Play button emoji meaning

The play button emoji is a simple design of a right-facing triangle. It is widely recognized as a symbol for starting or playing audio, video, or other media content. This icon is universal in its meaning and is commonly associated with actions like beginning a task, moving forward, or continuing something that has been paused. Beyond its literal use, this emoji can also express excitement or readiness to start an activity or project. It is a versatile symbol that people use in both digital conversations and media platforms to indicate progress, action, or enthusiasm.

The play button emoji was approved in Unicode 1.1 and added in Emoji 1.0, see related proposal L2/09026