The Real Meaning Behind the Most Popular Emojis - Reader's ...

Emoji meanings can be incredibly confusing. Is he crying from laughter, or just crying? Learn how to decode emoji with our handy guide. ShareSaveSavedShareonFacebookSaveonPinterestTweetthisEmailNextSkiptomaincontentMENUTheHealthyFoodHomeHumorKnowledgeHolidaysVideosSubscribeSearchtermsSearchformsubmitbuttonToggleSearchSignUpForOurNewslettersSignUpforOurNewslettersRD.COMTechPersonalTechTheRealMeaningBehindtheMostPopularEmojisChloëNannestadUpdated:Jul.02,2021picturealliance/GettyImagesEmojimeaningscanbeincrediblyconfusing.Ishecryingfromlaughter,orjustcrying?Learnhowtodecodeemojiwithourhandyguide.EmojimeaningscanbeconfusingEvenifyou’renotaregulartexter,you’redefinitelyfamiliarwithemoji(that’sright,thepluralisthesameasthesingular):theyappearinadvertising,incaptions,andinvideos.In2015,OxfordDictionariesevendeclaredanemojitobethewordoftheyear:“facewithtearsofjoy,”otherwiseknownas“cryinglaughing.”Thehistoryofemojigoesbackfurtherthanyoumightthink,andwithover60percentofpeopleover35consideringthemselves“frequent”emojiusers,there’snodoubtthatemojiareheretostay.However,foralltheemojiflyingaroundinourtextsandcaptions,there’snotawholelotofconsensusonthoseemojimeanings.A2016studyillustratedthehugemisunderstandingsthatcanhappenwhenpeopleuseemoji:Fromthemeaningtotheemotion,misinterpretationsareextremelycommon.Thisconfusiononlyaddstothechallengewhenitcomestoemojiriddles.AllemojiaremadewithUnicode,buttheyalllookdifferentondifferentplatforms,fromAppleandAndroidtoFacebookandTwitter.Mostoftheconfusioninunderstandingseemstoarisewiththefaceemoji,whichmakessense;eveninreallife,oneperson’sjoyfulsmileisanotherperson’ssarcasticsmirk.Similarly,theemojiwhichappearstobegrimacingonAppledevicesisgrinningonAndroidones! However,thereissomegeneralconsensusastotheuseandmeaningofmostemoji,someofitbasedontheJapanesecreators’intent,andsomeonthewaytheyhavecometobeinterpretedandusedhereintheWest.Besuretobookmarkthishandychart,becauseitcouldhelptopreventsomeseriouscommunicationerrors!RELATED:TheOnlyKeyboardShortcutsListYou’llEverNeedWhatdoemojisymbolsmean?FromconfusingfacestomysterioussymbolsEmojiMeaningWhenToUseIt 😂Thisemojiissometimesmistakenforsobbing,buttheactualemojimeaningislaughter—laughingsohardyoucry,thatis.Whenyourcat,kid,orspousedoesorsayssomethinghilarious.🙃Theupside-downsmilingfacecanbeusedtomeansillinessorplayfulness,butitsbestuseisforathingthat’softenreallyhardtoconveyovertext:Sarcasm!You’resmiling,butyou’renotreallysmiling,youknow?Yourfriendasksyoutopickthemupfromtheairport,andyousay“Sure!”beforetheytellyoutheygetinat5a.m.😌Thisiscalled“relievedface,”butwe’vealwaysthoughtit’smoreofaquiet,modestcontentment.Someoneletsyouknowtheyreallylikethegiftyousentthem.😅SmilingfacewithsweatisperfectforthosetimesyouthinksomethingwillturnoutOK,butyou’restillalittlenervousaboutit.Likethatbigpresentation.It’sgoingtobefine.Whentheforecastforthesurprisebirthdaypicnicyou’replanningswitchesto“chanceofrain”thedaybefore.