Emojis and their meaning

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Emoji Meaning: "E" stands for image (็ตต), "Moji" for character (ๆ–‡ๅญ—). Comes from Japan. Emojis use facial expressions, gestures, and objects to bring chat to life. Smiley Meaning: from the English "to smile". Pictorial representation of a face.

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What is the difference between emojis, emoticons and smileys?

We all know the funny yellow faces and use them almost every day. They make communication easier for us, replace entire words and make our chats or emails more colorful. But what is their correct name? Mostly, the terms emoji and emoticon are used interchangeably. However, there are differences between these terms.

What is an emoticon?

The English words โ€œemotionโ€ and โ€œiconโ€ form the term emoticon.
Short strings of symbols, letters or numbers are intended to represent facial expressions and postures. Emoticons can liven up the text and convey moods or emotional states.
:-D means laughing or a big grin. If surprised, we use :-O and <3 stands for the heart and feelings.

The archetype of the emoticon is the stick man face. In 1982, a misunderstood joke among physicists led to the question of how irony might be characterized in written communication. Scott Fohlman then suggested the combination :-) with an instruction to tilt oneโ€™s head to read it.

First Emoticons from 1881
Emoticons from 1881, "satirical magazine Puck"

What is a smiley?

The term of course comes from the English verb "to smile". The smiley is the graphic representation of a facial expression. In written communication, the person writing expresses that he or she is delighted or joking.

In the 1960s, commercial artist Harvey Ball drew a smiling face with a circle, two dots and a curved line. This is how the symbol of high spirits came about. However, he forgot to legally safeguard the sign and it quickly gained popularity. The originally yellow, smiling face became an expression of rave culture. There are now a multitude of additions and variations to express different feelings.

Harvey Ballโ€™s smiley
Harvey Ballโ€™s invention โ€“ the smiley

What is an emoji?

The step from the stick man face to the image took place in Japan. The term is composed of an "e" for image and "moji" for character. Inspired by the manga world, software engineer Shigetaka Kurita developed 176 emojis in the 1990s. He was working on a pager service for a Japanese mobile provider and thereby wanted to boost its marketing among young people.

Emojis are images or pictographs. Facial expressions and gestures are shown in the form of faces and people. Objects, food, activities, animals, plants, places and other associations can also be displayed. This allows for more expressive communication. Emoticons are now automatically converted into emojis in word processing programs or online services. To display emojis, the Unicode is converted into a graphic. Emojis have been available on our mobile phones since 2010.

In contrast to emoticons, emojis offer a larger variety of facial expressions. They also offer options for adaptation, such as hair color. The graphic no longer needs to be rotated by 90ยฐ. Emojis are very popular and are regularly used by 92% of Internet users.

In 2015, the great popularity of emojis led to the Oxford Dictionary choosing an emoji as the Word of the Year. Due to its overcoming of language barriers, the face with tears of joy ๐Ÿ˜‚ chosen as the most used emoji. On July 17, people celebrate the unofficial World Emoji Day.

Graphic representation of emoticons
Graphic representation of emoticons โ€“ emojis

Use and effect of emojis, emoticons and smileys

Communication with our counterpart is not just about the words pronounced. For we also communicate in a nonverbal way, that is, without using spoken language. This happens through our facial expressions, our gestures, our body language and the tone of our voice. We look to the side when we're embarrassed. Widen our eyes in surprise or raise our hands in alarm. Wrinkle our nose in disapproval or let our voice ooze with irony.

Our communication increasingly turns digital. We write emails and we chat on WhatsApp, Facebook or Snapchat. What we can express in words or in a nonverbal way in real life is accomplished by emojis with rather short texts in real-time communication. They add an emotional level to the text and can prevent misunderstandings. The majority of men and women say that they can express emotions better through emojis than through words.

In addition to the various facial expressions and gestures, there are also emojis that depict objects. These can help the other person to understand the counterpartโ€™s current situation.
A briefcase ๐Ÿ’ผ rather stands for the job, the soccer ball โšฝ for leisure and the palm tree ๐ŸŒด for vacation.

The number of emojis is also increasing. We can choose between hair colors ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿฆฐ ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿฆณ, with professional emojis between a male ๐Ÿ‘จโ€โš•๏ธ and a female ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€โš•๏ธ variant and with meals between Italian ๐Ÿ and Japanese ๐Ÿฃ.

The most used emojis

More than half of the emojis sent are faces, followed by loving or romantic emojis and the hand gestures. The majority of the emojis used worldwide are positive.

