🤡 Clown emoji: What does the clown face emoji mean?

The 🤡 emoji expresses jest, amusement, or a humorous tone. But depending on the context, its meaning changes : irony, self-deprecation or a satirical caricature of a public figure.

You can also find out more by clicking here are the 10 emojis that 9 out of 10 people misunderstand. And you, do you really know them?

To test your knowledge of emojis like 🤡, you can take the quiz here :

🤡 Clown Emoji: Meaning and Some Examples of How to Use It

This emoji, also known as clown face emoji, represents a heavily made-up face derived from the classic figure of the circus. It incorporates the features of the Auguste clown (also known as the “red clown”): some red hair, a white makeup, red around the mouth, painted eyes, and a round, red nose.

Sa primary meaning, that's the’comic effect. You use it to joke around, play things down, or show that you don't take yourself too seriously.

On social media platforms like TikTok and Twitter (now X), the 🤡 is mainly used for’self-deprecation. The phrase “you’re the clown” refers to someone—or yourself—who has made a fool of themselves or made a mistake. In practical terms, you call yourself a clown when you realize you’ve made an obvious mistake.

Beware of context, because the emoji has two sides. In its friendly form, it’s a shared joke. In its more pointed form, it’s used to ironically mock someone whose behavior is deemed absurd, irresponsible, or selfish. On social media, it’s often associated with public figures to satirize a decision deemed ridiculous.

Here are a few Examples of Use According to the message:

• In a private message, just to poke fun at myself: “I left my keys inside 🤡”
• In a story, for a festive setting of’Halloween, as a nod to the scary clown in the movie Ça

The Origin of the Clown Emoji

L'clown face emoji 🤡 was nominated for the Consortium Unicode in 2015, and then made official in the version Emoji 3.0 in June 2016. Its official name Unicode in French is “Clown Face”.

Its official code point is U+1F921, which allows it to be displayed on all platforms. The images for this emoji vary slightly from one brand to another, but the basic elements remain the same across the board.

To give a concrete example of how it's used in a sentence:

1. «I'm going to tell you a story 🤡»: you're letting them know that you're not taking yourself too seriously serious.
2. «That guy always thinks he's better than everyone else 🤡—it's unbearable»: You're speaking your mind about a a person who behaves absurdly.

Characteristics of the clown face emoji

Here are the technical specifications for the clown face according to the standard Unicode, which are useful if you're looking for the official name or code for this emoji.

To to copy this clown face, you can select the 🤡 symbol directly on this page. In French, it's listed in the category «Emojis and Emotions», alongside the face screaming in fear or the festive face.

Use it in your conversations or in your social media comments to joke around or to express what you think of someone.

And for even more emojis that convey joy and humor:

• 🥳 Meaning: What does the festive face emoji mean?
• 🙃 Meaning: What does the upside-down head emoji mean?
• 🤪 Meaning: What does the crazy head emoji mean?