😏Thesmirkingfaceemojicanalsoindicatesarcasm,butbecarefulwithitsusage:Thisemojiisoftenusedforflirting!Tobesafe,justdon’tsendittoanyoneyou’rerelatedto.Banteringwiththatcutie.Youknowtheone.😱Accordingtothecreators,thisfaceissupposedtomean“screaminginfear.”ItdoeshavequitearesemblancetothepaintingTheScream,butwethinkitworksforshowingshock,too.You’retextingyourspousetocomeremoveaspiderfromthebathroom.😎Weallknowthatwearingsunglassesmakesuslookcoolandeffortless,andthisemojiisusedtocapturethatfeeling:someoneorsomethingthatistotallyawesome.Youjustgotapromotion.😴Thisfaceisusedtoindicatebeingasleep.Orbeingsoboredyoucouldfallasleep.Also,yousnore.Sorryyouhadtofindoutthisway!Youreallyneedtogohomeandgotobed.😪Thisemojiistechnicallycalledthe“sleepyface”emoji,butismorecommonlyusedtorepresentwearysadnessorsometimesillness.It’sbeenalong,toughweek.🤗Jazzhands?Confusion?Feelingpretty?Nope.Thisemojiismeanttoindicateahug!Someonesharesgoodnewswithyou!😋Althoughthislookslikesomeonegentlyteasingyou,it’sactuallymeanttoindicatesomethingdelicious.Like,cookiesdelicious.Sometimes,youjusthavetopostapicofyourbrunch.Thisistheemojiforthatpicture.😒Thisisoneofthemostflexibleemojioutthere.Althoughitsnameis“unamusedface,”it’softenreferredtoasthe“sideeyeemoji,”andcanbeusedtoindicateannoyance,disapproval,orskepticism.Whenrumorsareflyingthatyourteamisgoingtotradeyourfavoriteplayer.😬The“grimacingface”isusedforarangeofnegativeemotions:nervousness,awkwardness,embarrassment,itcoversthemall!Yourphoneautocorrectsawordandsuddenlyyourmessageistheoppositeofwhatyoumeanttosay.😶The“facewithoutmouth”emojiisusefulforthosetimesyou’rerenderedspeechless.Itcanalsobeinterpretedasverydeliberatelynotcommenting,suchaswhenyou’regossipingaboutsomeone’soutfitchoice.Notthatwewouldeverjudge.Forthe(rare)timeswhenyoudojudge.😥Althoughthetwofaceswithsmalltearmightlooksimilar,they’reintendedtohavedifferentmeanings.Thisoneiscalled“sadbutrelievedface”whiletheotherissimply“cryingface.”Howtotellthemapart?Well,thisemojiisn’tcrying.It’ssweating!Andtheeyebrowsaretiltedup,ratherthandown.It’ssubtle,butit’sthere.Westillthinkitlookslikeit’scrying.Usewhenyou’reupset,butthingscouldhavebeenworse.Likewhenyouburntthecookies,butonlyhalfofthem.😢Theclassiccryingface:Thisemojiisforminorsorrows,likeyourfavoriteicecreamflavorbeingdiscontinued.Wemissyou,Ben&Jerry’sCrèmeBrulee(2007-2012).😕Weweresurprisedtofindoutthatthisemojiiscalled“confusedface,”butonfurtherreflection,itdoeshaveanauraofbewilderment.Tryingtodecidebetweenanappetizeranddessert.😯Nottobeconfusedwith“astonishedface”(below),thisemojiiscalled“hushedface.”Somanyemojiofferdegreesofemotion,whichisusefulforcommunicatingnuanceinfamouslyun-nuancedInternetmessaging.Thisisforalittlesurprise,goodorbad.Whenyoursiblingannouncesthey’rebringingtheirnewpartnertoThanksgivingdinner.😲The“astonishedface”emojishowsteeth,whichishowyouknowthey’regapinginsurprise.Whenyouwintheradiocompetitionforfreefestivaltickets.😩Anothertwoemojimeaningsthatareoftenconfused:Thisone,“wearyface,”and“tiredface”(below).Themaindifferenceisintheshapeoftheeyes,buttheyconveytwoseparatefeelings.Firstly,ofbeingresignedtoanunpleasanttask,andsecondly,ofsomethingbeingsogreatthatyouhavenooptionbuttogiveintoit.Yourpartnersurprisesyouwitharomanticweekend,andthey’rejusttoosweetforyoutodealwith.