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January 22nd, 2026
Dating online can be a scary thing, especially when you are trying to figure out what emojis to use in your messages. While everyone knows what some emojis mean, you might have gotten an emoji or two where you aren’t sure what it might mean. Therefore at Social Catfish, we put together an online dating emoji guide that will help you when you are wondering “what do these emojis mean?” Keep scrolling to find out what each emoji means when someone messages you emojis and how you can use certain emojis when online dating.
The Top 10 Emojis You Should Use When Online Dating
1. Blue Heart Emoji
? The blue heart emoji can be used to express love or excitement toward someone. It could also be used to show admiration, as well as show happiness or excitement about something going on. There are some people that use it to show excitement to particular things that are blue, such as the Smurfs, autism awareness month, the rain, or more. The blue heart is often positive, and anyone who sends you it is trying to show how much they admire you… However, make sure it isn’t a romance scammer admiring you!
2. Black Heart Emoji
? While the black heart emoji sometimes means to love and have affection for someone, it also has negative meanings associated with it. These negative meanings may be associated with showing morbidity or sorrow toward something. It could also be used to show dark humor when you are joking around with someone. This emoji has mixed meanings associated with it, so if you are ever unsure as to why someone is using a black heart just base it on what they are saying to you with the emoji. You could also ask them why they sent the emoji.
3. White Heart Emoji
? The white heart emoji is used to show love and affection toward someone. Therefore, if someone texts you a white heart on a dating app it usually means they like you and want to get to know you more. It is also commonly used to show sympathy when someone passes away. While there are some people that are truly trying to honor someone that passed away, there are also scammers who text it pretending to be widows. Make sure that the person who is texting it is who they really say they are.
4. The Eggplant Emoji
? If someone texts you this on an online dating app, then they are wanting you for their sexual desires. While this emoji is just technically an eggplant vegetable, there are many people who text this emoji to resemble a penis online. After receiving this emoji, if you would like to sext them back then do so safely. Make sure they are who they say they are online and be careful that you don’t fall for sextortion scams. Otherwise, if you are not willing to sext this person back, it might be a good idea to block them.
5. Purple Heart Emoji
? The purple heart is used to symbolize love and support as well as close bonds. If someone is texting you this on a dating app, then they must really like you! They are trying to show you how much they love and support you. They also think that you two have a close bond that will only grow stronger. This emoji is used to represent love for all things purple such as purple flowers, purple grapes, and even purple rain.
6. Yellow Heart Emoji
? While the yellow heart emoji does mean love, it is often used to show platonic love such as a friendship rather than a relationship. If someone on a dating app is texting you a yellow heart, it could possibly mean they are trying to friend zone you. However, I would ask them rather than assume that this is their intention, since this heart could also be used to show love in a romantic way too. This emoji is also used to express happiness about certain situations and used to show love to all things yellow such as the sun, yellow flowers, summer, and more.
7. The Winking Face Emoji
? This emoji is usually used to flirt with people on an online dating app. If someone is using this emoji while messaging you on a dating app, that must mean they find you to be cute and want to get to know you more. However, make sure you watch out for scammers. They will flirt with you and make you feel special just to get their hands on your money. This emoji could also be used to joke around or let you in on a secret.
8. Peach Emoji
? While this emoji is supposed to represent the peach fruit, it is also used to represent a butt in sexting conversations. Therefore, if anyone on a dating app is sending you the peach emoji, they are most likely trying to talk about your butt. If you would like to keep the conversation going after that, do so safely since many scammers will sext their victims in a sextortion scam. This means that they will try to blackmail their victims by claiming they will send your dirty pictures if you don’t send them money. If you choose not to sext them, block them to be safe.
9. Red Heart Emoji
❤️ If someone online sends you a red heart emoji, you’re in luck! This means that they either really want to flirt or are in love with you and want to express their feelings with this emoji. Either way, if someone uses this emoji within a conversation with you, this means that they are really into you and want to get to know you more. However, don’t let a scammer fool you with this emoji! Make sure they are who they say they are before flirting with them online.
10. Fire Emoji
? The fire emoji is used for many reasons depending on the conversation you are having with your online partner. Sometimes, it could be used to convey that something you are talking about is cool or awesome. Other times, it could be used to convey that you are sexy or hot if the person you are talking to is flirting with you. However, make sure that the person is who they say they are before they continue to flirt with you. Romance scammers are plaguing these apps and it is best to stay careful at all times.
How Do I Avoid Sending Emojis to Romance Scammers?
- Don’t give money to someone on the Internet that you’ve never met in person.
- Don’t give out your personal information to someone that you are talking to online.
- If someone is moving the relationship super fast, be cautious by slowing the relationship down.
- Don’t get too serious with someone without at least video chatting with them or meeting them in person first.
- If they have a job overseas, this is a huge red flag that they might be a romance scammer since they usually use this as an excuse to not see you or video chat with you.
- If someone is randomly contacting you out-of-the-blue on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter this usually means they are a romance scammer.
- Report any scam that you’ve been a part of to the FTC, IC3, and FBI.
Social Catfish is Here to Help You!
At Social Catfish, we want to help you verify the identities of those who might seem suspicious to you. If you have their name, email address, phone number, social media username, or image, you can reverse searchand see who the suspected person was that you’ve been in contact with if you are trying to figure out “what do these emojis mean?”
