o7

Twitch Emote - Meaning & Origin

What does o7 mean?

The o7 emote represents a salute, where the 'o' symbolizes a person's head and the '7' represents an arm raised in a saluting position. The image shows a yellow emoji face with a hand raised to its forehead in a saluting gesture, which is a visual representation of the text-based o7 emoticon.

This emote is used to show respect, appreciation, or acknowledgment toward streamers or other chat participants. It functions as a digital salute that conveys admiration or recognition.

Origin

The o7 emoticon predates its use as a Twitch emote, originating from early internet forums and gaming communities in the mid-2000s. It gained particular popularity in sci-fi games like Elite Dangerous and Star Citizen, where players often adopt military or naval roles.

The earliest documented use of o7 as a saluting emoticon appears in an Urban Dictionary entry from April 30, 2007, confirming its established presence by that time. The emoticon was later adopted into Twitch culture as its popularity grew across online communities.

The specific 3D yellow emoji version shown in the image is a more recent visual interpretation of the original text-based emoticon, likely created for use on platforms like 7TV, BTTV, or FFZ that allow custom emotes.

When to use o7

The o7 emote is commonly used in Twitch chat in several contexts:

Showing respect or admiration: When a streamer accomplishes something impressive or demonstrates skill
Greeting or farewell: As a way to say hello when entering a stream or goodbye when leaving
Acknowledging achievements: When someone completes a difficult challenge or reaches a milestone
Following commands or instructions: In gaming communities, particularly those with military themes, to acknowledge orders or show camaraderie
During patriotic or military moments: When national anthems play or during military-themed content

Frequently asked questions about o7

o7 is a text-based salute emote. The 'o' is the head, the '7' is the raised arm. It means respect, goodbye, or a military-style salute. Streamers and viewers use it to honor an impressive play, say farewell, or acknowledge something worth saluting.

In text messages and chat, o7 is pure ASCII art of a salute: 'o' for the head, '7' for the arm bent at the elbow. It translates to 'salute', 'respect', or 'farewell' - used the same way you'd say 'o7, legend' instead of 'goodbye, legend'.

Gamers adopted o7 from military sim communities (EVE Online was a major source). On Twitch, it's shorthand for saluting a streamer's skill, marking a respectful moment (like someone passing away in-game or IRL), or signing off at the end of a stream.

They mean the same thing - it's ASCII art of a person saluting. 'o7' uses a lowercase 'o' for the head; '07' uses a zero. Both spellings show up in chat; o7 is slightly more common because the lowercase letter reads more like a round head.

o7 is technically just text (ASCII art), but it's also available as a proper emote on BetterTTV (BTTV) and 7TV showing a person saluting. Most Twitch chats will render it as either text or the BTTV/7TV animated emote depending on the viewer's extensions.