🐀 rat Emoji — Meaning, Copy & Paste

What Does the rat Emoji 🐀 Mean?

Bigger than the mouse, with a longer body and that distinctive long tail — the rat emoji shows the whole animal in profile, looking a bit more imposing than its smaller cousin. Added in Unicode 6.0, it represents the first sign in the Chinese zodiac, which keeps it relevant during Lunar New Year celebrations every twelve years. People use it for pest discussions, pet rat content (yes, lots of people love pet rats), city life jokes (subway rats, pizza rat), and as slang for a snitch — 'don't be a rat.' It also has metaphorical uses in 'rat race' commentary.

Pair with cheese or city scenes for atmosphere, or use it solo for that Year of the Rat energy. Pizza Rat from the NYC subway in 2015 remains one of the most enduring rat memes online, and this emoji keeps that legacy alive. The Ratatouille Pixar movie also factors in for cooking and culinary jokes.