The face at the top is Face holding back tears, U+1F979. Second of 58 is Pleading face, U+1F97A, whose Unicode name is Face with pleading eyes. CLDR, Unicode's list of emoji search words, files both under please.
Read the full guide
Two faces, one tap each
Press Copy under the big character for Face holding back tears. For pleading emoji copy paste, tap the second tile. Search matches CLDR's words as well as names, so mercy turns up Pleading face and aww the face above it. Pick a skin tone once and 18 tiles follow it, including both hands of Shy fingers.
Which ones survive the trip
Pleading face dates from Emoji 11.0 and Face holding back tears from Emoji 14.0, so a device whose fonts stop between the two shows one face and one empty box. :'), TwT and m(_ _)m are plain ASCII and arrive anywhere text does. The brows in (๏ฝกโขฬโฟโขฬ๏ฝก) are combining accents riding on the bullets, so the face is nine characters and looks like seven.
Tips
Ask with Pleading face and say thank you with the other. CLDR files only the first under puppy and only the second under joy.
Neither face is filed under shy or cute. For shy, CLDR points to Face with peeking eye, and for cute it lists Pink heart.
After a yes, send Thank you, truly: the grateful face, then Folded hands, which CLDR files under thanks.
Questions and answers
Is the holding back tears emoji the same as the pleading emoji?
No. Face holding back tears is U+1F979 and Pleading face is U+1F97A, the next code point but the older character. Their CLDR search words share only three: face, sad and please. Pleading face adds begging, mercy and why; the other adds proud, grateful and resist.
Why did my emoji arrive as an empty box?
The device reading it has no drawing at that code point. A font older than Emoji 14.0 has nothing at U+1F979, and Pink heart is newer again, at Emoji 15.0. The text faces are the fallback: Wikipedia's list of emoticons records :') as tears of happiness.
How did a peacock get onto this page?
CLDR files Peacock under proud. Group one is every emoji under please, beg, begging or mercy: the two faces, Folded hands and three people bowing. Group two is every other emoji filed under embarrassed, grateful or proud. Peacock also has pretty, like Pleading face.
๐ฅนFace holding back tearsU+1F979. Eyes full, nothing falling yet. CLDR gives it aww, admiration and resist, three words no other emoji has. Emoji 14.0.
๐Folded handsU+1F64F. The only emoji besides the two faces that CLDR files under please. It lists beg and cmon as well. Emoji 0.6.
๐โโ๏ธMan bowingU+1F647 U+200D U+2642 U+FE0F. Person bowing joined to the male sign by a zero width joiner. Emoji 4.0.
๐Person bowingU+1F647. Begging with the whole body. CLDR lists beg, favor and forgive, and never please. Emoji 0.6.
๐ฅบPleading faceU+1F97A. The asking one. Its Unicode character name is Face with pleading eyes, and CLDR adds begging, mercy and why. Emoji 11.0.
๐โโ๏ธWoman bowingU+1F647 U+200D U+2640 U+FE0F. The same join with the female sign. All three bows follow the skin tone row. Emoji 4.0.
Show all 58 ways to ask (52 more)
Proud, grateful, embarrassed 5
๐ณFlushed faceU+1F633. Shares embarrassed. CLDR adds awkward, geez and disbelief: caught out, not moved. Emoji 0.6.
๐ซ Melting faceU+1FAE0. Shares embarrassed. A classmate too: it arrived in the same release as Face holding back tears. Emoji 14.0.
๐ฆPeacockU+1F99A. Proud, like one face, and pretty, like the other. Leave out the three words the two faces share, and no other emoji takes a word from each. Emoji 11.0.
๐See-no-evil monkeyU+1F648. Shares embarrassed. Hides the eyes completely, which is one way to hold tears back. Emoji 0.6.
๐ฅฒSmiling face with tearU+1F972. Shares grateful and proud with Face holding back tears, and adds touched. Here the tear has already got out. Emoji 13.0.
Big eyes and what comes next 6
๐ขCrying faceU+1F622. One tear out. What Face holding back tears turns into first. Emoji 0.6.
๐ถDog faceU+1F436. CLDR lists puppy for two emoji: this one and Pleading face. Emoji 0.6.
๐ซฃFace with peeking eyeU+1FAE3. The shy one. CLDR gives shy to this face and to Folding hand fan, and to neither face at the top. Emoji 14.0.
๐Grinning face with big eyesU+1F603. The only other emoji that CLDR files under both big and eyes. It is grinning, so a search is the only place the two get confused. Emoji 0.6.
๐ญLoudly crying faceU+1F62D. Holding back has failed. CLDR lists bawling and sob. Emoji 0.6.
๐Smiling face with smiling eyesU+1F60A. Filed under blush, glad and satisfied. For when the answer was yes. Emoji 0.6.
Hands, bribes and prizes 13
๐ฅ1st place medalU+1F947. The reason for the proud tears. Emoji 3.0.
๐Backhand index pointing leftU+1F448. The other half. Both hands take a skin tone, and the combo keeps them matched. Emoji 0.6.
๐Backhand index pointing rightU+1F449. Half of the shy fingers. Put it before Backhand index pointing left and the two tips meet. Emoji 0.6.
๐BouquetU+1F490. Flowers before the question. CLDR lists romance and date, so mind who gets them. Emoji 0.6.
