聞かざる

The hear no evil monkey, called Kikazaru (Japanese for “hear not”), one of the Three Wise Monkeys. Depicted as the brown 🐵 Monkey Face with hands covering its ears.

The Three Wise Monkeys represent the proverb see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, frequently interpreted as a call for discretion or willful ignorance.

Often used as a playful way to convey I can’t believe what I’m hearing! or, more generally, to express astonishment or disbelief.

See also 🙈 See-No-Evil Monkey and 🙊 Speak-No-Evil Monkey.

This emoji is considered racist in some contexts, particularly when used to disparage, insult, and abuse people with dark skin, especially Black people.