emoji

American  

[ih-moh-jee] / ɪˈmoʊ dʒi /

noun

• emoji,
  plural
• emojis
  plural

1. Digital Technology. a small digital picture or pictorial symbol that represents a thing, feeling, concept, etc., used in text messages and other electronic communications and usually part of a standardized set.

   She texted me an emoji of “money with wings,” which probably means she’s out shopping.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• emoji
  plural
• emojis
  plural

Etymology

Origin of emoji

First recorded in 1990–95; from Japanese: literally, “pictograph,” equivalent to e “picture, drawing” + moji “(written) character, letter”; cf. kaomoji ( def. )

Compare meaning

How does emoji compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• emoticon vs. emoji

Explanation

An emoji is a small icon or picture that represents an object, emotion, or reaction in a text message. On your best friend's birthday, you might text them the birthday cake, balloon, and shooting star emojis. The earliest emojis were available on Japanese cell phones in 1997. These simple pixelated images were modeled on manga art and appeared in shades of gray. Over time, emojis have become more complex and colorful — you can now send emojis that include an ear of corn, a squid, clapping hands, and a pair of scissors. The Japanese emoji translates as "character picture," and was first used in English around 2008.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

emoji emojis

Gervais posted a love heart emoji in the comments to her health update.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

When Gawat corrected the AI, its tone shifted to urgency, telling him to start taking a vitamin D supplement “immediately,” with a red siren emoji.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

The thought of heading into another brutal heat wave this weekend may have you feeling like a heat-pummeled, melting face emoji unable to get off the couch.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

Humoring the governor, Musk told Abbott he’d try to get a Texas flag emoji on his social media platform, X, drawing a round of applause from the governor over the air.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

I pull out my phone, sending a thumbs-up emoji to Will.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott

The group reacted with heart and celebration emojis.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

You can get a lot of retweets by referring to the “land of the free” with bald eagle and American flag emojis as you drive over the bridge from Canada.

From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026

The caption reads: "Results are in and I am cancer-free!" followed by 10 crying emojis.

From BBC ● May 22, 2026

Braggadocious, maybe—but tastefully free of rocket ship emojis.

From Barron's ● May 1, 2026

Coal glanced at the phone of the person streaming next to him and saw views in the thousands with constant encouraging comments and emojis floating over the video.

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste