Coffin

The "coffin" emoji, 🪦, represents a traditional burial casket and is commonly used to symbolize death, funerals, or mourning. Typically depicted as a wooden or stone box with handles and adorned with a cross, the coffin emoji carries a somber tone. It can be employed to express condolences, discuss funeral arrangements, or acknowledge the loss of a loved one. This emoji is particularly useful in digital communication platforms where words alone might fail to convey the intended gravity of the message.

The coffin emoji was approved as part of Unicode 13.0 in 2020 and was later added to Emoji 13.0 in the same year. While it offers a visual representation of a coffin, it's important to note that its usage extends beyond literal interpretations. It is frequently employed metaphorically to indicate the end of something or a definitive closure, such as the "coffin nail in a relationship" or "the coffin sealing a business deal." This flexibility showcases how emojis allow for creative and nuanced expression, even beyond their intended meaning.

Did you know?

Did you know that the coffin emoji can also be used humorously? Although this might seem surprising given its solemn concept, increasingly, people are subverting its traditional usage to depict situations or events that are challenging or embarrassing, yet not necessarily dire. This alternative interpretation demonstrates the dynamic and evolving nature of emojis as linguistic tools, capable of embodying a wide range of emotions and scenarios.