What Does the ???? (Person Walking) Emoji Mean?

What does the ???? (person walking) emoji mean?

The ???? emoji symbolizes walking (and movement in general). The emoji itself is designed to look like a person of indeterminate gender walking somewhere, making “walking” its primary meaning. However, more broadly, it can represent movement literally and figuratively, from walking to exercise, pacing, hiking, going somewhere, moving, or traveling. The ???? emoji can also refer to pedestrians (meaning people moving on foot in public) and depict a pedestrian in texts or online messages. The ???? emoji's Unicode is U+1F6B6, and its shortcode is :walking: (or :person_walking: on Emojipedia and Discord).

???? (Person Walking) Emoji Variations

The ????‍♂️ (man) and ????‍♀️ (woman) walking emojis are gender-specific. If you’d rather use a walking emoji that better reflects your gender identity, you can include either the ????‍♂️ or ????‍♀️ emoji in your texts and messages. Although they look slightly different, both emojis have the same meaning and use as the default ???? emoji—they’re just a bit more specific. There are also variations of all three emojis walking in the opposite direction: ????‍➡️ (right instead of left). However, these versions aren’t available on every platform. On platforms that don’t support the ???? emojis, it’s common to pair the emoji with an arrow indicating a right-facing direction instead (???? + →).

The ???? emoji also has optional skin color variations. You can choose to use the emoji with one of 5 different skin tone options that best matches yours: ????????, ????????, ????????, ????????, or ????????. Once again, these variations don’t change the meaning of the emoji, so you can use them in all the same ways you’d use the default version above. The ????‍♂️ and ????‍♀️ emojis have the same range of skin tone variations, so you can opt for one of those if you prefer.

How to Use the ???? (Person Walking) Emoji

Use the ???? emoji to discuss taking a walk or walking. Because it depicts a person walking, the ???? emoji’s most obvious use is in any texting exchange related to walking. You might say you’re going for a walk, describe an exciting (or tiring) walk you experienced recently, or tell someone you’re walking over to meet them, for example. “Gotta get outside and take a ???? today. I need some sunshine!” “Walking down the street now—where are you? ????”

Reference all kinds of movement or travel with the ???? emoji. The ???? emoji can be used to represent movement both figuratively and literally—not just walking. You can use it to say you’re “moving on” from someone (or something), running errands, exercising outdoors, leaving, arriving, going on a trip, or moving to a new apartment, for example. “Moving on from my last relationship like ????????” “Running to the store for some snacks—you want anything? ????”

Include the ???? emoji when mentioning pedestrians or pedestrian areas. Pedestrians include walkers, joggers, and runners—essentially, anyone traveling by foot rather than by vehicle. Because the ???? emoji depicts someone traveling by foot, you can use it to tell someone when an area is pedestrian-only or has lots of foot traffic. “Want to go shopping on Main Street? It’s a cool place for pedestrians to explore ????” “See you soon! I don’t think you can park next to the venue, though, that road is just for pedestrians. ????”

How to Reply to the ???? (Person Walking) Emoji

React to a story involving a walk or hiking. If a friend starts texting you about the crazy animal they saw on a hike or their surprisingly peaceful walking tour of the neighborhood, listen to their story and respond based on whatever they say. You might agree that their walk sounded nice, ask where they went, or ask to talk a walk with them sometime, for example. Them: “I’m seriously in such a better mood after going on a walk today ????” You: “Oh nice, I’m glad! Did you go anywhere cool or just around the block?”

Ask for more details if someone tells you about their travels. When someone mentions a trip they went on (or even a smaller journey, like a trip to the store or the gym for some exercise), try expressing interest and learning more about what they did. You could ask if they had fun, have any pictures, or what the coolest thing they saw was, for example. Them: “I’m getting out and seeing the world! ???? Starting with a trip to Wales!!” You: “Wow, that’s so cool! What are you planning on seeing?”

Coordinate with someone if you’re figuring out where to walk. Does an outing with a friend depend on finding a pedestrian-only area or someplace with plenty of walking space? Use the ???? emoji when communicating and deciding on places to go, especially when indicating you’ve found a place perfect for anyone traveling by foot. Them: “Know any pedestrian-friendly places to hang out? My car’s still in the shop. ????” You: “Yeah! We could head to this cute farmer’s market with tons of vendors! ????‍????????”

Combinations with the ???? (Person Walking) Emoji

Specify where you’re going or what you're doing by adding other emojis. Try combining the ???? emoji with one (or more) that can give people an idea of what you’re doing at the moment, whether you’re hiking in the woods, taking a walk while jamming out to music, or traveling. Get as creative as you like with your combinations! For example: ???????????? = Hiking ????➡️???????? = Walking on the beach ???????????????? = Parade or marching band ⚽???? = Playing soccer (football) ????????‍♂️✈️???? = Traveling or taking a trip ???????????????? = Making a delivery ???? ???????????? = Going grocery shopping ???????? = Sleepwalking ???????????? = Listening to music on the go

Related Emojis

Use other emojis to depict different activities and types of movement. The ???? emoji is versatile and generally works in many different messages. Still, using the appropriate emoji, you can also be more specific about whether you’re dancing, running, biking, or doing some other activity. Take a look at the related emojis below: ???? (Running) ???? (Woman dancing) ???? (Man dancing) ???? (Standing) ???? (Biking) ???? (Climbing) ???? (Horse racing) ????️ (Golfing) ???? (Surfing) ???? (Swimming)