More and more of our conversations are taking place via texting or messaging apps.
Unlike conversations in person and on the phone, text exchanges don’t involve listening to tones of voice or seeing facial expressions.
We’ve compensated for this loss by using emojis, which allow us to convey how we feel about what we’re saying.
While words have exact definitions, the meaning of emojis is harder to pin down, which can make it hard to know how to respond to them.
How you should respond to the 🥰 emoji will depend heavily on who is using it and the context they are using it in.
Here is a comprehensive guide to how to respond when someone sends you the 🥰 emoji.
26 ways to respond when someone sends you the 🥰 emoji
- 🥰
- 😍😍
- 😘
- ❤️
- ☺️
- Aw! I miss you! I can’t wait to see you soon and catch up properly 🥰
- What a lovely message. I’m so happy to hear that things are going so well for you! You deserve all the happiness in the world.
- What an amazing achievement 😍 You should be so proud of yourself.
- See? I told you things would get better. It’s great to see you so happy 😘
- Thanks for all the love! It means so much that you reached out to congratulate me.
- You’ve always been such a good friend. Thanks for remembering that today was a special day for me. Your text put such a big smile on my face.
- Thank you for cheering me up and reminding me that there are people out there who really love me. Feeling much more hopeful now than I was before ❤️
- I’m glad you’re feeling so excited about hanging out tomorrow. I’m also really looking forward to it ☺️
- I love how enthusiastic you are! Talking to you is like taking a breath of fresh air.
- You’re always in such a good mood. It’s infectious!
- Can’t wait to see your real smile when I see you in person, instead of always looking at these emojis!
- Ooh, you seem happy today! Any particular reason?
- Hey cutie, are you trying to tell me something with those hearts?
- Hey! Surprised to see a message from you. I can’t really talk right now, but let’s catch up at work on Monday?
- Hi, that’s great news. Thanks for letting me know.
- Hey, it’s nice of you to reach out. I don’t really understand your message though. Could you explain what you mean?
- Thanks for the congratulatory message!
- Hey, just so we’re on the same page, that’s a friendly heart emoji, right?! 😅
- I’m a little confused by your message.
- What does that emoji mean?
- Are you trying to tell me something?
How to respond when a friend sends you the 🥰 emoji
The 🥰 emoji is commonly understood to mean that the sender is feeling warm, fuzzy, loving feelings.
These can be directed toward you, another person, an animal, or even a situation.
Sometimes the 🥰 emoji is also used to express general happiness.
While you may be surprised if a friend sends you an emoji with love hearts in it, do not jump to conclusions that they are calling you cute over text.
The smiling face with hearts emoji is often used to convey feelings of friendship or platonic love.
Here are a few suggestions for how you might respond when a friend sends you the 🥰 emoji.
1. 🥰
The simplest response when a friend sends you a text with just the 🥰 emoji, is simply to send it back.
It may be that your friend is just reaching out to let you know that they are thinking about you.
If so, all they are looking for is confirmation that you are happy to hear from them, so simply send them back the same emoji.
Example:
A: 🥰
B: 🥰
2. 😍😍
Doubling up emojis is a great way to show enthusiasm.
If you want to show your friend that you care about them too, but also want to get the message across that your friendly love is unbounded, send them two or more heart eyes emojis!
Example:
A: Missing you! 🥰
B: 😍😍
3. 😘
Another easy way to respond when a friend sends you a smiling face with hearts emoji, is to send back a kissy face emoji.
While this response should be reserved for very close friends, there is no reason not to use a kissy face emoji when talking to a platonic friend!
Example:
A: 🥰
B: 😘
4. ❤️
You can respond to the 🥰 emoji with the classic red love heart emoji.
While the red love heart is often thought to carry implications of romantic love, it is actually a symbol of any kind of deep love.
Many of us love our friends and family just as much as we love our partners, so there is no reason not to use the red love heart emoji to express to a friend how much you care about them.
Example:
A: 🥰
B: ❤️
5. ☺️
We all have our own approach to texting, and this includes how many emojis we use.
Just because your friend is very liberal with their use of emojis doesn’t mean that your responses also have to be littered with color.
If you feel more comfortable sending simple yellow smileys than you do sending any heart-related emojis, that is also fine!
If an enthusiastic friend sends you the 🥰 emoji, you can absolutely do you and respond with something milder, like the blushing smiley emoji.
