brick

What does brick mean?

The 🧱 emoji depicts a classic red brick or a section of a red brick wall held together by gray mortar. At its most literal, it represents construction, architecture, building materials, and masonry. You will frequently see it used by contractors, architects, or anyone tackling a weekend DIY home renovation project to signal hard work and physical labor. In digital communication, this emoji is widely used in metaphorical contexts. It often symbolizes building a solid foundation, whether that relates to a new relationship, a business venture, or personal growth. Conversely, it acts as a visual representation of a barrier or an obstacle, such as hitting a figurative "brick wall" when progress stalls, or setting firm personal boundaries to keep unwanted drama out.

Slang & Modern Usage

The 🧱 emoji carries a few highly specific slang meanings depending on where you are. In New York City and surrounding East Coast areas, "brick" is slang for extremely cold weather ("It's brick outside"). During the winter months, you'll constantly see the 🧱 emoji paired with the πŸ₯Ά (cold face) emoji on platforms like Twitter and TikTok. In the sports world, specifically basketball, dropping a "brick" means shooting a terrible shot that clanks awkwardly off the rim or backboard. Fans frequently flood social media comments with 🧱 emojis to mock a player who is missing easy shots. Across the pond, UK internet users might use it to reference "bricking it," a slang term for feeling intense fear or anxiety about an upcoming event.

Emoji Combos

Platform Differences

Across most platforms, this emoji depicts a rectangular section of a red brick wall. The primary difference is the number of visible bricksβ€”Apple shows a more detailed, curved wall segment, while Google and Samsung display a flatter, smaller block of bricks.

Technical Information

Unicode U+1F9F1
HTML Entity 🧱
CSS \1F9F1
JavaScript \u{1F9F1}
Unicode Version Unicode 11
Status Fully-qualified

Shortcodes

github

:bricks:

discord

:bricks: :brick:

slack

:bricks:

Related Emojis

🏟️ stadium πŸ›οΈ classical building πŸ—οΈ building construction πŸͺ¨ rock πŸͺ΅ wood πŸ›– hut 🏘️ houses 🏚️ derelict house

Tags

Construction Architecture DIY Foundation Obstacle Boundaries Stubborn ignore Tech Slang Sports Fail argot-de-internet construcao tecnologia

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the 🧱 brick emoji mean?
The 🧱 emoji represents literal bricks, construction, and building projects. Metaphorically, it stands for laying a solid foundation, creating firm personal boundaries, or facing a tough obstacle like a "brick wall."
What does the 🧱 emoji mean in NYC slang?
In New York City slang, "brick" means extremely cold weather. It is very common to see the 🧱 emoji used alongside the πŸ₯Ά (cold face) emoji to say "it's freezing outside."
Why do people use the 🧱 emoji in sports?
In basketball, a "brick" is a slang term for a very poor shot that bounces hard off the backboard or rim. Fans use the 🧱 emoji online to troll or mock players who are having a bad shooting night.
What does "talking to a 🧱" mean?
Using the πŸ—£οΈ and 🧱 emojis together represents the idiom "talking to a brick wall." It means someone is trying to communicate with a person who is completely ignoring them or refusing to listen.