👋 waving hand Skin Tones — All 5 Variants
A waving hand says hello or goodbye with the same gesture, and context picks the reading. It is one of the few emoji where the skin tone often carries the sender's own identity on purpose — a wave “from you” — which is why modified versions are common in greetings to new contacts and farewells in long-running chats.
The five variants
👋🏻waving hand: light skin toneU+1F44B U+1F3FB👋🏼waving hand: medium-light skin toneU+1F44B U+1F3FC👋🏽waving hand: medium skin toneU+1F44B U+1F3FD👋🏾waving hand: medium-dark skin toneU+1F44B U+1F3FE👋🏿waving hand: dark skin toneU+1F44B 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). waving hand itself was added in Emoji E0.6 (2010).
Usage and context
In openings it is a soft, low-pressure hello; in closings it works alone or with smiley faces. A skin-tone modifier makes the wave feel like your actual hand, useful when introducing yourself in a group or a community. The default yellow wave stays neutral and generic — preferred by people who wave rarely or who keep emoji anonymous.
Friendly everywhere. On some platforms the wave can render as a raised open palm, so pair it with a word or two when the greeting needs to be unmistakable.
Skin tones for other emoji
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 · clapping hands · palms up together · handshake