Example:
A: 🥰
B: ☺️
6. Aw! I miss you! I can’t wait to see you soon and catch up properly 🥰
Whether your friend sends you just the 🥰 emoji, or the 🥰 emoji alongside a few written words, you can certainly add text to your response.
Why not send back the same emoji to show your friend that their feelings of loving friendship are reciprocated, while also using your words to describe what you’re feeling.
Example:
A: It’s been too long! 🥰
B: Aw! I miss you! I can’t wait to see you soon and catch up properly 🥰
7. What a lovely message. I’m so happy to hear that things are going so well for you! You deserve all the happiness in the world.
If your friend gets in touch to give you a positive update about their life and then follows their message up with the 🥰 emoji, you can respond with a sincere message expressing your happiness that your friend is doing well.
You don’t always need to respond to emojis with emojis. If you prefer to express yourself in just words, that is a-okay!
Example:
A: Hey, just a quick update. Jack proposed last night! 🥰
B: What a lovely message. I’m so happy to hear that things are going so well for you! You deserve all the happiness in the world.
8. What an amazing achievement 😍 You should be so proud of yourself.
You can always mix emojis and text, too! If you want to use your words to convey your genuine excitement for your friend but also want to match their use of emojis, go for it! There are very few rules in the texting game.
If your friend tells you that their new business venture is going well, you can use words to compliment them while also using a heart eyes emoji to convey that what you have seen has made you very happy.
Example:
A: Omg, the business launch went great. Thanks for all your support 🥰
B: What an amazing achievement 😍 You should be so proud of yourself.
9. See? I told you things would get better. It’s great to see you so happy 😘
Another option is to respond to a friend who sends the 🥰 emoji by sending them a kissy face.
If your friend sends you good news about themselves and uses the 🥰 emoji to convey just how happy and content they feel, you can use a kissy face to show how glad you are for them.
Example:
A: I’m feeling so happy right now 🥰
B: See? I told you things would get better. It’s great to see you so happy 😘
10. Thanks for all the love! It means so much that you reached out to congratulate me.
One of the most special things about the 🥰 emoji is that it can be used to show happiness for oneself or for another person.
If a friend sends you the smiling face with hearts emoji to express their happiness for you, you can respond with a heartfelt thanks.
Example:
A: Congratulations, darling 🥰
B: Thanks for all the love! It means so much that you reached out to congratulate me.
11. You’ve always been such a good friend. Thanks for remembering that today was a special day for me. Your text put such a big smile on my face.
While emojis can be a great way to express your feelings, it is also nice to use your words to make your responses more personal.
If a friend gets in touch to wish you a happy birthday or a happy anniversary and ends their message with a 🥰 emoji, thank them kindly. No emojis necessary!
Example:
A: Happy anniversary, Carla 🥰
B: You’ve always been such a good friend. Thanks for remembering that today was a special day for me. Your text put such a big smile on my face.
12. Thank you for cheering me up and reminding me that there are people out there who really love me. Feeling much more hopeful now than I was before ❤️
If a friend is trying to boost your mood and talk you out of a slump, they may try to remind you how loved you are by sending you the 🥰 emoji.
You can respond to their efforts by thanking them and sending them a red love heart.
A friend may also use the 🥰 emoji as part of an apology if they have hurt your feelings.
If this is the case and you are still not totally ready to forgive them, check out this guide on how to respond to an apology when you’re still hurt.
Example:
A: You are so smart and beautiful and are loved by so many 🥰
B: Thank you for cheering me up and reminding me that there are people out there who really love me. Feeling much more hopeful now than I was before ❤️
How to respond when your crush sends you the 🥰 emoji
While the 🥰 emoji can be used platonically, it can also be used to convey feelings of romantic affection.
This can make it a complicated emoji to respond to when it is sent by someone you like, but who you aren’t sure is interested in you.
The best way forward is not to jump to conclusions but also not to rule out that your crush is trying to tell you something.
Instead, proceed with cautious optimism.
Here are a few ways you could walk the fine line of showing interest without overstepping.
13. I’m glad you’re feeling so excited. I’m also really looking forward to it ☺️
If your crush sends you the 🥰 emoji and you want to convey that you’re looking forward to seeing them without laying all your cards on the table, use your words to tell them you’re excited.
