A single character that looks like two things joined, and is not

Split down the middle by a jagged line, this is one of the oldest visual metaphors in the emoji set — a heart drawn as if it had physically cracked in two. The convention long predates computers; broken hearts appear on Victorian valentines and in medieval love poetry, always trading on the same conceit that grief is felt somewhere behind the ribs.

In practice its register has drifted. Sent sincerely, it marks heartbreak, a death, a loss, a disappointment that genuinely stung. But a good share of its use is knowingly theatrical: a friend cancelling plans, a sold-out show, a dog that won't come when called. The melodrama is the joke, and the reader is trusted to tell earnest from arch by context alone.

It pairs and contrasts naturally with the other hearts. Where the red heart affirms, this one withdraws; people sometimes send it in place of words when a situation feels too heavy for them, letting the single cracked image carry what a sentence would fumble. Worth knowing: it's a distinct character, not the red heart with something added, so search and autocomplete treat "broken heart" as its own idea rather than a variant of love.