Top 5 most popular emoji categories worldwide:

  • 1. Happy faces (including wink ๐Ÿ˜‰, kisses ๐Ÿ˜˜, face with heart-shaped eyes ๐Ÿ˜, smirk ๐Ÿ˜€)
  • 2. Sad faces (including sad and angry emoji)
  • 3. Hearts (includes all colors and the broken heart emoji)
  • 4. Hand gestures (includes thumbs up, clapping hands, peace sign, etc.)
  • 5. Romantic (includes kiss imprint, love letter, couple kisses)

With positive emojis, the face with tears of joy ๐Ÿ˜‚ is by far the most popular, followed by the face sending a kiss ๐Ÿ˜˜, the smiling face with heart-shaped eyes ๐Ÿ˜ and the smiling face with smiling eyes ๐Ÿ˜Š.

The most commonly used negative emoji is the loudly crying face ๐Ÿ˜ญ, followed by the pensive face ๐Ÿ˜”, the scared stiff face ๐Ÿ˜ฑ and the displeased face ๐Ÿ˜’.

Possible misunderstandings in the use of emojis, emoticons and smileys

We usually keep it short in real-time communication. In written texts, misunderstandings happen more easily because of the lack of nonverbal communication. What was meant ironically might be taken seriously. A joke or a wordplay is not taken in or is misunderstood. You get your wires crossed. But the pitfalls are not only in communication.

It wasnโ€™t meant that way at all!

In texts, emojis complement nonverbal communication. We use the smiley laughing tears when we make fun of something. The winking emoji takes the edge off a statement. We blush because of a compliment. With this, we try to reduce misunderstandings arising from the interpretation of a message.

The meaning of emojis offers many possibilities of interpretation. Some are easy to realize, others difficult to interpret if you do not know the original meaning. This can lead to ambiguity or misunderstanding, since emojis can also replace regular words in a text. Excessive use of emojis can also lead to confusion with your counterpart.

The possibilities of expression also depend on the emojis available. If the right emoji is missing, you have to improvise. Sometimes emojis are even hijacked and used completely differently than the creator had intended. For example, instead of using them in conjunction with a garden or nutrition, a zucchini or an eggplant are introduced as a phallus symbol without further ado.

Cultural differences in emoji meanings

Emojis offer a lot of room for interpretation and can be construed in different ways. Because of the many different cultures, the scope for interpretation is even increasing. Because the meaning of the funny faces and gestures is not the same throughout the world. In western countries, the sign for everythingโ€™s under control ๐Ÿ‘Œ means that everything is OK. In Japan, this gesture is used to represent money.

The face with steam coming from its nose ๐Ÿ˜ค is used by Europeans and Americans to express anger or rage. In Japan, on the other hand, it stands for triumph.

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All comments: 6

  • What does this mean? ๐Ÿ‘€๐Ÿ’™โฌ†๏ธ

    The combination of these emojis can be interpreted as "Looking at love going up." The Eyes ๐Ÿ‘€ emoji suggests watching or looking, the Blue Heart ๐Ÿ’™ emoji represents love or affection, and the Up Arrow โฌ†๏ธ emoji indicates an upward direction or increase. Together, they could imply observing a rise in love or affection, or simply looking at something related to love that is moving upwards.

  • What does the emoji of a person wearing a bowler hat with a blue ring on their shoulder represent?

    The emoji of a person wearing a bowler hat with a blue ring on their shoulder is the Detective emoji ๐Ÿ•ต๏ธโ€โ™‚๏ธ. Represents someone investigating or solving mysteries, often used in contexts related to sleuthing, secretive activities, or simply when someone is being curious or nosy. The bowler hat and magnifying glass are classic detective symbols, adding a playful touch to messages about investigation or discovery.

  • What does the ๐Ÿ‘ emoji mean when it changes from a closed fist to a thumbs up?

    The Thumbs Up ๐Ÿ‘ emoji is a symbol of approval or agreement. Represents a transition from neutrality or readiness to a positive affirmation or endorsement when it changes from a closed fist ๐Ÿ‘Š๏ธ to a thumbs up. Often used in conversations to show support, agreement, or that something is good or satisfactory. ๐Ÿ‘Š๏ธ๐Ÿ‘

  • What does the emoji with green stuff coming out of its mouth represent?

    Feeling queasy or disgusted? The Face Vomiting ๐Ÿคฎ emoji perfectly captures that sensation. Often used to express physical illness, extreme dislike, or disgust, this emoji shows a face spewing green liquid, indicating someone might be feeling really sick or grossed out. Ideal for those moments when words just can't convey how turned off you are by something.

  • In which country cannot this symbol ๐Ÿ‘Œ be shown?

    While the hand sign๐Ÿ‘Œ is generally considered positive in many cultures, it may be interpreted as offensive or inappropriate in some countries, such as Brazil and Turkey. It's important to be aware of cultural differences when using hand gestures.

  • What does the male fairy indicate?

    The ๐Ÿงšโ€โ™‚๏ธ male fairy emoji typically represents fantasy, magic and mythical creatures. It can also symbolize creativity, imagination, and sometimes a sense of freedom or whimsy. In some contexts, it is used to represent someone who embraces a magical or otherworldly persona.