You may not be completely confident about how you feel about your crush.
If this is the case, instead of sending back a flirtatious emoji, you could finish your text off with a blushing smiley face to make clear that you feel warmly towards them.
For example, if you have plans to hang out and your crush lets you know they’re excited to see you by sending the 🥰 emoji, respond with enthusiastic words and lower-stakes emoji.
Example:
A: Looking forward to our walk tomorrow 🥰
B: I’m glad you’re feeling so excited. I’m also really looking forward to it ☺️
14. I love how enthusiastic you are! Talking to you is like taking a breath of fresh air.
If you have a crush on someone who loves using emojis, you might find yourself struggling to read the subtext of their messages.
Do they mean something by sending you all those 🥰 emojis? Or do they just always text like this? Do they text their grandma like this?
If your crush texts you the 🥰 emoji, instead of risking coming on too strong by reading too much into their use of flirty emojis, compliment their enthusiasm!
A: 🥰🥰🥰
B: I love how enthusiastic you are! Talking to you is like taking a breath of fresh air.
15. always in such a good mood. It’s infectious!
Another way to show interest without falling into the trap of reacting too strongly when your crush sends you the 🥰 emoji, is to compliment their positivity.
Example:
A: Good morning 🥰☀️
B: You’re always in such a good mood. It’s infectious!
16. Can’t wait to see your real smile when I see you in person, instead of always looking at these emojis!
It can be a funny mismatch when your crush is an emoji fiend, and you hardly ever use them.
Instead of feeling pressured to change your texting style, simply use your words to make a cute joke about your crush’s frequent use of emojis.
Example:
A: 🥰🥰🥰🥰
B: Can’t wait to see your real smile when I see you in person, instead of always looking at these emojis!
17. Ooh, you seem happy today! Any particular reason?
If you’re texting your crush but aren’t confident that they like you, why not see if you can dig for a bit of information.
If they send you the 🥰 emoji, why not point out that they seem to be in a good mood and then ask whether there is a reason for their current happiness?
If they’re into you, you’ve just given them the perfect opportunity to give you some indication that the reason for their good mood is you!
Example:
A: Hey! How’s your day going? 🥰
B: Ooh, you seem happy today! Any particular reason?
18. Hey cutie, are you trying to tell me something with those hearts?
If you feel fairly confident that your crush likes you back, or if you are just the kind of person who doesn’t like to waste time, you could respond by asking them whether they are trying to tell you something.
After all, sending someone who isn’t a close friend or family member the 🥰 emoji is a pretty flirtatious thing to do, so you are well within your rights to ask about your crush’s motive!
Example:
A: 🥰🥰🥰🥰
B: Hey cutie, are you trying to tell me something with those hearts?
How to respond when an acquaintance sends you the 🥰 emoji
You may initially be confused if someone you consider a casual acquaintance sends you a smiling face with hearts emoji.
Are they hitting on you? The answer is, not necessarily.
If your acquaintance is using the 🥰 emoji in the context of a story about their personal life, then they are likely just trying to express how happy they feel about what they’re telling you.
However, if they compliment you personally and finish off their message with the 🥰 emoji, they may well be testing the water to see if you could be interested in them.
Here is a run-through of how to respond to the 🥰 emoji when it sent by a mere acquaintance.
19. Hey! Surprised to see a message from you. I can’t really talk right now, but let’s catch up at work on Monday?
Is it OK to use emojis at work? Well, it depends on who you ask. You may feel that is strange for a colleague you hardly know to send the 🥰 emoji, while they may think it is totally normal and unremarkable.
Imagine an older work colleague gets in touch to send you a picture of their newborn kittens accompanied by the 🥰 emoji.
In all likelihood, in a situation like this, your colleague is simply happy about the arrival of their new kittens and is sending that picture to loads of people.
In any case, the 🥰 emoji doesn’t seem to be aimed directly at you.
However, if a colleague gets in touch with a text like, “How’s your weekend going? 🥰,” they may well be expressing a romantic interest in you.
If you don’t feel the same, you should politely but firmly end the conversation.
Example:
A: Hey there! 🥰
B: Hey! Surprised to see a message from you. I can’t really talk right now, but let’s catch up at work on Monday?
