01 · Properly ill
Face with Thermometer
A face with a thermometer in its mouth. It means fever or genuine illness and is the clearest way to say you are off sick.
Off today, running a temperature 🤒
Emoji for feeling sick
The best sick emoji
The set has a face for most kinds of unwell. 🤒 is a fever, 🤧 is a cold, 🤢 is nausea, and 😷 has drifted towards caution. Picking the right one says what is wrong without a list of symptoms, and there are separate choices for wishing someone else better.
🤒 🤧 😷 🤢 💐 🤗
Quick answer
Which emoji should you use?
Use 🤒 for being properly ill, 🤧 for a cold or allergies and 🤢 for feeling queasy. 😷 now often means caution. To wish someone well, send 💐 or 🤗 with a get-well message.
Top picks
6 emoji for feeling sick
02 · A cold or allergies
Sneezing Face
A face sneezing into a tissue. It is lighter than 🤒 and fits colds, flu and hay fever.
Full cold, staying in 🤧
03 · Unwell, or being careful
Face with Medical Mask
A face wearing a surgical mask. It once meant sick; since 2020 it just as often means caution, so add words if you mean you are ill.
Mask on for the train, still coughing 😷
04 · Feeling queasy
Nauseated Face
A green face holding back nausea. It covers stomach bugs and travel sickness, and it doubles as disgust, so context matters.
Ferry was rough 🤢
05 · Get well soon
Bouquet
A bundle of flowers. It is the classic get-well gesture in emoji form and suits friends, family and colleagues alike.
Get well soon, the office is quiet without you 💐
06 · Sympathy, lightly
Hugging Face
A smiling face with open hands. It sends warmth to someone who is ill without making the message heavy.
Rest up and feel better 🤗
At a glance
Compare sick emoji
The same message can feel quiet, affectionate, playful or intense depending on the symbol. Use this quick comparison before you copy one.
| Emoji | Name | Best for | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🤒 | Face with Thermometer | Properly ill | Off today, running a temperature 🤒 |
| 🤧 | Sneezing Face | A cold or allergies | Full cold, staying in 🤧 |
| 😷 | Face with Medical Mask | Unwell, or being careful | Mask on for the train, still coughing 😷 |
| 🤢 | Nauseated Face | Feeling queasy | Ferry was rough 🤢 |
| 💐 | Bouquet | Get well soon | Get well soon, the office is quiet without you 💐 |
| 🤗 | Hugging Face | Sympathy, lightly | Rest up and feel better 🤗 |
Ready to send
Message ideas to copy
Calling in sick today, sorry 🤒
Hay fever season has officially started 🤧
Hope you feel better soon, let me know if you need anything 💐
Turn up the tone
Emoji combinations for feeling sick
These suggested combinations are creative examples, not fixed emoji meanings. Copy one and add the details your reader needs.
🤒🛌
Off sick today
Staying home ill. Add a line about when you expect to be back.
💐🤗
Get well soon
Flowers and a warm hug for someone who is unwell.
🤧🌸
Hay fever
Sneezing, with blossom as the obvious culprit.
Tone check
Match the emoji to the moment
Match the illness
🤧 for a cold, 🤒 for a fever, 🤢 for your stomach. The right face saves a description nobody wants to read.
😷 is ambiguous now
Since 2020 the mask often means being careful. If you mean you are ill, 🤒 or a sentence is clearer.
For someone else
Send 💐 or 🤗 to someone who is unwell. Their illness faces belong in their messages, not in your reply.
Make it land
How to write the message
Say it in words first
Write the part you need the reader to understand even if the emoji fails to render. This matters most in emotional, professional and unfamiliar conversations.
Choose the emotional volume
Start with 🤒 for properly ill, or choose 🤗 when sympathy, lightly fits better.
Read it once without context
Check whether a stranger could mistake the reaction for sarcasm, romance or a joke. Add one clarifying phrase when the relationship alone does not explain the tone.
Where you send it
Texts, work chats and public posts
Texts and DMs
Familiar conversations can carry more nuance. Match the emoji the other person already uses, and let your shared history do some of the work.
Work and group chats
Choose the clearest, least ambiguous option and place it after a complete sentence. One emoji usually gives enough tone without distracting from the information.
Captions and comments
Public posts have less relationship context, so readers may interpret a symbol more broadly. Use the caption to establish who or what the reaction is about.
Avoid a mixed signal
One thing to watch for
Let the words carry the meaning
For serious illness, an emoji can feel too light. A cold can take 🤧; a hospital stay deserves a proper message, and the emoji can wait.
Emoji artwork also changes between Apple, Google, Samsung and other platforms. Small differences in the eyes, mouth, colour or gesture can shift the emotional reading, so a symbol that looks gentle on your phone may look stronger on someone else’s device.
Common questions
About sick emoji
What is the sick emoji?
🤒, the face with a thermometer, is the clearest sick emoji. 🤧 is for colds and allergies, 🤢 for nausea, and 😷 for masks and caution.
What emoji means get well soon?
💐 and 🤗 are the usual choices: flowers for a get-well gesture, a hug for warmth. Pair either with the words, since the emoji alone can look like a reaction to something else.
Does 😷 mean sick?
It used to mean mainly that. Since 2020 it is used as often for being careful, wearing a mask or avoiding crowds, so 🤒 is the safer choice when you mean you are ill.
Keep choosing
Related emoji guides
Sympathy emojiUse 🤍 for gentle remembrance, 🕯️ for mourning or memorials, 💙 for steady support, and 🫶 to send personal care. Always include a few sincere words.Read guideSupport emojiUse 🫶 to send care, 🤗 for a virtual hug, 💙 for steady solidarity, and 💪 when you want to encourage strength and persistence.Read guideSleepy and tired emojiUse 😴 for asleep or going to sleep, 😪 for drowsy, 🥱 for a yawn, and 😫 for exhausted. 💤 is sleep without a face, and 🌙 is a gentle way to say you are off to bed.Read guide
Emoji can render differently across devices and their meaning changes with culture, relationship and context. When the message matters, let clear words lead.