microbe

microbe meaning

A green blob with cilia — a generic microbe. It represents bacteria, viruses and germs, and its use rose dramatically during the pandemic, when it became the default emoji for talking about infection. It also appears in science, hygiene and health contexts.

Meaning

A green blob with cilia — a generic microbe. It represents bacteria, viruses and germs, and its use rose dramatically during the pandemic, when it became the default emoji for talking about infection. It also appears in science, hygiene and health contexts. It is deliberately vague: it is not any specific organism, which is what makes it useful.

How to use it

• Wash your hands, properly 🦠
• The whole household has come down with something 🦠
• Gut bacteria do more than we ever realised 🦠

How it looks

🦠

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Google Noto Color Emoji — SIL OFL 1.1 (font) / Apache 2.0 (code).

PNG SVG

Twemoji by Twitter/X contributors — CC-BY-4.0 (jdecked/twemoji).

PNG SVG

OpenMoji by the HfG Karlsruhe — CC-BY-SA-4.0.

PNG SVG

Blobmoji — Apache-2.0 (derivative of Noto).

Emoji look different on Apple, Google, Samsung, and other platforms.

Related emoji

• 🦟
• 🪱
• 🪰
• 🦂
• 🕸️
• 🕷️
• 🪳
• 🦗

This emoji in other languages

Available in 100 languages

Technical details

Codepoints

U+1F9A0

Emoji version

11

Shortcodes

:microbe:

Category

Animals & Nature

FAQ

What does the microbe emoji (🦠) mean?

A green blob with cilia — a generic microbe. It represents bacteria, viruses and germs, and its use rose dramatically during the pandemic, when it became the default emoji for talking about infection. It also appears in science, hygiene and health contexts.

How do you type the microbe emoji?

Copy the microbe emoji 🦠 directly from this page and paste it anywhere — messages, social media, documents, or code. On mobile, long-press to copy.

What category is the microbe emoji in?

The microbe emoji belongs to the Animals & Nature category.