Emoji meaning
What does the saluting face 🫡 mean?
Most of the time, 🫡 means “understood, on it,” sent after someone asks for something. The face is giving a military-style salute, so it also honours people who did something brave or impressive, and it can be a mock-solemn farewell to a cracked phone, a plan or a bank balance.
Updated 6 October 2026
“Yes, on it”: a crisp acknowledgement. Also respect for someone who did something hard, or a dramatic, half-joking goodbye.
What 🫡 can mean
1. Understood, on it
The everyday use, especially in work chats and group plans. Someone asks “can you book the table for 8?” and 🫡 answers “consider it done” in one character. It feels more eager than 👍, with a wink at playing the obedient soldier, so it usually comes across as friendly rather than stiff.
2. Respect where it’s due
People salute someone who pulled off something hard: a friend who finished a marathon, a nurse after a run of night shifts, a stranger who handed in a lost wallet, a creator who answered every single comment. It is admiration with a little humour in it.
3. Farewell, soldier
A salute is also how the fallen are honoured, so 🫡 marks the end of something with mock ceremony: “the last slice 🫡,” “my sleep schedule 🫡,” “our beach day, after that forecast 🫡.” It appears in real tributes too, to service members, first responders and much-loved public figures, where it means honour rather than a joke.
4. Going into battle
Before something dreaded (an exam, a 6am flight, a dentist appointment, dinner with the in-laws) people salute themselves on the way in: “going in 🫡.” It means “wish me luck, I may not return,” and it is a joke.
When someone sends you 🫡
What it means in a DM
Mostly a quick yes. If you asked them to do something, 🫡 means they heard you and will do it, so there is no need to check twice. If you told them about something tough you did, it is a compliment. If they send it about their own plans, they are heading into something they dread, and a “good luck” fits.
Is it flirty?
Rarely. It is the emoji of a reliable teammate. In playful banter, “yes ma’am 🫡” or “as you wish 🫡” can carry a teasing edge, but the flirting is in the words, not the salute.
🫡 in real conversations
- Text messagecan you grab ice on your way over🫡 two bags, on it
- Instagram commentanswering 600 comments in one day 🫡 respectTook me until midnight, worth it 😅
- Story replyFirst day at the new job. Going in 🫡You’ve got this!
- Direct messagerip to my bank account after this weekend 😔🫡Gone but not forgotten
- Facebook commentTo every volunteer who cleared the beach this morning: thank you 🫡Proud of our little town today
How to reply to 🫡
Common 🫡 combos
| Combo | What it means | Copy |
|---|---|---|
| 😔🫡 | A sad but brave goodbye, usually to something trivial | |
| 🫡🫡🫡 | A wall of salutes: big respect, common in live-stream chats | |
| 🫡🇺🇸 | Respect for service members, around Memorial Day or Veterans Day | |
| 🫡🙏 | Respect and thanks for helpers, carers and volunteers |
Questions people ask
When did the saluting face come out?
It was part of Emoji 14.0, released in 2021, and reached most phones during 2022 (on iPhones, with iOS 15.4 that March). On a phone that hasn’t been updated it can still show up as an empty box, so not everyone sees it.
What does o7 mean?
o7 is the typed version of a salute: the o is a head and the 7 is an arm raised to the brow. Gamers have used it for years to say respect, good luck or goodbye, and 🫡 is often read as its emoji twin.
Is it okay to send 🫡 to my boss?
Usually, yes. In workplace chats it reads as keen and friendly. With a new manager or an outside client, “Will do” in words is the safer first reply, since a few people find it a bit jokey for formal requests.
What is the difference between 🫡 and 🙏?
🙏 says thanks or please; 🫡 says “understood” or “respect.” After a favour you would send 🙏; after an instruction, 🫡. People who want to say both often send them together.
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