a bit more blurry. Not only does the emoji keyboard include the typical lovey-dovey, solid red and pink hearts, but it also has hearts of every color under the rainbow, plus several variations on the pink heart, such as growing and revolving hearts. So what do all these hearts mean? And does it matter if we use them interchangeably? In short, yes, it does matter (at least to an extent!). For example, sending your great aunt a purple heart might not seem seem so sweet once you learn that it means something a little more explicit!

Yes, there are no official rules or definitions of the heart emojis, especially because not everyone knows what they mean. But it's still helpful to add the meanings of the 20+ heart emojis to your memory to avoid any awkward exchanges, missed connections, or even just to help you caption a Valentine's Day Instagram post. So, if you're dying to dig deeper into matters of the heart (emoji), continue reading to discover the significance of every one, along with suggestions on the appropriate occasions for using each color and variant of the emoji.

Starting with the classic red heart, this emoji conveys pure love. Use it only with the closest people in your life—like your partner, best friends, or family—to signify your love for them.

The pink heart is the fun and girly cousin of the red heart. Again, it's used to convey love, friendship, and warmth, but it has a less serious vibe than the red heart. Use it to jazz up a message to your family members or friends or to match your pink aesthetic in an Instagram caption.

The bandaged heart is just how it looks, and can be used to signify a period of healing after loss. It also represents protecting your heart or energy during a period of self-love. Send it to friends or family to show your support for them in a hard time or to signify that you're healing.

Before the bandaged heart comes the broken heart, a universal symbol of sadness. Whether you or a friend or family member is experiencing a difficult time, the broken heart emoji is appropriate. On the other hand, you can also use the broken heart as a reaction in light-hearted conversations, such as in response to a friend canceling plans or your favorite TV show getting discontinued.

According to Emojipedia, this exclamation heart emoji is a decorative exclamation mark. Use it to emphasize a point or show that you love and agree with something that a friend loves in conversation.

If you want to turn up the romance and share how someone makes your heart beat a little faster, use the beating heart emoji. Don't send it to someone you're not romantically interested in, though, as it might send the wrong message!

The double hearts emoji is another sweet expression of love that can be used platonically, romantically, or even aesthetically. You can use it to represent the linkage between you and and a friend or to add a light-hearted touch to a text to a friend.

This variation on the pink heart emoji involves two hearts revolving around each other, which represents falling in love or deep affection. This emoji provides a visual for growing feelings of love for another person.

This pretty pink heart features a solid pink heart with two shadows behind it, representing a heart growing in size. Send this heart to someone to show that your love for them is growing stronger or that they make your heart beat!

This pink heart with sparkles gives off upbeat, positive vibes. It's not as strictly romantic as some of the other hearts, so you can use it as a cute embellishment in most conversations with friends or family.

The heart with a ribbon looks like a heart-shaped box of chocolates you'd give your sweetheart on Valentine's Day. Use it to metaphorically show that you've wrapped your heart and delivered it to its recipient, so your heart is theirs.

The black heart is commonly used for aesthetic purposes in captions or posts featuring dark colors or themes. Use this emo heart during Spooky Season or anytime you want to channel a darker mood.

The white heart is the antithesis of the black heart and represents all things light, angelic, and pure. It can be used to express pure love, remembrance of a loved one, or to provide emotional support to someone dealing with grief.

The brown heart is commonly used on social media as a symbol of solidarity by BIPOC. This heart is used less commonly, according to Emojipedia, but it serves its purpose in discussions related to racial identity. It can also be used when talking about chocolate or for any monochromatic brown aesthetic purposes.

The orange heart is a step below the severity of the red and pink hearts and is a casual symbol of care and friendship. It's also used frequently around fall and Halloween when pumpkin spice and orange autumn leaves make their comeback.

The color yellow is associated with happiness, energy, and friendship, so use this heart only in platonic situations. It's safe to send to acquaintances, friends, and anyone between or on a sunny day to represent warmth and light.

Green is the color of life, and this emoji represents themes related to growth and the Earth, such as sustainability and plants. Use it around Earth Day to show your commitment to bettering the planet or perhaps to caption a green, plant-filled photo.

According to Emojipedia, the blue heart is commonly used by brands as a neutral heart color. Unlike romantic heart emojis, like the red and pink hearts, or the yellow heart, which symbolizes friendship, the blue heart can be used casually. It's safe to say you can use it in most situations.

The purple heart emoji can mean a few different things, but one meaning is often associated with the K-pop band BTS: Band member V coined the phrase "I purple you" in 2016, which signifies love and trust.

This emoji, a heart engulfed in flames, is a newer heart emoji that symbolizes fiery love and passion. According to Emojipedia, in addition to representing love, this emoji can also symbolize moving on and metaphorically "burning" a past love.