How it works
The fast emoji is Dashing away, U+1F4A8, from Emoji 0.6. CLDR, Unicode’s list of search words, files 14 emoji under fast and this one alone under away.
Read the full guide
What the puff is
Unicode’s character name is DASH SYMBOL, and its names list glosses it as running dash and briffits. Briffits, as Wikipedia records the cartoonists’ word, are the clouds of dust left hanging behind someone who leaves in a hurry. So the dashing away emoji is what stays when the runner has gone.
Fourteen under fast
The list is this puff, six runners, Hamburger and French fries for fast food, Running shoe and the four double-arrow buttons. Speed and zoom are filed elsewhere: the two bullet trains share speed with the runners, and Racing car has zoom to itself.
- DASH SYMBOL is not punctuation. The typed dashes are on the em dash page.
Questions and answers
Which emoji means fast?
Dashing away, by CLDR’s search words: away, dash, dashing, fast, go, gone, gotta and running are all in its list. The six runners are filed under fast, hurry, quick, rush and speed, so they say it too.
Is there a gust emoji?
No emoji is named gust and CLDR files none under the word. Emojipedia describes Dashing away as a cartoon-style air gust. For weather, Wind face and Leaf fluttering in wind are the two emoji filed under both blow and wind.
Is there a fast emoticon?
Typed, yes. =3 is the puff alone: an equals sign for the speed lines and a 3 for the cloud. ε=ε=ε=ヽ(>_<)ノ runs away with three puffs behind it, each a Greek small epsilon and an equals sign.