The broken heart emoji means emotional pain. It can represent heartbreak after a breakup, sadness after loss, disappointment, sympathy, or a feeling that something hurt deeply.
💔
How people use it
People use it for romantic pain, friendship problems, grief, missed opportunities, upsetting news, or dramatic sadness over something smaller.
Broken heart emoji versus </3
The text emoticon </3 also means broken heart. It is a typed version from older chat style, while the emoji is the visual version.
For general sadness, the sad face or loudly crying face may fit better.