Emojis are a big part of the way we communicate in the 21st century.
These days, it’s even considered acceptable to include emojis in work emails written in business English!
And while this can sometimes lead to confusion because emojis don’t have exact definitions, some emojis are less cryptic than others.
The fire emoji, for example, is one of the least ambiguous symbols on the entire emoji keyboard.
What does 🔥 mean? It is basically a seal of approval. It can mean, “That’s hot,” or “That’s lit,” or “That’s fire.” Or it can simply mean, “Awesome.” You get the idea.
But even though the fire emoji has a straightforward definition, it has slightly different meanings when it is used in different ways.
This is especially true when a guy sends it to a girl or posts it as a comment on a girl’s social media.
This article gives you all the advice you could need about how to respond when a guy sends you a flame emoji.
23 ways to respond to 🔥 emoji from a guy
- 🔥 back at you.
- 🔥
- 🔥🔥🔥
- 🔥❤️
- Well, hey there, you 🙃
- Thanks 🤭😊
- Aw, thanks 🙏
- 😊
- Oh, trust me, the feeling is mutual.
- Long time, no talk. How the heck are you?
- Oh hi, can I help you? 😏
- See something you like?
- Are you trying to tell me something? 😏
- No one ever taught you how to use your words, huh? 😉
- Sorry, I don’t speak emoji. Can you translate for me?
- So, I guess that ^^ means we both like the look of each other.
- I bet you send that to all the girls 🤷♀️
- I know, right? I was really proud of that!
- You know I have a boyfriend, right?
- Hey, why all the fire emojis?
- So…you keep sending me 🔥 Can you explain why? I’m a bit confused 😅
- Thanks for always commenting on my posts. I just wanted to make sure we’re on the same page about just being friends 😊 right?
- I think it’s a bit inappropriate to comment fire emojis on my posts.
- It’s highly unprofessional to send fire emojis to a colleague in a work email. Please refrain from contacting me unless it is work-related. If you continue with this behavior, I will be speaking to HR.
If a guy sends you a fire emoji, it almost always means he is complimenting your appearance.
He is trying to initiate a flirtatious conversation without having to use words. If you want to flirt back, respond by sending a similar emoji.
If you don’t want to flirt with him, you can either ignore the emoji or politely let him know you aren’t interested.
How to respond to a 🔥 emoji from a guy you like
Sliding into someone’s DMs and sending them a fire emoji is the 21st-century equivalent of a compliment.
It basically means, “I’ve been looking at your profile, and I like what I see. I’d like to get to know you better.”
If a guy you already know sends you a fire emoji or comments one on a picture you’ve posted, he’s complimenting what you look like. You can think of a fire emoji as an expression of interest.
Responding to a compliment in the modern era is a little different than it was in the past.
If someone compliments you with an emoji, you can also respond with an emoji. But just make sure you choose the right one!
Here is a handy guide on how to respond to 🔥 from a guy you like.
1. 🔥 back at you.
If you want to avoid having to say too much in response to an emoji, you can show the guy texting you that you are interested by telling them you reciprocate the message.
This will surely get a conversation started, because the guy messaging you was probably using the fire emoji to see whether you might be interested in getting to know him better.
By showing him you’re interested, you might inspire him to ask you out.
2. 🔥
If you feel too shy to say anything but still want to show the guy texting you that you also think he looks good and that you’d like to get to know him better, send back a flame emoji.
This response puts the ball back in his court.
3. 🔥🔥🔥
If you want to show that you are interested in a guy and up the stakes, you can send three fire emojis back in response to one.
If you really like a guy and he sends a fire emoji in response to your Instagram story, you can send three in response to his.
He’ll definitely know you are interested, and may just slide into your DMs with a pick up line, or something cheesy like “what’s cooking, good looking?”
4. 🔥❤️
If a guy you’ve been flirting with or have already been on a date that went well with sends you a fire emoji, you could respond with a fire emoji and a heart emoji.