20. Hi, that’s great news. Thanks for letting me know.
Imagine a friend of a friend gets in touch to let you know that they’ve just completed their first marathon and ends the text with the 🥰 emoji.
In all likelihood, this is a message that has been sent out to multiple people and isn’t directed at you specifically.
It may also be, however, that they consider you to be closer friends than you think you are.
Regardless, if an acquaintance sends you an update about their life and ends the text with the 🥰 emoji, just acknowledge that you are happy for them and thank them for telling you. You don’t need to include any emojis in your response.
Example:
A: My son Samuel took his first steps today 🥰
B: Hi, that’s great news. Thanks for letting me know.
21. Hey, it’s nice of you to reach out. I don’t really understand your message though. Could you explain what you mean?
If an acquaintance sends you a text that includes the 🥰 emoji and you don’t understand why they are you sending you this, just ask them!
Example:
A: So…🥰🥰?
B: Hey, it’s nice of you to reach out. I don’t really understand your message though. Could you explain what you mean?
22. Thanks for the congratulatory message!
If you reach a major milestone, the people in your social circle may reach out to congratulate you. It is possible that their messages will include the 🥰 emoji as a way of communicating their happiness for you.
The best thing to do on these occasions, is just to thank your acquaintances for thinking of you!
A: Congratulations on the birth of your beautiful baby 🥰
B: Thanks for the congratulatory message!
How to respond when someone you don’t like sends you the 🥰 emoji
We are always a little surprised when someone we don’t like messages us.
Whether they are a co-worker we don’t usually speak to outside of work hours or a friend of a friend who we find irritating, we won’t be jumping for joy when their name pops up in our notifications.
Regardless of the connection, we would probably be even more surprised to see that they have send us the 🥰 emoji.
What reason could someone we aren’t close to have for sending us this?
They may just be an enthusiastic texter, who use emojis like confetti. Research shows that where we come from can influence our use of emojis, so how the person you’re texting you uses emojis may have more to do with where they grew up than with how they feel about you personally!
Or they may be trying to communicate something about their own mood.
Alternatively, they may be using it as a kind of pick-up line. After all, just because you don’t like them doesn’t mean they don’t like you!
Here is a run through of all the ways you might respond to the smiling face with hearts emoji when it is sent to you by someone you don’t like.
23. Hey, just so we’re on the same page, that’s a friendly heart emoji, right?! 😅
One of the tricky-to-navigate aspects of modern socializing is that you want to tell people who are hitting on you that you don’t like them, but you don’t want to offend them by incorrectly assuming that they like you!
The important thing is to strike the correct tone.
By sending a light-hearted text “confirming” that the person you’re speaking to didn’t send you a flirtatious emoji, you’re letting them off the hook easy.
You’ve made your position clear and all they have to do is answer, “Of course, just a friendly one.”
Example:
A: Hey 🥰
B: Hey, just so we’re on the same page, that’s a friendly heart emoji, right?! 😅
24. I’m a little confused by your message.
If someone you don’t like texts you a 🥰 emoji out of the blue, you don’t have to pretend to understand what they mean.
You can simply state that you are confused.
After all, you do not owe this person a conversation.
Example:
A: 🥰
B: I’m a little confused by your message.
25. What does that emoji mean?
Don’t let other people hide behind the ambiguity of emojis!
Sometimes people feel that because there is no cut-and-dry definition for an emoji, it is acceptable to send anyone anything at any time.
The implication is that if the person who receives the emoji doesn’t understand what the emoji means, it is because they aren’t up on the latest trends.
However, emojis are only little cartoon symbols and they only have the meaning we assign to them.
So, if someone sends you emoji and you don’t understand what they’re trying to tell you, ask them!
Example:
A: 🥰
B: What does that emoji mean?
26. Are you trying to tell me something?
If you feel fairly confident that someone you don’t like is sending you a 🥰 emoji to flirt with you, call them out on it.
Ask them in a straightforward manner whether they are trying to tell you something.
It is important to always be polite, but the fact that you are accessible to everyone with your phone number 24/7, means you are allowed to be selective about what conversations you engage in.
The best way to end a flirtatious conversation with someone you don’t like, is to be as direct as possible.
If you force them to tell you their true intentions, you can then respond by letting them know how you feel about them, which will effectively end the conversation and save you both time.
Example:
A: Hey 🥰
B: Are you trying to tell me something?
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!