Eight reptiles are in Unicode's emoji list and one is a snake. The rest of snake emoji copy and paste is mostly text: the caduceus, five hieroglyph snakes, eight one-line snakes, a hiss in nine languages, plus 16 combos.
Read the full guide
One snake, two symbols beside it
CLDR, Unicode's search word list, files two emoji under snake and serpent: the snake and Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer. Medical symbol is one snake on a rod, yet its words are aesculapius, medical, medicine, staff and symbol, so search staff to find it. Reptile finds the lizard alone.
Which snakes arrive as sent
The snake carries Emoji 0.6, the lowest label Unicode uses. Worm, from Emoji 13.0, is the newest single emoji here; the flute and maracas in two combos are 15.0. Six of the eight text snakes are plain ASCII. The snake heads are Unicode 16.0 and Snake symbol is 17.0, so they may show as empty boxes.
Tips
Ophiuchus and Medical symbol each have a text form, so the Text style switch changes those two tiles only.
In hieroglyphs the horned viper writes f and the cobra the j of judge. The hieroglyphics translator uses both.
Questions and answers
What does the snake emoji mean?
A snake, first. CLDR files π under animal, serpent, snake and zodiac, and under Ophiuchus and bearer, after the constellation. As an insult it borrows a figurative sense of the word, which Wiktionary gives as a treacherous person. Backstabber is the combo for that.
What is the snake on a stick emoji?
βοΈ Medical symbol, U+2695. Unicode names the character staff of Aesculapius: one snake around a rod, which Wikipedia calls the predominant symbol for medicine. β€, the caduceus, has two snakes and wings, belongs to Hermes and is a text character, not an emoji.
When is the Year of the Snake?
The last one ran from 29 January 2025 to 16 February 2026, a Wood Snake year, and the next begins on 15 February 2037, by Wikipedia's table. Sixth of the twelve animals, the snake goes by the branch character ε·³.
How do you make a snake out of keyboard characters?
Tildes for the body, then a head: ~~~~~~~~~{:>-< has a brace for the jaw, a colon for the eyes and >-< for the forked tongue. Add tildes to lengthen it. A coiled snake, seven lines tall, is on the animal ASCII art page.
βοΈMedical symbolU+2695 U+FE0F. One snake around a rod. Unicode's own name for the character is staff of Aesculapius, and CLDR leaves the word snake off it. Emoji 4.0.
βOphiuchusU+26CE. The serpent bearer: by Wikipedia the constellation is drawn as a man with a snake in his hands. The one other emoji CLDR files under snake and serpent. Emoji 0.6.
πSnakeU+1F40D. The only emoji with snake in its name. CLDR files it under serpent and zodiac, and under Ophiuchus and bearer, after the constellation of the serpent bearer. Emoji 0.6.
Other reptiles, and two lookalikes 6
πCrocodileU+1F40A. First in the reptile subgroup. CLDR lists animal, crocodile and zoo. Emoji 1.0.
πDragonU+1F409. A reptile too, by Unicode's filing: it sits two places after the snake. Emoji 1.0.
π¦LizardU+1F98E. Eight emoji make up Unicode's reptile subgroup. This is the only one CLDR files under the word reptile. Emoji 3.0.
π’TurtleU+1F422. Filed under terrapin and tortoise as well as turtle. Emoji 0.6.
γ°οΈWavy dashU+3030 U+FE0F. A punctuation mark by filing, and the nearest the emoji list has to a snake seen from far off. Emoji 0.6.
πͺ±WormU+1FAB1. Legless, but no relation. Unicode files it with the bugs, and CLDR under annelid, earthworm and parasite. Emoji 13.0.
Show all 55 snakes (46 more)
Snake symbols that are not emoji 5
πAlchemical caduceusU+1F750 Alchemical symbol for caduceus. The alchemists' shorthand for the same staff. It shows as an empty box where no font has it.
β€CaduceusU+2624 Caduceus. A staff with two snakes wound round it and wings on top: the staff of Hermes. A text character, not an emoji. Wikipedia notes that it is sometimes misused for the one-snake medical staff.
π±ΆSnake head, mouth closedU+1CC76 Right-facing snake head with closed mouth. The same head between bites. Unicode 16.0 is recent, so it may show as an empty box.
π±²Snake head, mouth openU+1CC72 Right-facing snake head with open mouth. From Symbols for Legacy Computing Supplement, a Unicode 16.0 block. Unicode has eight snake heads: four directions, mouth open and mouth closed.
