U+1F9EB · emoji since 2018
The petri dish grows tiny cultures of cells or bacteria. It means lab work, biology, and science in the making.
Figuratively it marks a breeding ground, a small space where something new quietly grows and spreads.
In texting, 🧫 does not carry a widely used hidden or slang meaning, so you can usually take it at face value. People send it just as it looks, to add a little visual touch or set the mood of a message. Only a handful of emoji have a separate texting code, and 🧫 is not really one of them.
Its official Unicode name is the Petri Dish emoji. In everyday chat most people just call it the petri dish emoji or describe what it shows. Copy and paste it from the button at the top of this page.
The 🧫 leads off a short phrase, and the rest of the words are written in cipher, every letter disguised as another emoji. Tap decipher to reveal the whole line.
Or make your own cipher in the translator.