😫Tiredfacereally,reallyneedsavacation.Or,theyjustsawtheworld’scutestpenguinvideo.You’vebeenupallnightbecauseyourkidhasatummybug.😖Althoughit’scalled“confoundedface,”thisemojiismorecommonlyusedtomeansomethinghasbroughtyoutothepointoftears.Somethingsarejustsowonderfulyouwanttocry.Otherthingsaresoterribleyoualsowanttocry.Whenyoulosetheaward.Also,whenyouwintheaward. 😣Confusingly,thisemojiiscalled“perseveringface.”Wehavetoadmit,wewerethinkingofitmoreasadefeatedface.Itjustgoestoshowthepowerofperspective.Youhaveabriefsetbackthatyouwillovercome,likeyourprinterdyingonthedayyourthesisisdue.Where’sthenearestStaples?😤Thisemojicanbemisconstruedasangerorannoyance,butit’sactuallymeanttodepictalookoftriumph.Wethinkitworksforboth!Whenyourkidfinallytakesthetrashoutwithoutbeingasked.😠Theseemojiareanotherpairofconfusingfaces.Theyellowoneiscalled“angryface,”whiletheredone(whichseemsangrier)iscalled“poutingface.”Generally,however,theredfaceisusedtoshowagreaterdegreeofangerthanthejustveryannoyedyellowface.Whensomeoneatetheleftoversyouwereplanningtohaveforlunch.😡Thisguylookssupermad,doesn’the?Poutingisjustnotastrongenoughword!Whensomeonethrewawaytheleftoversyouwereplanningtohaveforlunch.🙈Asfarascuteemojigo,thesee-no-evilmonkeyisdefinitelyupthere.Hissiblingsarethehear-no-evilandspeak-no-evilmonkeys,otherwiseknownastheThreeWiseMonkeys.Thisguycan’tbelievewhathe’sseeing!(Orhecan’tbeartolook!)Ifsomethingsocrazyhappensthatit’sbeyondbelief(likeyourfriendmovingtoUzbekistanforayear)thisistheemojiforyou.🙌Thesenexttwoemojimeaningsarealsooftenconfused;bothareconsideredtomeanpraying,orahighfive!However,thisoneisactuallythe“raisedhands”emoji.Yoursportsteamwins,oraworkpresentationgoesreallywell.Pairwith“triumphantface”foraddedoomph.🙏InJapaneseculture,“foldedhands”meansplease,orthankyou.OverhereintheWest,it’softeninterpretedasprayingorevenhigh-fiving.Usually,though,it’susedtomeanhope.You’regettingmarried.Outside.Withoutatent.It’llbefine!🙆‍♀️Thisemojiapparentlymeans“OK,”asin,thearmsareraisedtomakeacirclefortheOinOK.Wedon’tbuyit,though!Mostoftenpeopleusingthisemojimeaningthey’redancing.It’spartytime.💁‍♀️Moreinthegenreofconfusinggestureemoji:“informationdeskwoman.”That’sright,she’snotraisingtherooforshowingoffhernewbobhaircut,she’sheretogiveyoudirections.Exceptnooneknowsthat,sowejustusethisemojitomeansomethingalongthelinesof“yougo,girl.”Whenyourbestgalpalappliesforthatdreamjob.🙇AnotheremojithatcomesfromJapanesecultureisthis“bowingemoji.”Bowingispartofbeingpolite,whichisveryimportantinJapan.Somepeoplethinkthislittleguyisdoingpushupsorjusthavingalie-down.Wealwaysthoughtitwaskindofa“wearenotworthy”thing.Whenyoumeetyourfavoritecelebrity.🤦‍♀️Assumedmeaning:Headache.Realmeaning:Facepalm!That’sright,thishandyemojiismeanttoindicateembarrassmentorfrustration,withyourselfandothers.Youforgetyourkeysattheoffice.OnaFridaynight.