Meaning
The yin-yang symbol is a perfect circle split into two teardrop-shaped halves—one black, one white—each containing a small dot of the opposite color. It's an iconic representation of balance and duality, originating from ancient Chinese philosophy and Taoism. The flowing, organic curves give it a sense of movement and harmony rather than rigid opposition.
People use this symbol to represent balance between opposing forces—light and dark, masculine and feminine, active and passive. It's popular among those interested in Eastern philosophy, meditation, and holistic wellness. You'll see it on yoga mats, in spiritual posts, and whenever someone wants to convey the idea of finding equilibrium or accepting life's complementary opposites.
In modern culture, the yin-yang has become somewhat of a universal peace and harmony symbol, though it carries deeper significance in Taoist and Buddhist traditions. It's often paired with wellness content, tattoo designs, and alternative lifestyle aesthetics. The symbol transcends religious boundaries and appeals to anyone seeking philosophical or spiritual meaning.
This symbol was approved as part of Unicode Emoji 0.7 in 2010, making it one of the earliest religious and philosophical symbols added to the emoji standard.
Common Uses
- • Expressing balance and harmony in life
- • Discussing Eastern philosophy or spirituality
- • Illustrating opposing but complementary ideas
- • Decorating wellness or meditation content
Popular Combos
Did You Know?
The yin-yang symbol is so culturally significant that it appears on South Korea's flag, representing the balance between opposing cosmic forces in Korean cosmology.
Keywords
Related Emoji
Technical Reference
Platform Shortcodes
:yin_yang: :yin_yang: :yin_yang: Developer Codes
| HTML (decimal) | ☯ |
| HTML (hex) | ☯ |
| CSS | \262F |
| JavaScript | \u262F |
| Python | \U0000262F |
| Java | \u262F |
| Perl | \x{262F} |
| PHP / Ruby | \x{262F} |
| Punycode | xn--7jj |
| URL Encoded | %E2%98%AF |
| UTF-8 Bytes | 0xE2 0x98 0xAF |
☯️ in 28 languages
Names sourced from Unicode CLDR and emojibase.
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| Bengali | ইন ইয়াঙ্গ |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 阴阳 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 陰陽 |
| Danish | yin og yang |
| Dutch | yin en yang |
| English | yin yang |
| English (UK) | yin yang |
| Estonian | yin-yang |
| Finnish | jin ja jang |
| French | yin yang |
| German | Yin und Yang |
| Hindi | यिंग यांग |
| Hungarian | jin-jang |
| Italian | Yin e Yang |
| Japanese | 陰陽 |
| Korean | 음양 |
| Lithuanian | In ir Jang |
| Malay | yin yang |
| Norwegian | yin yang |
| Polish | yin-yang |
| Portuguese | yin yang |
| Russian | инь-ян |
| Spanish | yin yang |
| Spanish (Mexico) | yin yang |
| Swedish | yin och yang |
| Thai | หยินหยาง |
| Ukrainian | інь-ян |
| Vietnamese | âm dương |