The black heart emoji 🖤 still means love most of the time, and its official Unicode name is Black Heart. The catch is that it carries a shadow: Emojipedia says it can also express morbidity, sorrow or dark humour, and Dictionary.com notes it's been used to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement, so the post around it matters far more than with a red heart.
A black heart can be a goth joke, a moody song lyric, a message of grief, a stand of solidarity or just a love of black coffee. That's a lot for one tiny symbol. Below I'll split those meanings apart, show you the clues that tell them apart and explain when I'd let a business account use one.
Still mostly love, just with an edge
It surprises people, but Emojipedia is clear that despite its colour, the black heart remains most commonly used for love and affection. Some people simply prefer it. It feels cooler and less sugary than a red heart, a bit like wearing black to a party instead of pink. Between friends who like that style, 🖤 is affection with attitude.
Like the other coloured hearts, it's also used for things that are black. Dictionary.com lists examples like a great cup of coffee, a sharp outfit and a beautiful black horse. If someone posts a photo of their new black boots with 🖤, they're not sad. They're pleased.
Gallows humour, goth moods and the emo streak
The darker reading is where the black heart earns its reputation. Dictionary.com describes it as the emoji for feeling angsty and misunderstood on a rainy day, a sign that you're feeling emo, have a twisted soul or a morbid sense of humour, or just love sad stuff. It quotes the parenting site Romper calling it the emoji 'for the cold, dark, and twisted sense of humor' in many of us.
You'll see it next to emotional music, moody selfies and jokes about mild suffering. In that setting it's playful, not alarming. A friend writing 'Monday again 🖤' is being dramatic for fun.
Grief, sorrow and posts about loss
Emojipedia also lists sorrow among its meanings, and that's the reading to handle gently. A black heart on a post about someone who's died, a pet that's gone or a hard anniversary is a quiet sign of mourning. It says 'I'm sad with you' without needing words. If you're replying to a post like that, a simple heart and a kind sentence is plenty. This isn't the moment for the jokey version.
It helps to look at who posted it. A black heart from a friend who usually posts memes might still be a joke, but a black heart on a quiet post with an old photo and a date almost always means remembrance. If you're not sure, skip the emoji and write a short, warm line instead. Nobody has ever been upset by 'thinking of you'.
Solidarity: support for Black Lives Matter
Dictionary.com notes that, much more seriously, the black heart has become increasingly used to express support for the Black Lives Matter movement. On posts about racial justice, 🖤 is a statement of solidarity. It's worth knowing this meaning before you use the emoji casually on a brand page during a news moment, because readers may take it as a position.
Released in 2016 alongside 72 other emoji
The black heart is younger than most of the heart family. Emojipedia says Black Heart was approved as part of Unicode 9.0 in 2016 and added to Emoji 3.0 the same year. Dictionary.com adds that it arrived in a batch of 72 new emoji that included the drooling face and the face palm. The Unicode Consortium's list files it as 'black heart' with the other coloured hearts.
It doesn't look identical everywhere. Dictionary.com points out that on X it's a flat heart shaded completely black, while Apple and Google show a gradient from grey to black. Emojipedia also pairs it with a very seasonal set: the black cat, the skull, the jack-o'-lantern and the wilted rose, which is why you'll see so many black hearts around Halloween.
🖤 next to ❤️, 💔 and 🥀
Comparing it with its neighbours helps you read it:
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| Emoji | Main feeling | When people pick it |
|---|---|---|
| ❤️ Red heart | Classic love | Romance, family, big thank yous |
| 🖤 Black heart | Love with an edge, dark humour or sorrow | Goth style, sad songs, grief, solidarity |
| 💔 Broken heart | Heartbreak | Breakups and disappointment |
| 🥀 Wilted flower | Sadness or heartbreak, often ironic | Mock-tragic jokes, Emojipedia notes |
If you're ever unsure, look at the photo or the words before it. A coffee cup means love. A memorial means grief. A meme means it's a joke. These are made-up messages to show how it's used: 'New black jacket 🖤' (love of black things), 'Miss you every day, Nan 🖤' (grief), 'My plants died again 🖤' (dark humour).
Dark humour slang has its own vocabulary, and if your group chat is full of it you might like my guide to what delulu means. For the wider picture, here's a rundown of the most used emojis.
Should a brand post a black heart?
If you run a business account, here's my plain view. 🖤 is fine when your brand's look is black, edgy or seasonal. A fashion label, a coffee shop or a tattoo studio can use it all day, and it's perfect for Halloween posts. It's also fine in a reply to a customer who's used it first.
Where I'd avoid it: anywhere near news, tragedy or social causes you haven't spoken about before. People may read it as mourning or as a political stance, and you don't want a moody emoji speaking for your company without a plan. And if you react to the wrong post with it by mistake, you can always undo a reaction you didn't mean.
Frequently asked questions
Does the black heart emoji mean something bad?
Not usually. Emojipedia says it's still most commonly used for love, though it can also show sorrow or dark humour.
What does 🖤 mean from a guy or a girl?
Usually affection with a cooler, edgier style than a red heart. Check the context for sadness or a joke.
When was the black heart emoji added?
Emojipedia says Black Heart was approved in Unicode 9.0 in 2016 and added to Emoji 3.0 that year.
Is the black heart used for mourning?
It can be. On posts about loss, it's a quiet way to say you're grieving or sending sympathy.
Why is the black heart linked to Black Lives Matter?
Dictionary.com notes it's increasingly used to show support for the movement on posts about racial justice.