๐CherriesU+1F352. The cherry on top, in a pair. Emoji 0.6.
๐ซChocolate barU+1F36B. A bribe. CLDR lists sweet and tooth. Emoji 0.6.
๐คCrossed fingersU+1F91E. Asked, and now waiting. CLDR lists luck. Emoji 3.0.
๐Graduation capU+1F393. The other reason. CLDR lists graduation and scholar. Emoji 0.6.
๐คHandshakeU+1F91D. For when begging turns into bargaining. CLDR lists deal and agreement. Emoji 3.0.
๐คฒPalms up togetherU+1F932. Cupped hands. CLDR lists wish and dua, a prayer of asking. Emoji 5.0.
๐คPinching handU+1F90F. For a small favour. CLDR lists little, bit and small. Emoji 12.0.
๐ฉทPink heartU+1FA77. CLDR lists cute and adorable for it, two words that neither face carries. New enough that an older device shows an empty box. Emoji 15.0.
โจSparklesU+2728. Turns please into pretty please. CLDR lists magic and sparkle. Emoji 0.6.
Text faces with wet eyes 14
(,,>๏น<,,)Commas for blush, eyes squeezed shut
(>ไบบ<)A CJK ideograph, U+4EBA, as two pressed palms
(เฒฅโฟเฒฅ)Kannada letter tha eyes, brimming over a smile
(โ โโขโฯโโขโ โ)Fraction slashes for blush lines: too shy to ask
(โโธโ)Quarter arcs for lowered eyes, a caret mouth
(ใฃหฬฉโญโฎหฬฉ)ใฃArms out, a tear line under each shut eye
(๏ฝกโขฬโฟโขฬ๏ฝก)Accents tip the brows up, small brave smile
(๏ฝกโขฬ๏ธฟโขฬ๏ฝก)The same brows over a bracket pout
(๏ฝกโโฟโ๏ฝก)Eyes three-quarters black, with the shine top left
:')Sideways smile, one apostrophe tear
(ใฃโโธโc)The same face with a cupped hand each side
m(_ _)mHead to the floor, an m for each hand
(รณ๏นรฒ๏ฝก)Accented o for worried eyes, wavy mouth
TwTCapital T eyes streaming over a w smile
Pleading combos 14
๐ฅบ๐ฅนAsked and answeredPleading face, then face holding back tears. The face before the yes, then the face after it.
๐ฅบ๐ซBribe attachedPleading face, then chocolate bar. A request with terms.
๐๐ฅบFlowers firstBouquet, then pleading face. The bouquet goes in front, because the ask comes second.
๐๐ฅนGraduation dayGraduation cap, then face holding back tears. The view from the audience.
๐ฅน๐ซตI am not crying, you areFace holding back tears, then index pointing at the viewer. Both parts date from Emoji 14.0. The finger follows the skin tone you pick.
๐ฅบ๐คJust a small favourPleading face, then pinching hand. The size of the ask, shown honestly or not. The hand follows the skin tone you pick.
๐ฅบ๐Pretty pleasePleading face, then folded hands. Two of the three emoji that CLDR files under please. The hands follow the skin tone you pick.
๐ถ๐ฅบPuppy eyesDog face, then pleading face. The only two emoji that CLDR files under puppy, side by side.
๐ฅบ๐๐Shy fingersPleading face, then backhand index pointing right, then backhand index pointing left. The two fingertips meet in the middle. Both hands follow the skin tone you pick.
๐ฅน๐ฅSo proud of youFace holding back tears, then 1st place medal. CLDR lists proud for the face. The medal is the evidence.
๐๐ฅบSorry, and pleasePerson bowing, then pleading face. CLDR lists forgive for the bow and mercy for the face. The bow follows the skin tone you pick.
๐ฅน๐Thank you, trulyFace holding back tears, then folded hands. CLDR lists grateful for the face and thanks for the hands, which follow the skin tone you pick.
๐ฅบ๐คWaiting for your answerPleading face, then crossed fingers. Asked, and hoping. The fingers follow the skin tone you pick.
๐ฅบ๐๐With a cherry on topPleading face, then folded hands, then cherries. The long form of the request. The hands follow the skin tone you pick.
How this list was compiled: Built by script on 2026-09-19, not typed by hand. The 30 emoji, their names, code points, skin tones and Emoji version numbers come from emoji-test.txt, version 18.0 (https://www.unicode.org/Public/18.0.0/emoji/emoji-test.txt); names are the CLDR short names printed in that file, in sentence case. The search words quoted in the notes are from the CLDR English annotations (https://github.com/unicode-org/cldr/blob/main/common/annotations/en.xml, main branch). The first group is every emoji to which that file gives please, beg, begging or mercy: 6 in all. The second is every other emoji that shares embarrassed, grateful or proud with Face holding back tears: 5. The character name Face with pleading eyes for U+1F97A, and the name of every character in a text face, come from UnicodeData.txt, version 18.0.0 (https://www.unicode.org/Public/18.0.0/ucd/UnicodeData.txt). The other emoji, the 14 text faces and the 14 combos are this site's own choice, and the combo names are our own. Wikipedia's List of emoticons records :') as tears of happiness and m(_ _)m as a kowtow or an apology (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emoticons). 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, CC BY-SA 4.0, restated in our own words and credited in source)