👏 clapping hands Skin Tones — All 5 Variants
Clapping hands is applause: praise, approval, congratulations. It is one of the most-used emoji in every language, and because it is two hands it doubles the effect of any modifier — a modified clap is unmistakably someone specific clapping for you.
The five variants
👏🏻clapping hands: light skin toneU+1F44F U+1F3FB👏🏼clapping hands: medium-light skin toneU+1F44F U+1F3FC👏🏽clapping hands: medium skin toneU+1F44F U+1F3FD👏🏾clapping hands: medium-dark skin toneU+1F44F U+1F3FE👏🏿clapping hands: dark skin toneU+1F44F U+1F3FF
Every variant copies exactly like the base character: tap a card and the sequence is on your clipboard, ready to paste anywhere. Skin-tone modifiers (U+1F3FB–U+1F3FF) were added to the standard in Unicode 8.0 (2015). clapping hands itself was added in Emoji E0.6 (2010).
Usage and context
It lands on wins: a finished exam, a good result, a well-told joke. It stacks as 👏👏👏 for standing ovation, pairs with trophies and party emoji, and appears in applause under posts and videos. The default yellow reads as generic applause; a modifier makes the clap personal, which is why speakers and performers often reply with their own tone when thanking an audience.
Two special readings: a slow, single clap can be sarcastic, and the spaced-clap style — a clap between every word — is an emphatic online style that can read as sarcastic or serious depending on the sentence.
Skin tones for other emoji
waving hand · folded hands · raising hands · thumbs up · thumbs down · flexed biceps · nail polish · raised back of hand · hand with fingers splayed · raised hand · vulcan salute · ok hand · pinched fingers · victory hand · crossed fingers · love you gesture · sign of the horns · call me hand · backhand index pointing right · backhand index pointing up · middle finger · index pointing up · raised fist · oncoming fist · palms up together · handshake