The fingers crossed emoji is Crossed fingers, U+1F91E, in five skin tones. It leads a list of 59: the five emoji CLDR files under luck, hands mistaken for this one, charms, good luck in nine languages and 12 combos.
Read the full guide
Skin tones: every hand, and one foot
Pick a skin tone once and every hand follows it, all 12 combos included, and in Fingers and toes the foot changes too.
Luck in one country, a lie in the next
Wikipedia's article on the gesture says it is commonly used to wish for luck. It also records that in German-speaking countries, Sweden and Latvia crossed fingers are a sign of lying, and luck is wished by pressing or holding the thumbs, hence Daumen drรผcken in the text group. In Vietnam the gesture is considered rude.
Tips
Hand with index finger and thumb crossed is the finger heart, not luck: CLDR gives it love, money and snap.
in bocca al lupo is plain ASCII. Wiktionary gives the literal meaning as in the wolf's mouth, and the reply as crepi, may it die.
Monarch butterfly and Lighthouse, CLDR's two hope emoji, are new in Emoji 18.0: empty boxes until a device draws them. Send Four leaf clover.
Questions and answers
Does the fingers crossed emoji mean luck or a lie?
Both are on record. CLDR, the Unicode project's list of search words, files Crossed fingers under luck and says nothing about lying. Wikipedia gives luck first, then the children's version: fingers crossed behind the back to excuse a white lie or cancel a promise.
Is there a horseshoe or a wishbone emoji?
No. Unicode 18.0 has no emoji with either name. CLDR gives the search word horseshoe to Magnet, for its shape, and wishbone to Bone, and to nothing else.
Is there a good luck emoji?
CLDR files three under luck: Crossed fingers, Red envelope and, less expectedly, Saluting face. Four leaf clover has lucky and Black cat has unlucky. Those five open the page. Shamrock misses out, with only irish, plant and shamrock.
๐โโฌBlack catU+1F408 U+200D U+2B1B. The only emoji CLDR files under unlucky. It is Cat joined to Black large square, so a device from before Emoji 13.0 shows the two parts. Emoji 13.0.
๐คCrossed fingersU+1F91E. Index and middle finger crossed, which is what its formal Unicode name says at greater length. CLDR lists cross, crossed, finger, fingers, hand and luck. It takes five skin tones and has no plain text form. Emoji 3.0.
๐Four leaf cloverU+1F340. The only emoji CLDR files under lucky. Wikipedia dates the belief to at least the 17th century. Emoji 0.6.
๐งงRed envelopeU+1F9E7. The third emoji CLDR files under luck. Unicode notes that it holds a gift of money in East and Southeast Asia. Emoji 11.0.
๐ซกSaluting faceU+1FAE1. One of three emoji with luck among its CLDR words, next to good. A salute to send someone off with. Emoji 14.0.
Show all 59 ways to cross your fingers (54 more)
Crossed, but not for luck 7
๐Crossed flagsU+1F38C. Unicode's names list files it under Japanese national holiday. CLDR lists celebration, cross and crossed. Emoji 0.6.
โ๏ธCrossed swordsU+2694 U+FE0F. Crossed by name and by CLDR word, and no help with an exam. Emoji 1.0.
๐ซฐHand with index finger and thumb crossedU+1FAF0. The finger heart. Unicode cross-references it with Crossed fingers, and Wikipedia warns readers not to confuse the two. CLDR lists love, money and snap, and no luck. Emoji 14.0.
๐คฅLying faceU+1F925. Wikipedia records that children cross their fingers behind their backs to excuse a white lie. CLDR lists liar, lie and pinocchio. Emoji 3.0.
โRaised fistU+270A. German, Swedish and Polish speakers press or hold their thumbs for luck: a fist with the thumb tucked inside, as Wiktionary describes it. This fist keeps its thumb outside, and CLDR lists solidarity. Emoji 0.6.
๐Shuffle tracks buttonU+1F500. Formally Twisted rightwards arrows, which is enough for CLDR to list crossed. Leaving the next song to chance is luck of a kind. Emoji 1.0.
โ๏ธVictory handU+270C U+FE0F. The same two fingers, uncrossed. CLDR lists peace, v and victory, and it has a plain text form. Emoji 0.6.
