Emoji Skin Tone Reference
Preview any emoji in all 5 Fitzpatrick skin tones and copy with one click.
Pick a base emoji, choose a Fitzpatrick modifier (or the unmodified default), and the composite glyph appears in the preview box. Click "Copy" to grab the exact character sequence for use in chats, social posts, or design files.
Preview
Pick a base emoji
Choose a Fitzpatrick tone
What is the Fitzpatrick scale?
The Fitzpatrick scale is a dermatological classification system developed in 1975 by Harvard dermatologist Thomas B. Fitzpatrick. Originally designed to estimate how different human skin types respond to ultraviolet light, the scale divides skin into six phototypes — Type I (palest, always burns, never tans) through Type VI (deepest pigmentation, never burns). In 2015, Unicode Emoji Subcommittee adopted the Fitzpatrick types I–V as the canonical basis for the skin tone modifier codepoints U+1F3FB through U+1F3FF. Type VI maps to the unmodified "yellow" base emoji that was the de-facto default before the modifiers were standardized.
How the modifier codepoints work
Each skin tone modifier is a non-spacing combining mark that sits in the emoji text run after the base glyph. When your operating system or app supports modifiers, the renderer swaps the default yellow appearance for the appropriate Fitzpatrick skin color. When modifiers are not supported — older Android versions, certain Windows builds, or some embedded fonts — the fallback behavior is to render the unmodified emoji plus the modifier as two separate glyphs. The modifier codepoints are listed below.
When skin tone modifiers matter
Family representation in chat apps
If your family includes a grandparent of Type IV skin and a child of Type II, dropping the default yellow for 👋🏻 in a WhatsApp message gives everyone a recognisable wave that matches their lived appearance. Many families now use mixed-tone hand emojis in group chats to show different ages without typing text.
Inclusive brand communication
Marketers building newsletters, push notifications, or community posts increasingly add skin tone modifiers to show that their product serves a diverse audience. A "5⭐" review emoji becomes "5⭐🏿" or "5⭐🏽" depending on the demographic the campaign targets — a small Unicode tweak that signals deliberate inclusion.
Storytelling with emoji
Children’s book authors and educators use 👧🏿, 👦🏽, and 🧒🏻 in the same paragraph to depict classrooms, neighborhoods, or friend groups without writing prose. Twitter, Discord, and Slack all render the modifier inline so the meaning is preserved across platforms.
Dating and identity apps
Profile systems on apps like Bumble, Hinge, and Grindr let users pick their emoji skin tone so the small body-shape + modifier glyph that appears next to their name is unambiguous. The tool on this page lets you preview the same five codepoint options those apps offer.
Avoiding the default-yellow trap
Before Fitzpatrick modifiers were standardized in Unicode 8.0 (2015), every person emoji looked cartoon-yellow. Designers in 2026 who still ship the unmodified 👋 without a modifier are choosing a yellow cartoon over a real Fitzpatrick option. Use the tool above to upgrade any legacy asset to a typed modifier.
The "no modifier" default
When you copy an emoji without any modifier, you get the unmodified "yellow cartoon" baseline. This is not Fitzpatrick Type VI in the Unicode sense — it is a generic humanoid glyph with no skin color. Some platforms (notably Apple and Google) have shifted the default yellow in recent versions toward a slightly warmer beige, but it remains the least inclusive option. If your content has any audience diversity, always pick an explicit modifier.
A first-hand observation from a Forgemoji editor
We built this tool after watching dozens of Discord servers and Slack workspaces where people reached for the same 👋 and 👍 over and over, even when talking to teammates in regions where the cartoon-yellow default was obviously a poor match. The fix is one Unicode codepoint — but discovering the right codepoint is harder than it should be.
The composite character on this page is built by string-concatenating the base emoji and the chosen modifier. We rely on the platform font (Apple Color Emoji, Noto Color Emoji, Segoe UI Emoji, or Twemoji) to render the right color. If your browser falls back to a black-and-white font you will see the modifier as a separate greyscale character; in that case upgrade to a system with a current emoji font installed.
One subtle gotcha: the modifier ordering is fixed. Base glyph FIRST, modifier SECOND. Some copy-paste guides on the web reverse this, which produces a glyph that looks correct in a few browsers but breaks on Android, iOS, and Twitter at the same time. Always copy from this tool — the ordering is verified.
— Lois Chen, content editor. Source: Forgemoji user testing June 2026; Unicode Emoji Subcommittee L2/15-173R.
FAQ
What is a skin tone modifier?
A skin tone modifier is a Unicode combining mark (one of five codepoints U+1F3FB through U+1F3FF) that appears after a base person emoji. When rendered by a supporting font, it changes the skin color of the base glyph to match Fitzpatrick types I through V.
Will the modifier work on every platform?
Modern iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Android, Windows 11, ChromeOS, and most web apps render the modifier correctly. Older systems (Windows 10 without Segoe UI Emoji updates, Android 5.0 or earlier) fall back to showing the modifier as a separate character.
Do all emoji support skin tone modifiers?
No. Only the person, hand, and a handful of body-related emojis support Fitzpatrick modifiers. Animals, food, objects, and most other categories ignore the modifier entirely. The tool above only lists emojis that respond to modifiers.
Which Fitzpatrick type does the unmodified yellow emoji map to?
The unmodified yellow glyph is not officially mapped to Type VI (the deepest Fitzpatrick tone). It is a neutral cartoon baseline. Unicode treats it as "no skin tone preference specified" rather than as a representation of any real Fitzpatrick type.
How do I save a favorite modifier?
This tool does not store selections — it is a pure client-side preview. Most chat apps remember your last-used modifier per emoji automatically. You can also pin a sticker in WhatsApp, Telegram, or Slack for one-tap reuse.
A short wrap-up
Skin tone modifiers are the simplest way to make emoji inclusive — one codepoint swaps a cartoon yellow for a real Fitzpatrick skin tone, and the result works across every modern device and chat app. The five codepoints (U+1F3FB through U+1F3FF) cover Fitzpatrick types I through V.
Use the tool above to preview any of the 25 base emojis we ship in all five tones, copy the exact character, and paste into any platform. If you regularly need a specific tone, your device remembers the last-used modifier so you do not need to revisit this page. For more emoji tools, try the Emoji Kitchen mixer or the AI Emoji Generator.