π³ΊSnake symbolU+1CCFA Snake symbol. Unicode names it snake symbol and nothing more. It arrived with Unicode 17.0, later than the heads, so it may show as an empty box.
Snake in other scripts 8
πHieroglyph cobra, hood upU+13197 Egyptian hieroglyph I012. Unicode describes it as a cobra, standing up, with expanded hood (uraeus), with a coiled tail.
πHieroglyph cobra, restingU+13193 Egyptian hieroglyph I010. Unicode describes it as a cobra in repose. In the same table the cobra writes dj, the j of judge.
πHieroglyph coiled snakeU+13199 Egyptian hieroglyph I014. Unicode describes it as a snake with a coiled tail, consisting of two coils.
πHieroglyph horned viperU+13191 Egyptian hieroglyph I009. Unicode describes it as a horned desert viper. In Wikipedia's table of one-consonant signs, the horned viper writes the sound f.
π΄Hieroglyph sun and cobraU+131F4 Egyptian hieroglyph N006. Unicode describes it as the sun, encircled by a cobra with its hood expanded.
θPython, boa constrictorU+87D2 CJK unified ideograph-87D2. Unihan: python, boa constrictor. Its Japanese readings are uwabami and orochi.
巳Snake of the zodiacU+5DF3 CJK unified ideograph-5DF3. Unihan defines it as the sixth earthly branch, the one the Year of the Snake goes by. Mandarin reading: sì.
One-line text snakes 8
%%%~~~~~~~~{:>-<Rattlesnake, rattle at the back
>-<:}~~~~~~~~~The same snake, heading left
_/\_/\_/\_/\_{:>-<Sidewinder, plain ASCII
~~~~(____)~~~{:>-<After lunch, plain ASCII
~~~~~~~~~{:>-<Snake, tongue out, plain ASCII
βΏβΏβΏβΏβΏβΏ{:>-<Snake made of sine waves
sα·The letter s with a snake under it (combining snake below)
@~~~~~~{:>-< sssCoiled tail, hissing
Hiss in nine languages 9
ΡΡΡHiss in Russian (shhh)
ΩΨΩΨHiss in Arabic (fahih)
ΰΈΰΉΰΈHiss in Thai (fo)
γ·γ£γΌHiss in Japanese (shΔ)
εΆεΆHiss in Mandarin (sΔ« sΔ«)
pisssHiss in Italian
sssssssHiss in English, plain ASCII
tΔ±sssHiss in Turkish
zischHiss in German
Snake combos 16
ππ‘οΈBackstabberSnake, then dagger. The snake as an insult: Wiktionary gives the word the sense of a treacherous person.
βοΈππͺ¨BaskingSun, then snake, then rock. A warm rock and nowhere to be.
ππDanger noodleSnake, then steaming bowl. Wiktionary files danger noodle as humorous internet slang for a snake. The noodles are ours.
ππForbidden fruitSnake, then red apple. The oldest sales pitch there is.
ππ’Hissy fitSnake, then anger symbol. Loud, brief and mostly air.
ππOuroborosSnake, then counterclockwise arrows button. The serpent with its tail in its mouth, as near as two emoji get.
ππͺRattlesnakeSnake, then maracas. The rattle is a pair of maracas. Nothing closer exists.
πππSea snakeWater wave, then snake, then water wave. Swimming, not drowning.
πͺπSnake charmerFlute, then snake. The flute is from Emoji 15.0, so an older phone shows a box and a snake.
π²π²πSnake eyesGame die 2 times, then snake. Two ones on a pair of dice.
πΏππΏSnake in the grassHerb, then snake, then herb. Wiktionary lists the phrase under the snake that means a treacherous person.
ππ§΄Snake oilSnake, then lotion bottle. Cures everything. Ask no questions.
ππͺπ²Snakes and laddersSnake, then ladder, then game die. Up the one, down the other.
ππ₯Swallowed wholeSnake, then egg. Lunch, no chewing.
ππππΏTurned to stoneSnake 3 times, then moai. Medusa had snakes in place of hair, and whoever looked at her was turned to stone.
ππ§§π§¨Year of the SnakeSnake, then red envelope, then firecracker. Sixth in the Chinese zodiac. Wikipedia dates the last one 29 January 2025 to 16 February 2026, and the next from 15 February 2037.