The blunt "no" symbol: rejection, cancellation and the "wrong answer" buzzer of group chats
✖️ is the X mark people use to say no, wrong, cancelled or denied. Officially named Multiply (U+2716), it works as a hard veto in texts, a checklist "did not happen" marker, and a blunt rejection stamp.
✍️ Written & reviewed against real usage · verified Unicode 16.0Tap to copy · pastes in WhatsApp, Instagram, anywhere
These are the real emoji characters — tap one to copy it, then paste anywhere. Because they’re text, they show up as emoji wherever you send them.
✖️ carries one idea in almost every context: this is a no. It is the buzzer sound written down. In a text it kills a plan ("bowling tonight?" → "✖️"), in a list it marks the item that did not get done, in a debate reply it stamps a claim as false, and in a poll or ranking it flags the option somebody hates. Because it has no face and no words, it reads colder than typing "nope" — that flatness is exactly why people reach for it when they want the conversation to stop rather than continue. Note the naming quirk: Unicode calls this glyph Multiply (it started life as a math times sign), but almost nobody uses it that way in chat. The closely related square red cross mark is a separate character; ✖️ is the plain, standalone X stroke, and on several vendors it is drawn in a red or dark red tone, which is why it turns up in searches for "red X emoji." Treat it as punctuation, not decoration — one ✖️ ends a sentence emotionally as much as a period does.
A one-character rejection. Sent alone it answers a question with a flat no and signals the sender is done negotiating.
Marks the item that failed, got skipped or got cancelled — the counterpart to a check mark in habit trackers, itineraries and to-do posts.
Overlaid on the wrong way to do something, or spammed in comments to disagree with a take. Often paired with a check mark for do-this-not-that videos.
A denied, blocked or missed call — used for a whiffed shot, a rejected trade or a play someone thinks was garbage.
From a girl, ✖️ is usually a clean, unbothered no — she is declining the plan, the question or the person without spending a sentence on it. A single ✖️ with no words after it often means the topic is closed, not that she is furious; if she were angry you would normally get words too. In flirty back-and-forth it can be playful, as in "wrong answer, try again," especially next to a check mark or a laughing emoji. But if you asked something direct and got only ✖️ back, read it literally: take the no and move on, and do not send the same question rephrased.
It’s the same character everywhere — each platform just draws it in its own style. Here are three open emoji sets side by side, plus how your own device renders it:
| Platform | How it differs |
|---|---|
| Apple | A thick, slightly tapered X with rounded ends, drawn in a dark near-black tone on iOS and macOS. |
| Android shows a bold, evenly weighted dark X with squared strokes and no background shape. | |
| Samsung | Has historically drawn this glyph in a warm red, which is a big reason people file it under red X. |
| Renders a heavy standalone X, visually close to Apple's, with no square or circle behind it. | |
| Twitter and X | Twemoji shows a simple flat X with clipped stroke ends, and it can look almost identical to a plain letter x at small sizes. |
Apple, Samsung and WhatsApp draw their own proprietary versions, which we don’t redistribute — the notes above describe how they differ. Open sets shown under their licences: Twemoji (CC-BY 4.0), Noto Emoji (Apache 2.0), OpenMoji (CC BY-SA 4.0).
The red x emoji ✖️ is not always read the way you intend it. These three situations change what ✖️ signals, and knowing them keeps you from sending the wrong message.
Quick answers to what people ask most about the red x emoji ✖️ — what it means in a text, who tends to send it, and how to copy it onto your own keyboard.
It means no, wrong, or cancelled. Someone sending ✖️ is rejecting the idea, denying the request, or marking a statement as false, usually without adding any softening words.
No. They are separate Unicode characters. ✖️ is officially called Multiply (U+2716) and is a plain standalone X stroke, while the cross mark is a different codepoint drawn as a distinctly red X. In chat people use them interchangeably to mean no.
The character began as the typographic multiplication sign in printing and math typesetting, long before emoji existed. Unicode kept the original name when the glyph got an emoji presentation, even though modern chat use is almost entirely about saying no.
Usually a firm but calm no. She is declining without wanting a discussion. It can also be playful teasing for a wrong guess, especially alongside a check mark or laughing emoji, but on its own after a direct question it means the answer is final.
It labels the wrong way to do something, marks a myth as false, or shows disagreement in comments. Creators often pair it with a check mark so viewers instantly see the do and the do-not side by side.
Copy ✖️ directly, or type the shortcode :heavy_multiplication_x: in apps like Slack and Discord. On phone keyboards, searching x, cross or multiply in the emoji picker brings it up.
If ✖️ came up in a conversation, these are the emoji people most often look up next — each one explained the same way, with meanings you can actually use and characters you can copy.