Charms, omens and wishes 14
๐ฆดBoneU+1F9B4. There is no wishbone emoji either. CLDR gives the word to this one alone. Emoji 11.0.
๐ฎCrystal ballU+1F52E. For wanting to know already. CLDR lists fortune, future and magic. Emoji 0.6.
๐ฅ Fortune cookieU+1F960. CLDR lists fortune and prophecy. The slip inside is not included. Emoji 5.0.
๐งGenieU+1F9DE. The only kind of emoji CLDR files under wishes, with lamp and rub. Emoji 5.0.
๐ชฌHamsaU+1FAAC. A palm-shaped amulet. CLDR lists fortune, protect and protection. An older device shows an empty box. Emoji 14.0.
7๏ธโฃKeycap: 7U+0037 U+FE0F U+20E3. Wikipedia's list of lucky symbols has seven lucky in Western and Japanese tradition. Emoji 0.6.
8๏ธโฃKeycap: 8U+0038 U+FE0F U+20E3. Lucky in Chinese tradition: Wikipedia notes that eight sounds like the Chinese word for fortune. Emoji 0.6.
๐Lady beetleU+1F41E. CLDR lists ladybird and ladybug. Wikipedia's list of lucky symbols has the beetle lucky in German, Italian, Polish, Russian and Turkish tradition, among others. Emoji 0.6.
๐งฒMagnetU+1F9F2. There is no horseshoe emoji. This is the only one CLDR files under horseshoe, for its shape. Emoji 11.0.
๐งฟNazar amuletU+1F9FF. The blue eye bead. CLDR lists amulet, charm, evil-eye and talisman. Emoji 11.0.
๐PigU+1F416. On Wikipedia's list of lucky symbols for Chinese and German tradition. CLDR sticks to bacon, farm and pork. Emoji 1.0.
โ๏ธShamrockU+2618 U+FE0F. Three leaves, not four. Unicode cross-references it with Four leaf clover, and Wikipedia notes that in Ireland every shamrock counts as lucky. It has a plain text form. Emoji 1.0.
๐ Shooting starU+1F320. The one to wish on, though CLDR lists only falling, night, shooting, space and star. Emoji 0.6.
๐ชตWoodU+1FAB5. For touching, or knocking on. CLDR lists log, lumber and timber. Emoji 13.0.
โณHourglass not doneU+23F3. One of two emoji CLDR files under waiting. The other is the alarm clock. Emoji 0.6.
๐LighthouseU+1F6D9. The other emoji CLDR files under hope, with beacon and guidance. Just as new, with the same empty box until the drawing arrives. Emoji 18.0.
๐ซMonarch butterflyU+1FACC. One of two emoji CLDR files under hope. New in Emoji 18.0: a device shows an empty box until its maker adds the drawing. Emoji 18.0.
๐คฒPalms up togetherU+1F932. The only emoji CLDR files under wish, next to dua and prayer. Both hands follow the skin tone. Emoji 5.0.
๐TrophyU+1F3C6. What the crossing is for. CLDR lists win, winning, victory and prize. Emoji 0.6.
๐Worried faceU+1F61F. No other emoji gets butterflies from CLDR, which also lists nerves and anxious. Emoji 1.0.
Fingers crossed in plain text 14
ัะดะฐัะธUdachi: Russian for good luck
โโโโโโกโข โโกโโขโขโโThe two words in circled letters
โใThe same star with a katakana tail
โๅฝกA shooting star to wish on, from Wikipedia's list of emoticons
ๅ ๆฒนJiayou: Chinese, literally add fuel, shouted to cheer someone on
้ ๅผตใฃใฆGanbatte: Japanese for do your best, said where English says good luck
๊ฐษชษดษขแดส๊ฑ แดสแด๊ฑ๊ฑแดแด The two words in small capitals
ํ์ดํ Paiting: Korean for good luck and go for it, borrowed from the English word fighting
๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐ผ ๐ฌ๐ป๐ธ๐ผ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ญThe two words in mathematical bold script
croisons les doigtsFrench: let us cross our fingers, the form Wiktionary gives
Daumen drรผckenGerman: to press the thumbs, the gesture used for luck where crossed fingers mean a lie
hรฅlla tummarnaSwedish: to hold the thumbs
in bocca al lupoItalian for good luck: in the wolf's mouth, word for word
trzymaฤ kciukiPolish: to hold the thumbs
Fingers crossed for something 12
๐คฅ๐คBehind my backLying face, then crossed fingers. The white-lie reading of the gesture, which Wikipedia traces to children.
