Speak-No-Evil Monkey 🙊
The 🙊 emoji shows a monkey covering its mouth with its hands. It expresses deliberate silence: holding back a word, keeping a secret, or reacting with amused embarrassment after having said too much.
Meaning of 🙊
🙊 is used to signal that you're choosing to stay quiet — because you hold information you shouldn't reveal, because you've just made a verbal slip, or because you'd rather avoid a remark that could hurt. It also works as a reaction to something you've just said yourself: you "cover your mouth" after blurting out a sentence that was a bit too frank or indiscreet, in a mix of amusement and embarrassment.
In conversations between friends, it often accompanies an insinuation or a hint that isn't spelled out explicitly, a way of indicating "I know more than I'm saying" without having to put it in writing.
Origin & history
The last of the three iconic primates (🙈 see no evil, 🙉 hear no evil, 🙊 say no evil), it draws on the same traditional allegory of the wise monkeys, popularized in the West by the sculpture at the Nikkō shrine. Unicode kept this complete trio from the start, the three emojis always evolving together in keyboard updates.
How to use it
🙊 typically appears after a confidence ("she told me something crazy last night 🙊"), to tease someone about a shared secret, or to react with humor to a remark you've just made and slightly regret. It's also used to discreetly signal that you're protecting information without disclosing it further. As with the other two monkeys, its register stays light and informal — best reserved for personal exchanges rather than professional communication.
Popular combos
Emphasis on secrecy: absolutely nothing will be said.
Embarrassment after revealing or hinting at something indiscreet.
The full reference to the trio of wise monkeys.
Frequently asked questions
What does the 🙊 emoji mean?
It represents a monkey covering its mouth, used to indicate that you're keeping a secret or regret something you just said.
What's the difference with 🤫?
🤫 (shush) explicitly asks someone else for silence, while 🙊 expresses one's own silence or discretion on a topic.
Can 🙊 be used to tease a friend?
Yes, it's a very common use: it often accompanies a hint at a shared secret, in a light, knowing tone.