💫Althoughthisemojilookslikeashootingstaroracomet,it’sactuallymeanttomean“dizzy,”asinseeingstars!Westillthinkitlooksmorelikeashootingstar,though,andit’susuallyusedassuch.Towishyourfriendahappybirthday,andletthemknowthatthey’reastar.💨There’snowayaroundit:thisemojilooksrude.Buttheemojimeaningisnotwhatyouthink!It’scalledthe“dashingaway”emoji,asinaspeedingcarorsprintingperson.Whenyou’rehurryingtomeetyourpalsforcoffee.Justbesuretoincludealittlerunningpersonnexttoit,sotheydon’tgetthewrongidea.💗Therearealotofheartemoji,andtheycomeineverycolor.Buttheemojimeaningscanbeconfusing.Thisoneis“growingheart”(youcanseethelinesarounditasitincreasesinsize).WhenyoudiscoverthetruemeaningofChristmasandyourheartgrowsthreesizes.💓Thisemojimeans“beatingheart,”andyoucanseethelittlesoundwavescomingoffitifyoulookcarefully!Bestill,myheart!Whenyourheartskipsabeat,orsomeonemakesitbeatfaster,thisistheemojitouse.💞Twohearts,beatingtogether…nope.Whataboutrevolvingaroundeachother?That’swhatthisemojisymbolizes.Thinkofacartooncharacterwithheartsdancingaroundtheirhead.That’syou.💕The“twohearts”emojimeaningisprettysimple.Oneheartisyou,andtheotherheartissomeoneyoulove.Whenyourbestfriendorpartnergoeswithyoutothatthingtheydon’tlike,justbecauseyouaskedthemto.🕴Thisemojimaybethemostmysteriousemojiofall.It’salittleman,dressedinasuit…levitating.However.Ifyou’reaskafan,youmayrecognizethishoveringguyastherudeboyexclamationmarkfoundonrecordsbythebandTheSpecials.Whatcanwesay,Japanlovesska.Doweknowwhatitmeans?Absolutelynot.Whenyouwanttopickitup,pickitup,pickitup.💯The100emojitechnicallymeans“100points,”butisoftenusedas100percent.Yourfriendasksyouifyouwanttogogeticecream.Thisalsoleavestheoptionopentoget100icecreams.🕳Thisemojiisahole.Imagineacartooncharacterquicklydrawingacircleontheground,thenjumpingintoit.Orimagineyourselfdoingthatifyouoftenfindyourfootinyourmouth.Whenyou’retellingthestoryofthetimeyoutrippedonyourshoelaces,bentdowntolacethemup,andrippedyourpants,allonafirstdate.Theholeiswhatyouwishedwastheretoswallowyouup.💢Someemojimeaningsareclearandobvious,othersarelikethisone,whichapparentlymeans“anger.”Ifyou’reananimeormangafan,youmayrecognizethissymbolastheveinspoppingoutontheforeheadofsomeoneabsolutelyincandescentwithrage.Sendtothatfriendwho’sbeenbuggingyoutowatchthatreallylonganime.🍥Thisemojilookslikeaflower,butitsnameis“fishcakewithswirl.”InJapan,mashedfishisshapedintoalogandslicedintocakescalledkamaboko.Nowyouhaveanewemoji,andanewdishtotry!Usetodocumentyourjourneyaroundthecity,tryingtotrackdownakamaboko.🏤Governmentbuildingslookdifferenteverywhere,whichiswhywehadnoideathiswasthe“postoffice”emoji.Butwe’reallinfavorofthingsthatsupportUSPS,sousethisemojitoday!Whenyou’resendingoutholidaygifts,butwanttoconfuseyourrelatives.🗼AsEiffelistoParis,sothistoweristoTokyo.ItwasactuallyinspiredbythedesignofLaTourEiffelandisthesecond-talleststructureinJapan.WhenyouvisitParis!OrTokyo.OrLasVegas.♨Noteverywhereintheworldisluckyenoughtobeblessedwithnaturalhotsprings,butthevolcaniccountryofJapandefinitelyis!Thisemojiisthesymbolforhotsprings.Wefeelalittlemorerelaxedjustlookingatit.Whenyoufinallysplurgeandbuythathottub.