👋

A cartoon hand raised palm-out, fingers together. Means stop, hold on, "wait", "I have a question", or — in classroom / meeting contexts — raising your hand to speak. Also used in "I admit it" / "guilty" contexts. Reads slightly more formal than 👋 (waving). Common in standup-meeting reactions and "I take responsibility" replies.

A cartoon hand with thumb and pinky extended — the universal "call me" gesture (thumb to ear, pinky to mouth, mimicking a phone). Means "call me", "let's talk", "we'll figure it out later". Also used as a Hawaiian / surfer "shaka" greeting meaning "hang loose" or "all good". Both reads coexist; surrounding context decides which one applies.

Two cartoon hands clapping together. Means applause, agreement, "yes exactly", or sarcastic slow-clap depending on tone. On Twitter (now X) it's often deployed between every word of a sentence — "we 👏 need 👏 better 👏 leadership" — as a rhetorical-emphasis device, sometimes earnest, sometimes mocked as "millennial pause" energy. Standalone, it's usually genuine applause.

Two cartoon hands cupped together palm-up, as if receiving or offering something. Means prayer (in Muslim contexts especially — the "dua" gesture), receiving a gift, "please give me", or supplication. Less commonly used than 🙏 but distinct in meaning — 🤲 is specifically open-handed receiving, not pressed-together prayer. Common in Islamic content and gratitude posts.

A cartoon hand making the OK sign — thumb and index finger forming a circle, other three fingers extended. Means "okay", "got it", "perfect" or "chef's kiss" energy. In some American extremist subcultures it was briefly co-opted as a white-power symbol around 2017-2019, leading to confusion; the original "OK / good" meaning has largely been reclaimed but context still matters. Common in cooking content for "perfectly cooked".