The fingers crossed emoji 🤞 shows the index finger crossed over the middle finger. Emojipedia says it's commonly used to wish for luck or to show you want a good outcome, so '🤞' in a text means 'I hope so' or 'good luck'. Beware one twist: crossed fingers behind your back can also mean a promise doesn't count.
It's one of the most useful emojis in a group chat. Job interviews, exam results, first dates, a delayed train, waiting on a client to sign: 🤞 covers all of them. But the gesture is older and stranger than most people realise, and it doesn't mean the same thing everywhere.
What the 🤞 emoji shows
Emojipedia describes it as the index (first) finger crossed over the middle (second) finger. It was approved in Unicode 9.0 in 2016 under the long-winded name 'Hand with Index and Middle Fingers Crossed' and added to Emoji 3.0 the same year. Emojipedia also notes that Samsung once showed it with an extra finger, which must have confused a few people.
Unicode's emoji-test file lists it as U+1F91E in the People and Body group, hand-fingers-partial section, sitting just after the victory hand ✌️. Like most hand emojis, it comes in five skin tones as well as the default yellow.
How to read 🤞 in a message
Wiktionary gives the phrase 'fingers crossed' two closely linked senses: 'hopefully', and a way to say you're expectant and hoping. Its example, 'The college application is in the mail. Fingers crossed!', is exactly how the emoji works too.
- 'Results are out tomorrow 🤞' means 'I'm hoping they're good.'
- 'Good luck today! 🤞' is the same as saying you're rooting for them.
- 'Should be sunny for the barbecue 🤞' means 'hopefully, but who knows.'
- 'We'll be there by eight 🤞' quietly admits it might not happen.
That last one is worth noticing. Adding 🤞 to a plan often signals a bit of doubt. It's an honest little hedge. If you'd rather just send support with no hedging, the praying hands emoji or a thumbs up says it more directly.
Where crossing your fingers comes from
Wikipedia describes crossing your fingers as a gesture commonly used to wish for luck or bid someone Godspeed, and says historically it came with words like 'God be with you'. It explains that the gesture is believed to have started because it resembles a cross, and that early Christians used it to ask for protection.
It gained traction in 16th-century England, Wikipedia says, when people crossed their fingers to ward off evil and illness. Merriam-Webster records the phrase 'cross one's fingers', meaning to hope for a particular outcome, from 1896, along with the variant 'keep one's fingers crossed'.
The white lie meaning
Here's the part kids already know. Wikipedia says children took over the gesture for telling white lies, and that crossing your fingers behind your back is believed to cancel a promise you're making. So if a friend promises to keep a secret and adds 🤞, you might want to ask which kind of fingers crossed they mean.
Wikipedia adds an extension of the same belief: that crossing your fingers invalidates a promise as you make it. It's a playground rule more than a real one, but it explains why some people grin when they see 🤞 next to the words 'I promise'. It's not a contract, and it's not a confession either. It's usually a joke.
In practice, almost nobody uses the emoji that way in adult texts. But it's a fun reminder that the same picture can carry two meanings. Context, and the person sending it, decides.
Fingers crossed around the world
This is where it gets interesting for anyone writing to an international audience. Wikipedia says that in Vietnam the gesture is considered rude, especially when aimed at another person. In German-speaking countries, Sweden and Latvia, it's a sign of lying, and people wish for luck by pressing or holding their thumbs instead.
| Place | Crossed fingers usually means | How they wish luck instead |
|---|---|---|
| UK, US, Australia, Canada | Good luck, I hope so | Crossed fingers |
| Germany, Austria, Switzerland | A sign of lying | Pressing thumbs |
| Sweden | A sign of lying | Holding thumbs (hålla tummarna) |
| Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria | Not the usual luck gesture | Holding thumbs |
| Vietnam | Considered rude | Not used for luck |
Wiktionary's translations back this up: the Swedish equivalent is hålla tummarna, and the Russian one translates literally as 'fists held'. French speakers might say croisons les doigts, or touch wood instead.
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Other ways to say fingers crossed
English has a few cousins for the same feeling. In the UK people say 'touch wood' and in the US 'knock on wood', both meaning you hope your luck holds. Wiktionary lists a humorous, extra-emphatic version too: 'fingers and toes crossed', which is what you send when the stakes are high.
- 🤞🤞🤞 three in a row: you really, really want this.
- 🤞🍀 with a four-leaf clover: luck, doubled.
- 🤞🙏 with praying hands: hope plus a little prayer.
- 🤞😬 with a grimace: hopeful, but nervous.
Mixing 🤞 with another emoji is the easiest way to show how much it matters to you. On its own, it's light and friendly. In a row, it's someone pacing the kitchen waiting for a phone call.
If you have ever wondered how a symbol is really read, our eggplant emoji explainer explains one more.
Should you use 🤞 at work?
Yes, it's one of the safest emojis for work chat in English-speaking teams. It's warm, it's positive and it doesn't carry innuendo. The only time I'd pause is with colleagues or clients in places where the gesture means lying or is rude. For them, the words 'good luck' or 'hope it goes well' do the job without any risk.
Before you send a symbol you are unsure about, the banana emoji guide is worth a look.
Frequently asked questions
What does 🤞 mean in a text?
It means you're hoping for a good outcome or wishing someone luck, like saying 'fingers crossed'.
Does fingers crossed mean lying?
It can. Wikipedia says crossing fingers behind your back is believed to cancel a promise, and in some countries it signals lying.
When was the fingers crossed emoji added?
Emojipedia says it was approved in Unicode 9.0 in 2016 and added to Emoji 3.0 the same year.
Is the crossed fingers gesture rude anywhere?
Wikipedia says it's considered rude in Vietnam, especially when aimed at another person.
How do Germans wish for luck instead?
Wikipedia says they press or hold their thumbs, as people do in Sweden and many Slavic countries.
Can I use 🤞 in a work message?
Yes, it's a safe and friendly emoji for most English-speaking workplaces.
