Frequently Asked Questions

An emoji is a small digital icon or pictograph used to express emotions, ideas, or objects in electronic communication. Emojis became popular due to their ability to add emotional nuance and visual appeal to text-based communication, making interactions more engaging and clear.

The word "emoji" comes from Japanese: "e" (絵, picture) + "moji" (文字, character). Emojis were first created in 1999 by Shigetaka Kurita in Japan for NTT Docomo's mobile platform. The original set included 176 12×12 pixel images covering weather, technology, and emotions.

As of 2024, there are over 3,600 emojis in the Unicode Standard, including all variations and skin tone modifiers. The Unicode Consortium continues to add new emojis annually, with recent additions including melting face 🫠, pregnant man 🫃, and various hand gestures.

Emojis are pictographic symbols (😊, 🚀, 🍕), whereas emoticons are textual representations of facial expressions created using keyboard characters, such as :) or :D. Emojis offer a richer and more varied form of expression.

Yes, emoji meanings can vary significantly between cultures. For example, the 🙏 folded hands emoji is interpreted as prayer in Western cultures but as "thank you" or "please" in Japan. The 💩 pile of poo emoji is considered cute and lucky in Japan but potentially offensive in other cultures.

You can easily find emojis by typing the emoji name or relevant keywords into the search bar at the top of any page on our website. For example, typing "smile" will show emojis such as 😀 Grinning Face and 😄 Smiling Face with Open Mouth.

To copy an emoji, click on the desired emoji page, then click the "Copy" button provided. Paste the emoji into your text by pressing Ctrl+V (Windows) or Cmd+V (Mac). You can also use keyboard shortcuts like Windows Key + Period (.) on Windows 10/11 or Control + Command + Space on Mac.

On Windows 10 and 11, press Windows Key + Period (.) or Windows Key + Semicolon (;) to open the emoji picker. You can also right-click in text fields and select "Emoji" from the context menu. For frequently used emojis, you can create custom keyboard shortcuts in your system settings.

On iPhone and iPad, tap the smiley face icon on your keyboard to access emojis. If you don't see it, go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard and select "Emoji". You can also use text replacement in Settings to create shortcuts for your favorite emojis.

On Android devices, tap the emoji icon on your keyboard (usually a smiley face) or long-press the Enter key. Different keyboards like Gboard, SwiftKey, or Samsung Keyboard may have slightly different methods. You can also use voice typing and say "emoji" followed by the emoji name.

We track global usage and list them on our Most Popular page. Click "See All" to browse the full ranked list. The top emojis include 😂 Face with Tears of Joy, ❤️ Red Heart, 🤣 Rolling on the Floor Laughing, and 👍 Thumbs Up.

You can find detailed explanations of emoji meanings, history, cultural significance, and common usage examples on individual emoji pages on our site, such as the 😍 Smiling Face With Heart-Shaped Eyes emoji or 🌟 Glowing Star emoji.

Common flirting emojis include 😘 Face Blowing a Kiss, 😍 Smiling Face with Heart-Eyes, 🥰 Smiling Face with Hearts, 💕 Two Hearts, 💖 Sparkling Heart, 😏 Smirking Face, and 🔥 Fire. The context and relationship between people determines the romantic interpretation.

Sad emojis include 😢 Crying Face, 😭 Loudly Crying Face, 😞 Disappointed Face, 😔 Pensive Face, 💔 Broken Heart, 😿 Crying Cat, and 🥺 Pleading Face. Each conveys different levels of sadness, from mild disappointment to intense grief.

Angry emojis include 😠 Angry Face, 😡 Pouting Face, 🤬 Face with Symbols on Mouth, 😤 Face with Steam from Nose, 👿 Angry Face with Horns, 💢 Anger Symbol, and 🔥 Fire (when used in context). Choose based on the intensity of anger you want to convey.

Yes, emojis can vary in appearance across devices and platforms such as Android, iOS, Windows, and social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook. However, the emoji meaning usually remains consistent. This is because each platform designs its own emoji set while following Unicode standards.

Unicode is a universal character encoding standard maintained by the Unicode Consortium. It assigns unique codes (codepoints) to every character, including emojis, enabling consistent display across different platforms and devices worldwide. For example, 😀 has the Unicode codepoint U+1F600.

Emoji shortcodes are short textual representations used to easily insert emojis into text, like :heart: for ❤️. Simply type the shortcode in supported applications like Discord, Slack, GitHub, or WordPress, and it will automatically convert into the respective emoji.

Emoji skin tone modifiers use Unicode's Fitzpatrick Scale (Types 1-6) to represent different skin tones. When you combine a person emoji with a skin tone modifier, it creates a new emoji. For example, 👋 + 🏽 = 👋🏽. Not all emojis support skin tone modifiers, mainly those depicting people and body parts.

Emojis may not display correctly due to outdated operating systems, missing font support, or using newer emojis on older devices. Each platform updates emoji support with system updates. If you see empty boxes or question marks, try updating your device or using a different platform.

ZWJ sequences combine multiple emojis using invisible "zero width joiner" characters to create new emojis. For example, family emojis like 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 are made by combining individual person emojis with ZWJ characters. This allows for complex emoji combinations like professions, families, and couples.

Absolutely. When browsing Smileys & Emotion or People & Body, you can filter by skin tone using the filter in the top bar. We support all six Fitzpatrick skin tone types for applicable emojis.

Yes! We organize emojis into standard Unicode categories: Smileys & Emotion, People & Body, Animals & Nature, Food & Drink, Travel & Places, Activities, Objects, Symbols, and Flags. Use the category navigation or visit specific category pages to browse emojis by type.

