Skip to content

:shrug: Free tool

Shrug emoji ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Click to copy the shrug. It pastes with both arms, even in the apps that tend to eat one. Below: 66 more shrugs, the 🤷 emoji, and how to type it without copying.

Updated September 2026 Runs in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded.

Copies ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ as text and as rich text, so apps that read Markdown when you paste keep the arm.

Posting it on Discord, Reddit or GitHub?

They read Markdown when you post, and eat the backslash. Paste this version instead: it shows as ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ once sent.

¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯

The shrug emoji

66 more shrugs to copy

Every other shrug kaomoji Use Emoji has, each with the code that types it. Click one to copy it.

How to type the shrug

No keyboard has a shrug key, but every device can learn one.

WhereHow
Any site, in ChromeAdd Use Emoji, turn it on for the site, and type :meh:. It turns into ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ as you type.
SlackType /shrug, with your message after it if you like, and Slack posts it with ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ at the end.
DiscordType /shrug and press Enter. Add text after the command and the shrug goes at its end.
WindowsPress Windows + . (period), open the kaomoji tab and pick the shrug.
MacOpen System Settings, then Keyboard, then Text Replacements, and add one that replaces shrug with ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
iPhone and iPadOpen Settings, General, Keyboard, Text Replacement, tap + and add ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ with the shortcut shrug.
Android (Gboard)In Gboard’s settings open Dictionary, then Personal dictionary, pick your language, tap + and add ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ with the shortcut shrug.

Why the shrug loses its arm

The shrug’s left arm is a backslash, right before an underscore. In Markdown, the formatting Discord, Reddit, GitHub and many chat apps use, a backslash in front of a character means “show this character as it is”. So \_ turns into a plain _, and the backslash itself, the arm, disappears.

Two fixes. When the app reads Markdown as you post, type the Markdown-safe version, which escapes the backslash and both underscores. When it reads Markdown as you paste, as Telegram Web does, paste a shrug copied as rich text: the Copy button above, the copy buttons on this site and Use Emoji all copy it that way.

You type¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Markdown shows¯_(ツ)_/¯
Type this instead¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯

What the shrug is made of

Nine characters from three Unicode blocks, and not one of them an emoji.

  1. ¯ hand Macron U+00AF
  2. \ arm Reverse solidus U+005C
  3. _ shoulder Low line U+005F
  4. ( head Left parenthesis U+0028
  5. ツ face Katakana letter tu U+30C4
  6. ) head Right parenthesis U+0029
  7. _ shoulder Low line U+005F
  8. / arm Solidus U+002F
  9. ¯ hand Macron U+00AF

:bulb: Shrug questions

About the shrug

Something else? Write to [email protected]. A real person reads every message and every one gets a reply.

How do I copy and paste the shrug emoji?
Press Copy the shrug at the top of this page and paste it wherever you like. It copies ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ in a form that keeps both arms, even in apps that read Markdown as you paste. For Discord, Reddit or GitHub, use Copy for Markdown instead.
Why does my shrug lose an arm?
The app reads Markdown, where a backslash before an underscore means “a plain underscore”, so the backslash, the shrug’s arm, is dropped. Type ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯ in those apps, or use their /shrug command.
How do I type the shrug in Discord or Slack?
Both have a built-in command: type /shrug. In Slack you can write your message after it and the shrug is added at the end; in Discord, add text after the command and the shrug goes at its end too.
What does ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ mean?
It is a shrug: raised hands and a small smile that say “who knows”, “oh well” or “whatever”. People use it when they don’t know an answer, or have made peace with something they can’t change.
What is the face in the middle of the shrug?
The Japanese katakana letter tsu, ツ (U+30C4). Its shape looks like a smiling face, which is why it became the shrug’s head. The rest is ordinary punctuation: a macron for each hand, a backslash and a slash for the arms, underscores for the shoulders.
Is there a shrug emoji?
Yes: 🤷, Person Shrugging, with 🤷‍♀️ and 🤷‍♂️ and a version for every skin tone. It arrived in Emoji 3.0 (2016). In Use Emoji, :shrug: types 🤷 and :meh: types ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

:wrench: Free tools

More free tools

All free, all in your browser.

All free tools →

The shrug, one code away

Add Use Emoji and type :meh: on any site you turn on. Both arms, every time.

Add to Chrome, it's free
Copied

Copied to clipboard!

Next time, skip the copy and paste: type :fire: and get 🔥 right where you write.

Add to Chrome, it's free