The heart emoji is a sign of care or affection, so you should only use it if you already have a romantic dynamic.
5. Well, hey there, you 🙃
If a guy responds to something you’ve posted online with a flame emoji, you could respond with “Well, hey there, you.” This is clearly a flirtatious message that acknowledges his expression of interest.
That said, it is still cool and laid back and doesn’t sound desperate. People use the 🙃 when flirting because it is coy and doesn’t give away too much.
6. Thanks 🤭😊
If you’re a little embarrassed (but not unhappy about) the attention you’re getting, you can say “Thanks” with combination of shy and happy emojis.
The 🤭 emoji, which is supposed to convey giggling, is the perfect way to capture shy but happy embarrassment. If you want to show interest without making any advances of your own yet, this is a great response to a guy who sends you the fire emoji.
7. Aw, thanks 🙏
When you get right down to it, the fire emoji is a way of praising someone. If a guy you are interested in sends you 🔥, he is basically saying that you look fantastic.
What would you respond if someone said, “You look fantastic”? Well, you’d probably thank them.
And it’s no different with a text exchange that includes the flame emoji.
This gives the guy you’re texting the opportunity to respond to “Aww,” and the use of the classic “thank you hands” emoji rounds off the message nicely.
8. 😊
If you aren’t really the flirting type but quite like the look of the guy sending you flame emojis, you can respond with a classic “smiley with smiling eyes” emoji.
This is a great way to let someone know that you are open to continuing a conversation, but that you are going to wait for them to make a serious first move before you engage.
You’re the kind of girl they’ll have to ask out and then be a gentleman to on a date to impress.
9. Oh, trust me, the feeling is mutual.
If you like a bit of banter and are open to some back-and-forth flirting over text, this is a good way to get things started.
If someone sends you a fire emoji and you tell them that the feeling is mutual, they will know that you find them just as interesting and attractive as they find you.
10. Long time, no talk. How the heck are you?
If you haven’t heard from a guy in ages, this is a great way to respond when he finally texts you back and sends a flame emoji.
It’s a classic tale of modern dating. Girl and guy talk. Guy ghosts girl. Girl posts nice picture on social media. Guy sends flame emojis.
If this has happened to you, but you still aren’t willing to write the guy off just yet, you could respond by pointing out that it’s been ages, but then asking how he is to show that you’re still open to talking.
11. Oh hi, can I help you? 😏
If you want to keep the flirty vibe alive, you can coyly ask if you can help the guy who sent you a flame emoji.
Add a smirking face, which is notoriously the flirtiest emoji, to show that you are returning his interest.
12. See something you like?
If you want to make the point that you know the guy you’re talking to is interested in you, you can ask if he has seen something he likes.
This jokey tone will lead him to send you a jokey response, and you’ll be well on your way to a light-hearted and fun text exchange.
13. Are you trying to tell me something? 😏
If you know perfectly well that the guy sending you a fire emoji is telling you that you look good, but you want to make him spell it out in words, you can ask him if he is trying to tell you something.
Adding a smirking emoji will let him know that you are teasing him, are not offended by his advances, and that you’d like to get to know him better.
This is a great response to a guy sending you a flame emoji if you think he might be a date worth keeping.
14. No one ever taught you how to use your words, huh? 😉
Emojis make people lazy. This is a controversial opinion, sure, but where is the lie?
Nowadays, all a guy has to do to initiate a flirty convo is to send a fire emoji. If you want more than this––and want to show him that you expect more than this––you can joke that clearly no one taught him to use his words to express how he’s feeling.
Adding a winky face gives the message a lighthearted, flirtatious feel. He’ll know you’re interested and that you’re just giving him a hard time.
15. Sorry, I don’t speak emoji. Can you translate for me? 🙃
If you want to make the point that you want the guy texting you to use his words but want to use sarcasm to do it, you can add an upside-down emoji to show that you are flirtatiously pushing his buttons.
