What does the two hands emoji mean?

Trying to figure out the difference between 🙌 and 🙏? Can’t tell the difference between 🤲 and 👐? There are several emojis that depict two hands, and they all do slightly different things. In this article, we’ll break down all the details on the 🙌 (raised hands) emoji, the 🤲 (palms up) emoji, the 🙏 (closed/praying hands) emoji, and the 👐 (open hands) emoji.

this 🙌 Emoji Represents celebration and positive emotions. The 🙌 emoji depicts someone raising their hands above their head. This gesture is common when you see someone cheering for the home team or praising someone. In fact, this emoji originally meant “Give me ten!”, like two high fives. You might see it used like this:
- “I just heard you got the job!! Congrats! I’m so excited for you 🙌.”
- “Your speech was amazing 🙌!”
- “I know you’re starting your freshman year this week. Are you excited? I can’t wait to see what you do next 🙌!!!”
You can use the 🙌 emoji to encourage or motivate someone. If you want to compliment someone, encourage them, or praise them in some other way, include the 🙌 in it to make your message more noticeable. For example:
- “You’re the best 🙌.”
- “I love watching you perform. You are so talented 🙌!”
- “You were amazing today. I couldn’t have done it without you 🙌!”
In rare cases, the 🙌 emoji can represent momentum or high energy. The small lines on top of the Raised Hand emoji represent motion. Since there are relatively few emojis designed this way, you can use the Raised Hand emoji to emphasize your level of excitement, or to convey energetic movement. For example:
- “Time to wake up! Where are you? I was just about to leave 🙌.”
- “I woke up 🙌 and I showed up 💯.”
- “Let’s go🙌🙌🙌”

The 🤲 emoji often represents prayer. This 🤲 emoji shows a pair of open palms facing the sky. Typically, this emoji is used to emphasize prayer (but in a more serious and solemn manner than the 🙏 (closed/praying hands) emoji). For example:
- “I owe everything I have to God 🤲.”
- “Just trust the universe 🤲. Everything will be alright.”
- “I pray every night before I go to bed that things will get better.”
You can use the 🤲 emoji to ask for help or to show humility. If you want to (kind of jokingly) ask for something, you can add a 🤲 to show that you’re trying to be polite, kind of like you’re not exactly happy about having to ask for a handout. You can also use this emoji to show some grace and humility. You can say:
- “😔🤲. I need some help… I hate to ask, but could you make me lunch today?”
- “I hate to do this, but can I get a ride to work this week?🤲”
- “If you get paid this week I could use some of the money. I promise to pay you back 😊!”
You can use 🤲 to represent reading. The palm-up emoji happens to be similar to the sign for “book” in American Sign Language.⁽¹⁾ Additionally, people often put their palms together, holding an open book, kind of like the 🤲 emoji. If you want to encourage someone to read or talk about a book, you can use the palms up emoji.⁽²⁾ You might say:
- “I can’t meet up tonight. I have to finish this book tomorrow so I can go to class 🤲.”
- “I love a good book 🤲. I actually read it every night before I go to bed.”
- “Why are you texting me? Shouldn’t you be saying 🤲 in English?”

this 🙏 emoji Represents prayer or thanksgiving. The 🙏 emoji represents clasped hands. This often represents prayer, as it is a gesture many religious people make when they pray.⁽³⁾ This is also the gesture people sometimes make when they say “thank you” or “I appreciate you,” so it’s often used that way, too.
- “Thank you so much for your help today. I really appreciate it 🙏.”
- “You’re the best! I know you do so much for me and it means so much 🙏.”
- “I know you’re having a hard time. It’s on days like this that you remember it’s all part of a bigger plan 🙏. You did it.”
Use the 🙏 emoji to express your gratitude sincerely. The most common uses for the 🙏 emoji are usually not religious related. You can use this emoji to say “thank you” in a more vivid way. There’s nothing wrong with using this emoji to say “Praise God,” but it may be more useful as a decorative way to express gratitude.⁽⁴⁾ Someone might say: You might say:
- “Thank you for today 🙏. Seriously. You’re the best.”
- “We did it! 🙏🙏🙏”
- “I know you have a lot to live up to but I just wanted to say I’m so proud of you 🙏.”
You can use the 🙏 emoji to high-five someone. If you imagine that each hand in the 🙏 emoji belongs to two different people, then this emoji will look like a high-five. If you want to high-five someone, you can 100% use this emoji to decorate your message.⁽⁵⁾ For example:
- “You did it 🙏.”
- “You blew that interview 🙏.”
- “High five!🙏”

The 👐 emoji indicates a general openness or embrace. This 👐 emoji shows two palms together and open to the world. This can convey a friendly openness or playful warmth. These hands also look a lot like the hands on the 🤗 (hugging face) emoji, so 👐 is often used to indicate an embrace.
- “Hey stranger 👐! I’m craving cotton candy. Want to go to the carnival this weekend?”
- “Kim 👐! Nice to meet you. Want to grab a coffee and chat ASAP?”
- “I miss you so much 👐❤️.”
Send a 👐 emoji to spread the love or have some fun. If you want to express some playful, open-minded kindness, add a 👐 emoji to your text. You can also use this emoji to convey a hug in a loving and supportive way. Depending on the emoji you pair it with, it can even be a flirt! You can try:
- “Want to see a live concert with me this weekend 👐💃?”
- “Aiya! I missed you!!! Let’s meet up soon👐!”
- “Ready to go this weekend? I can’t wait to go 👐👐👐.”
The 👐 emoji can also represent jazz hands or “please stop”. These two open palms can also be used in two opposite ways. In one sense, these two palms can be jazz hands, which you can use to express excitement, rudeness, or cheekiness. On the other hand, you can also imagine someone holding up their hands as if to say “stop it”.⁽⁶⁾ You might say:
- “What do you mean I suck? I’m the best 👐 👐 👐.”
- “I’m gonna light up the dance floor tonight 👐🔥.”
- “Uh. No. 👐🛑. Cilantro is the best.”