๐ค๐คBoth hands crossedCrossed fingers 2 times. For when one hand is not enough.
๐ค๐ญBreak a legCrossed fingers, then performing arts. For opening night. Wiktionary has the phrase as good luck said to a performer, origin unknown.
๐ค๐Clover for luckCrossed fingers, then four leaf clover. The hand CLDR files under luck beside the plant it files under lucky.
๐คโ๏ธDry for SaturdayCrossed fingers, then sun. For a wedding, a barbecue or a school sports day.
๐ค๐Exam in the morningCrossed fingers, then memo. For the night before.
๐ค๐ฆถFingers and toesCrossed fingers, then foot. Wiktionary lists fingers and toes crossed as the humorous, emphatic form. Hand and foot both take the skin tone.
๐ค๐ผInterview at nineCrossed fingers, then briefcase. CLDR gives Briefcase two words, and one of them is office.
๐ค๐ ๐Keys to the houseCrossed fingers, then house, then key. For an offer that has not been accepted yet.
๐คโฝ๐Match dayCrossed fingers, then soccer ball, then trophy. Swap the ball for your own sport.
๐ค๐ชตTouch woodCrossed fingers, then wood. Two precautions at once.
๐คโณWaiting to hearCrossed fingers, then hourglass not done. CLDR files the hourglass under waiting.
How this list was compiled: Built by script on 2026-09-19, not typed by hand. Names, code points, skin tone sequences and Emoji version numbers come from Unicode's emoji-test.txt, version 18.0 (https://www.unicode.org/Public/18.0.0/emoji/emoji-test.txt); item names are the CLDR short names in sentence case. The first group follows a stated rule: every emoji whose search words in the CLDR English annotations (https://github.com/unicode-org/cldr/blob/main/common/annotations/en.xml, main branch) include luck, lucky or unlucky, which is five. The words quoted in the notes are CLDR's, and each claim that an emoji is the only one with a word (crossed, horseshoe, wishbone, wish, wishes, hope, waiting, butterflies and the rest) was checked by the script against the whole file. Formal character names come from UnicodeData.txt, version 18.0.0 (https://www.unicode.org/Public/18.0.0/ucd/UnicodeData.txt); the cross-references between Crossed fingers and the finger heart and between Four leaf clover and Shamrock, and the note on the red envelope, are from NamesList.txt, version 18.0.0 (https://www.unicode.org/Public/18.0.0/ucd/NamesList.txt). Text forms come from emoji-variation-sequences.txt, version 18.0.0 (https://www.unicode.org/Public/18.0.0/ucd/emoji/emoji-variation-sequences.txt), which has none for U+1F91E. What the gesture means, the white lie, the cancelled promise, where it is rude and where thumbs are pressed instead are from Wikipedia's article Crossed fingers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossed_fingers); the charms are rows of its List of lucky symbols (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lucky_symbols), with Four-leaf clover and Knocking on wood for the clover's date and the phrase touch wood; the two shooting stars are from its List of emoticons (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emoticons). The phrases in other languages and their literal meanings are from Wiktionary: fingers crossed, Daumen drรผcken, hรฅlla tummarna, trzymaฤ kciuki, in bocca al lupo, ้ ๅผตใฃใฆ, ๅ ๆฒน, ํ์ดํ and ัะดะฐัะธ (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fingers_crossed and the entry for each phrase). The three styled spellings are built from code points whose names the script checks. The 12 combos and their names are this site's own; nobody has standardised them. All sources were checked on 2026-09-19. Licence: own work (the selection, the combo names and the wording are ours; emoji names, sequences and search words come from Unicode's data files and CLDR, under the Unicode License v3; facts from Wikipedia and Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0, restated in our own words and credited in source)