Love is not just romance. It’s a huge spectrum of different actions that all mean the same thing; love. Oh, and if you’re unfamiliar, love is a verb, not a noun. So, physical affection is one of the ways of showing love.
Human touch is a lot more powerful than we think.
When we say “physical affection”, it can be as blunt as holding hands or even a peck on the forehead. Not everything physical is to do with sex and not everything sexual is to do with the physical (something to think about).
Anyway, coming back onto the topic we’re here to elaborate – here are our top emoji picks for showing physical affection. Hence, our definition of PDA = Physical Display of Affection and not public.
#1 Hugs
🤗 Hugging Face Emoji
A yellow 😊 Smiling Face with a pair of 👐 Jazz Hands may not exactly seems like a face that’s sending out hugs, but it is, in the emoji world..
Given the discretion, 🤗 could be the best emoji to show physical affection to people you’re neither “physically involved” with or those who are in and outside the “circle of acquaintance”.
🐥 Front-Facing Baby Chick Emoji
First of all, this baby staring at you with its teenie tiny wings wide open is an adorable emoji version of a hug. And 🐥 is a cute way of sending virtual hugs to anyone; friends, family, lovers, etc. The chick loves all!
- Aw. Don’t worry. We’ll get through this together 🐥
👐 Open Hands Emoji
Though 👐 is part of 🤗, it can be a hugger by itself too. However, this emoji is to be used in a strictly virtual and objective setup. Because 👐 could give out that “rude” vibe in subjective contexts.
- Lots of love to everyone who contributed 👐
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It’s all a matter of time, love 👐
(Um. Excuse me? Were you trying to be “annoyingly straightforward”? Rude? Telling me something I don’t know?) - The possibilities are endless. Hence, it’s always important to know your audience.
🫂 People Hugging Emoji
Don’t ever underestimate silhouettes.
🫂 may not have real faces on it (or emoji ones), but it sends a clear and strong message. A warm hug between two people! This one’s definitely for the closer and closest circles.
- It’s alright, dude. Things like these take time. I’m always here, kay? 🫂
#2 Kisses
😗 Kissing Face
As you can tell, this section of the list (like the others) would work its way up to more affection. Hence, kickstarting with the least.
Although 😗 says ‘kissing face’, it could symbolize a wide-eyed whistling face too. But sticking to facts, this emoji is best for platonic conversations and any other type of communication that has zero love interest.
😙 Kissing Face With Smiling Eyes Emoji
Smiling while kissing suggests a sense of joy in showing physical affection. It does not come free for everyone, of course. It ought to be earned.
😙 could be a kissing face to convey familial love, the kind you have for your family, and friends. But, not the closest circle. This emoji would be perfect for people who are invited to the wedding but not the bachelorette.
😚 Kissing Face With Closed Eyes Emoji
We all know that one (or more) person/people who make us blush. No, honey. Not talking about the flaky ones. The real ones.
Blushing is a facial and physiological reaction to something that overwhelming to an extent (it can be negative and positive).
😚 is especially for those who make you feel a little more special than the people who fit into the previous two emojis. However, that “little more” is not the “best”, yet, and that’s the distinction.
😘 Face Blowing a Kiss Emoji
We’re acquainted enough with the ❤️ Heart to know that this pagan symbol means love, without a doubt. But, that too, has it’s variants.
😘 does not speak only the language of bodies. Since it shows warmth and affection, this emoji is for all those you truly love. The kind where you’d “do anything”. Needn’t be romantic per se.
💋 Kiss Mark Emoji
A lipstick mark. Now, this one’s purely physical. Nothing sapiosexual, platonic, or even brotherly in here (well, unless the Lannisters are reading this).
💋 is a symbol of physical affection that surpasses formality. It’s a mark of seduction, romance, love, and probably even lust!
👄 Mouth Emoji
A mouth is bound to do more than just kissing. It can be a replacement for the exit (bodily exit). It could curse, abuse, promise, vocalize affirmations, words of compassion, love, and hate too.
But, in this framework, the focus is physical affection. You could use 👄 to express kisses, but you get to decide if you wish to upgrade the usage of this emoji depending on your relationship with the person.
💏 Kiss: Woman, Man Emoji
💏 is the epitome of a romantic relationship. Assuming we’re all on the same page now, this emoji can be settled as the most intimate kiss of all.
There are other variations of 💏 – 👩❤️💋👩 Two Women Kissing, and 👨❤️💋👨 Two Men Kissing that work just the same for different people in love/relationship.
#3 Holding Hands
🧑🤝🧑 People Holding Hands Emoji
🧑🤝🧑 is evidently a gender-neutral emoji. We don’t know the sexual orientation of these two people. Neither do we know the relationship between the two.
Ain’t it so beautiful and simple when we cannot guess the personal lives and stories of people? It’s a sign of minding our own business!
But, 🧑🤝🧑 are two people holding hands, thus becoming another way of showing physical affection. It may seem like a little but we know it means quite a lot.
👬 Men Holding Hands Emoji
Here’s a couple with two men, males, boys, in it. Now, they could be besties, brothers, or even lovers! It’s not for us to decide. All that matters here is that they love each other, hence they choose to hold hands.
👭 Women Holding Hands Emoji
When the term “physical affection” comes up, it’s not just to do with your relationship with someone. It could also be a symbol of oneness too.
As much as 👭 signifies a romantic relationship, a pair of siblings, two best friends, etc., it could also look like a human chain when multiplied – 👭👭👭👭. Thus, suggesting unity.
👫 Woman and Man Holding Hands Emoji
Ah, here we are! The most idolized couple! It so happens that even if the people in 👫 are not in a relationship, they’re somehow summed up to it.
This emoji could refer to best friends (like the other pairs holding hands), siblings, twins, anything! As important as it is to recognize 👫 as a pair in romantic love, this emoji could also suggest other forms of love.
Physical affection is different from physical relationships. There are no benefits here, all for love and love’s sake. Again, all love is not romantic love.
Truth is, we cannot exist sanely without it. Both love, and physical affection and affirmation. Humans like other species need it, if not more. So during the times you cannot physically be there for someone, we hope these emojis come to the rescue!