He’ll understand immediately that you’re interested in continuing to talk, but that he’ll have to up his game if he ever wants to be preparing for a first date with you.
16. So, I guess that means we both like the look of each other.
If you don’t feel like playing games and want to cut right to the chase, you can say, “I guess we both like the look of each other.”
Giving an accepting compliments isn’t always easy. Some people are more open than others when it comes to expressing appreciation.
If you find it easy to say what you want, or if you want to push yourself to work on it, this is a great response to send when a guy sends you a flame emoji.
17. I bet you send that to all the girls 🤷♀️
If you’re caught halfway between wanting to flirt back with the guy sending you flame emojis and wanting to ask him whether he is seriously interested in you or just having fun, this message is the perfect thing to send.
Because sending an emoji literally only requires one tap of a finger on a phone screen it is often difficult to know how seriously interested the person sending it is.
This is a great response to show that you aren’t naïve to the world, and that you know how to ask the difficult questions.
18. I know, right? I was really proud of that!
While it is true that a flame emoji is usually an expression of physical interest in someone, it doesn’t have to be!
One exception to this rule is if a guy comments flames on a photo of one of your accomplishments. For example, if you play soccer and you won a trophy and a male friend comments, “🔥🔥🔥🔥,” he probably means “That’s fire!” or “Awesome, well done!”
You can simply respond how you normally would to someone telling you that you did well.
How to respond to a 🔥 emoji from a guy you don’t like
While getting a flame emoji from a guy you like can be exciting, getting one from some random guy you don’t like is pretty icky.
Here are a few ways you could shut down the flirtation before it has a chance to get off the ground.
19. You know I have a boyfriend, right?
It is a sad truth that nothing stops an unwelcome advance than telling a guy you have a boyfriend.
So, whether you have one or not, you can certainly use this response to get a guy to stop messaging you.
If he doesn’t stop, you can simply block him.
20. Hey, why all the fire emojis?
If a guy you know but are not romantically interested in has started sending you fire emojis, you might be genuinely confused about why he’s doing it.
This response is a great way to make him justify his behavior.
21. So…you keep sending me 🔥 Can you explain why? I’m a bit confused 😅
If you want to be even more explicit about the fact that you don’t want a guy to keep sending you flame emojis, you can play dumb, and ask him to explain why he is sending them.
He probably won’t want to have to put into words why he is doing it, which means he’ll likely just stop the behavior altogether.
22. Thanks for always commenting on my posts. I just wanted to make sure we’re on the same page about just being friends 😊 right?
If a male friend of yours regularly comments fire emojis on your posts, it might start to make you feel a little uncomfortable.
Because it is so often a flirtatious emoji, you might start to wonder whether he knows you only see him as a friend.
The best way to handle this is to check in with him and ask him to confirm that he only sees you as a friend. The concept of the friend zone is a little problematic, but it still serves a helpful purpose.
Letting a guy know you only see him as a friend will keep his expectations about the future of your relationship realistic.
23. I think it’s a bit inappropriate to comment fire emojis on my posts.
Oof. What do you do when someone you know who shouldn’t be trying to flirt with you seems to be expressing an interest in you?
There are very few situations in the world more uncomfortable than having one of your dad’s friends or a former employer comment a fire emoji on your story.
If you think the guy sending you the 🔥 emoji is totally out of line, you can send him this response. It will surely shut him down right away.
24. It’s highly unprofessional to send fire emojis to a colleague in a work email. Please refrain from contacting me unless it is work-related. If you continue with this behavior, I will be speaking to HR.
There are appropriate ways to ask a coworker on a date, but sending them unwanted emojis is not one of them. It could even be considered harassment.
If someone you work with is hitting on you by sending you 🔥, let them know uncomfortable they are making you and ask them to stop.
Hey, it’s me, Steven. Dating and relationships have always fascinated me. On Dategosu, you will find my best tips to make sure your next date is a great success!