Yes! We offer several emoji games including Emoji Guessing Game, Memory Match, Memory Challenge, and Flag Guessing. These games help you learn emoji meanings while having fun. We also provide emoji statistics and trending data.

Visit our Statistics page to see comprehensive emoji usage data, platform-specific trends, and interesting facts about emoji usage worldwide. We track popular emojis across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and general Unicode usage.

Emojis significantly boost engagement and readability in digital marketing campaigns and social media posts. They catch attention, add emotional context, and make posts visually appealing, increasing user interactions and shares by up to 48%. Use them strategically in headlines, captions, and call-to-actions.

Yes, using emojis strategically can enhance your content's visibility on search engines by improving click-through rates (CTR). Include relevant emojis naturally in titles, meta descriptions, and content to attract user attention without overusing them. Avoid using emojis in URLs or as primary content.

Effective email marketing emojis include 🎉 Party Popper (celebrations), 🔥 Fire (urgency), ⚡ Lightning (speed), 💰 Money Bag (deals), 🎁 Gift (offers), and ✨ Sparkles (new items). Test different emojis with your audience and avoid overuse. Some email clients may not display all emojis correctly.

Emoji performance varies by platform: Instagram posts with emojis get 47% more engagement, Twitter posts with emojis receive 25% more engagement, and Facebook posts see 57% more likes. LinkedIn is more conservative - use emojis sparingly in professional contexts. Each platform has different emoji rendering styles.

Yes, the Unicode Consortium releases new emojis annually, typically in March. Our website regularly updates the emoji library. Subscribe to our newsletter or follow our blog to stay informed about new emojis and emoji updates. Recent additions include 🫠 Melting Face and 🫶 Heart Hands.

Unicode 15.0 (2022) added 31 new emojis including 🫨 Shaking Face, 🩷 Pink Heart, 🩵 Light Blue Heart, and 🫷 Leftwards Pushing Hand. Unicode 15.1 (2023) added 🐦‍⬛ Black Bird, 🪿 Goose, 🫎 Moose, and 🪼 Jellyfish. These emojis gradually appear on devices as platforms update their emoji sets.

After Unicode approval, it typically takes 6-18 months for new emojis to appear on devices. Apple usually updates emojis with iOS updates, Google with Android updates, and Microsoft with Windows updates. Social media platforms and messaging apps may implement new emojis faster than operating systems.

Emojis can be accessible to visually impaired users through screen readers, which describe the emoji's textual alternative. Ensure to include appropriate descriptions and alt text when using emojis on web content to enhance accessibility. Some screen readers announce emoji names, while others may skip them entirely.

Screen readers typically announce emoji names (e.g., "face with tears of joy" for 😂), but behavior varies by software and settings. Users can often configure emoji verbosity. When using emojis in content, consider that excessive emojis can be disruptive to screen reader users. Provide context and don't rely solely on emojis to convey meaning.

Diversity emojis include various skin tones (🏻🏼🏽🏾🏿), gender options (👨👩🧑), disability representation (🦽🦼🦯), diverse families (👨‍👩‍👧‍👦👨‍👨‍👦‍👦👩‍👩‍👧‍👧), and LGBTQ+ symbols (🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️). These emojis help ensure everyone can see themselves represented in digital communication.

Head over to our Contact page, select "Report a Bug" or "Feature Request" in the Subject dropdown, and hit Send Message. We typically respond within 24 hours. Include screenshots and device information for bug reports.

If you can't find an emoji, try different search terms or browse by category. Some emojis have multiple names or may be in unexpected categories. If the emoji doesn't exist in Unicode, it may be a platform-specific sticker or custom emoji. Check our complete emoji list for all available emojis.

To propose a new emoji to Unicode, you must submit a detailed proposal to the Unicode Consortium following their emoji proposal guidelines. The process requires evidence of expected usage, distinctiveness, and broad appeal. Most proposals take 2-3 years to be approved and implemented.

The most popular emoji is 😂 Face with Tears of Joy, commonly used to express laughter, amusement, or happiness in digital conversations. It accounts for over 5% of all emoji usage worldwide and was named Oxford Dictionary's Word of the Year in 2015.

While officially representing the vegetable eggplant, the 🍆 emoji is commonly used as innuendo due to its phallic shape. It's often paired with 🍑 peach emoji in suggestive contexts. In cooking and food contexts, it maintains its literal meaning. Context is crucial for interpretation.

The 🤡 clown face emoji can mean playfulness and humor, but in internet culture, it's often used to call someone foolish or to indicate self-deprecating humor ("I'm a clown for thinking that"). It's also used in "clown world" memes to express frustration with absurd situations.

Different heart emojis convey various emotions: ❤️ Red Heart (love), 💛 Yellow Heart (friendship), 💚 Green Heart (nature/jealousy), 💙 Blue Heart (trust), 💜 Purple Heart (compassion), 🖤 Black Heart (dark humor), 🤍 White Heart (purity), 💔 Broken Heart (sadness), and 💕 Two Hearts (love/affection).

The 💀 skull emoji in texting typically means "I'm dead" (from laughing), extreme amusement, or being overwhelmed. It's often used instead of 😂 to express that something is hilariously funny. In some contexts, it can indicate actual death, danger, or Gothic themes, but the humorous usage is most common.

The 🚩 red flag emoji represents warning signs or deal-breakers in relationships and dating. It's used to point out problematic behavior, toxic traits, or concerning situations. Multiple red flag emojis (🚩🚩🚩) emphasize serious warnings. It's become popular in social media discussions about relationship advice.