🎐Thiscutelittlejellyfishemojiisactuallyawindchimeemoji!WindchimeslikethisareverycommoninJapan.SendtoyourpartneraspartofyourcampaigntotakeavacationinJapan.📲Honestly,wedon’tknowwhythisoneexists.Thereisalreadyamobilephoneemoji,called“mobilephoneemoji.”Thisoneiscalled“mobilephonewitharrow.”Didn’tyourmomtellyoupointingwasrude?Whenyou’recalling,butthey’renotpickinguptheirphone.🔰ThislittlechevronistheJapanesesymbolforbeginner;newdriversarerequiredtoaffixonetotheircar.It’scalledashoshinshamark,andisthesignofanewbie.Definitelyslaponeonthenewrollerskatesyougotinquarantine.➰Ah,thecurlyloop.Seriously,that’sitsname.It’spossiblyalsotheemojimeaning.Wedon’tknoweither.Wingardiumleviosa?➿Ah,thedoublecurlyloop.Thisonehas“goingonandon”vibes.Whenyou’reinthelongestmeetingofyourlife.Isn’tittimeforlunch?!〽KaraokeisbiginJapan,andthislittleMemojiisthepartalternationmark,tellingyouthatit’stimeforthenextsinger!Toorganizethatkaraokeroomnightyou’vebeenwantingto.🆖Thisemojiisconfusingatfirstglance,butinfact,standsforthewordsNoGood.Whenyou’resobusyyoudefinitelycan’tmakethat2p.m.call.⭕The“hollowredcircle”emoji.Thisisanotheremojimeaningthat’sbeenlostintranslation;inJapan,thecircleisusedasanalternativetoaticktoindicatethatsomethingiscorrect.Maybeit’stheredcolorthatgivesitbadconnotations.Whenyourfriend’smessagecontainsatypo,givethemgradeschoolflashbackswiththisniceredcircle.🔏Digitalsecurityisimportant,andthis“lockedwithpen”emojiisashorthandforafileordocumentthatissafelylocked.Afteryou’vedigitallysignedthatcontract.RELATED:KeyboardShortcutsSymbolsThe(evenmorecomprehensive)guidetoemojimeaningsDespiteitssimilaritytowordslike“emotion”and“emoticon,”theword“emoji”isactuallyaJapaneseportmanteauoftwowords:“e,”meaningpicture,and“moji,”meaningcharacter.Theresemblanceisjustacoincidence.Muchlikethesimilar-soundingwordsfromdifferentlanguages,emojiappeardifferentlyondifferentdevices,andconfusioncanstillarise.Ifyou’restuckforanemojithatisn’tonourlist,there’sonlyoneplacetogo:Emojipedia.Thiswebsitenotonlyshowshoweverysingleemojieverinventedlooksoneverykindofdeviceandplatform,butitalsocontainsabriefexplanationofitsmeaning,ahistory,andrelatedemoji,aswellasacopyandpastebox.It’sa(second-best)resourceforallyouremojiquestions,soyoudon’taccidentallysendyourbosssomethingbettersuitedforyourgroupchat.RELATED:iPhoneKeyboardShortcutsSources:GoInterstellar.com:“ShouldYouUseEmojiInYourMarketingCampaigns?”NPR:“LostinTranslation”Emojipedia.org:“Emojipedia”LuisAlvarez/GettyImages55oftheMostUsefulZoomKeyboardShortcutsEmmaKumer/rd.com41oftheMostUsefulMacKeyboardShortcutsEmmaKumer/rd.com23WindowKeyboardShortcuts:ACheatSheetPopularVideosⓘOriginallyPublished:March25,2021NewsletterUnitSignupforarticlessentrighttoyourinboxEnjoythebeststories,advice&jokesdeliveredrighttoyourinbox!SignUpCMUUnitSubscribe&SAVESaveUpTo84%!SubscribeNowNowTrending6HanukkahTraditionsThatMakethe8-NightHolidaySpecialHowtoCleanYouriPhone’sChargingPortHowtoCleanaTVScreenWearenolongersupportingIE(InternetExplorer)aswestrivetoprovidesiteexperiencesforbrowsersthatsupportnewwebstandar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