Emojis are everywhere. They pop up in social media feeds, SMS messages, commercials, products, and more. The number of emojis continues to grow each year and our digital language evolves in turn.
It can sometimes be difficult to determine the meaning of an emoji. While it might seem simple on the surface, emojis can have different meanings depending on context. To help you out, we've collected together the 100 most popular emojis and explained their purpose and intent.
This list was first established by the Unicode Consortium. It's a group that maintains Unicode, an encoding standard for text data across modern technology, and part of its remit is emojis. To help determine which emojis should become standard, it monitors emoji popularity.
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The 100 Most Popular Emojis and Their Meaning
Emoji | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
😂 | Face with Tears of Joy | Extreme happiness or laughter |
❤️ | Red Heart | Love (red by default, but meaning is same for any color) |
🤣 | Rolling on the Floor Laughing | Intense or hysterical laughter |
👍 | Thumbs Up Sign | Well done, good job, or approval |
😭 | Loudly Crying Face | Uncontrollable tears, perhaps due to sadness or joy |
🙏 | Person with Folded Hands | Prayer, thank you, and sometimes a high five |
😘 | Face Throwing a Kiss | Kissing someone, or general expression of love |
🥰 | Smiling Face with Hearts | Love or affection |
😍 | Smiling Face with Heart-Eyes | Love or adoration |
😊 | Smiling Face with Smiling Eyes | Positive or happy |
🎉 | Party Popper | Celebration or congratulations |
😁 | Grinning Face with Smiling Eyes | Glowing, beaming happiness |
💕 | Two Hearts | Love is in the air |
🥺 | Pleading Face | Adoration, bashful, or pleading |
😅 | Smiling Face with Open Mouth and Cold Sweat | Relief, nerves, or excitement |
🔥 | Fire | Hot or excellent |
☺️ | Smiling Face | Happy or positive |
🤦 | Face Palm | Frustrated or dumbfounded |
♥️ | Heart Suit | Love |
🤷 | Shrug | Indifference or unknowing |
🙄 | Face With Rolling Eyes | Sarcasm or boredom |
😆 | Smiling Face with Open Mouth and Tightly-Closed Eyes | Great excitement or happiness |
🤗 | Hugging Face | Hugging (love and support) or jazz hands (enthusiasm) |
😉 | Winking Face | Joking or being cheeky |
🎂 | Birthday Cake | Celebration |
🤔 | Thinking Face | Pondering or questioning |
👏 | Clapping Hands Sign | Round of applause in celebration |
🙂 | Slightly Smiling Face | Happy, but often used ironically |
😳 | Flushed Face | Embarrassed, surprised, or flattered |
🥳 | Partying Face | Celebration or joy |
😎 | Smiling Face with Sunglasses | Cool or confident |
👌 | OK Hand Sign | Okay or correct |
💜 | Purple Heart | Love |
😔 | Pensive Face | Reflective or remorseful |
💪 | Flexed Biceps | Strength or fitness |
✨ | Sparkles | Positive, happy, or celebration |
💖 | Sparkling Heart | Extra special love, sometimes playful |
👀 | Eyes | Shifty or sneaky, sometimes flirtatious |
😋 | Face Savoring Delicious Food | Cheeky, poking fun, or enjoying food |
😏 | Smirking Face | Mischievous or flirting |
😢 | Crying Face | Upset or in pain |
👉 | Backhand Index Pointing Right | Pointing to the right |
💗 | Growing Heart | Love or increasing affection |
😩 | Weary Face | Distressed, drained, or deep enjoyment |
💯 | Hundred Points Symbol | 100 percent approval |
🌹 | Rose | Romance or to be used on a special occasion |
💞 | Revolving Hearts | A whirlwind of love |
🎈 | Balloon | Celebration or congratulations |
💙 | Blue Heart | Love |
😃 | Smiling Face with Open Mouth | Happiness |
😡 | Pouting Face | Annoyed or angry |
💐 | Bouquet | Appreciation or happiness |
😜 | Face with Stuck-Out Tongue and Winking Eye | Fun, joking, or cheeky |
🙈 | See-No-Evil Monkey | Hiding, cringing, or in disbelief |
🤞 | Crossed Fingers | Wishing luck |
😄 | Smiling Face with Open Mouth and Smiling Eyes | Great happiness |
🤤 | Drooling Face | Desiring something or delirious |
🙌 | Person Raising Both Hands in Celebration | Celebrating with hands in the air |
🤪 | Zany Face | Silly, fun, or goofy |
❣️ | Heavy Heart Exclamation Mark Ornament | Emphasized love |
😀 | Grinning Face | Elevated happiness |
💋 | Kiss Mark | A seductive kiss |
💀 | Skull | Death or an extreme reaction to something |
👇 | Backhand Index Pointing Down | Pointing down |
💔 | Broken Heart | Grief, loss, or longing |
😌 | Relieved Face | Content or calm |
💓 | Beating Heart | Love |
🤩 | Grinning Face with Star Eyes | Amazed, impressed, or excited |
🙃 | Upside Down Face | Silliness, often used for irony or sarcasm |
😬 | Grimacing Face | Tense, nervous, or awkward |
😱 | Face Screaming in Fear | Shocked or scared |
😴 | Sleeping Face | Tired or bored |
🤭 | Face with Hand Over Mouth | Laughter or cheekiness |
😐 | Neutral Face | Neutral, irritated, or unamused |
🌞 | Sun with Face | Radiant, happy, or positive |
😒 | Unamused Face | Annoyed, skeptic, or irritated |
😇 | Smiling Face with Halo | Angelic or innocent |
🌸 | Cherry Blossom | Love or to be used on a special occasion |
😈 | Smiling Face With Horns | Cheeky, naughty, or mischief |
🎶 | Multiple Musical Notes | Three eighth notes, for singing or music |
✌️ | Victory Hand | Peace or success |
🎊 | Confetti Ball | Celebration or congratulations |
🥵 | Hot Face | Overheating or flirty |
😞 | Disappointed Face | Disappointed, upset, or remorse |
💚 | Green Heart | Love |
☀️ | Sun | Sunny, warm, or hot |
🖤 | Black Heart | Love or sorrow |
💰 | Money Bag | Money or wealth |
😚 | Kissing Face With Closed Eyes | Puckering for a kiss |
👑 | Crown | Royalty, success, or praise |
🎁 | Wrapped Gift | Celebration or surprise |
💥 | Collision | Explosion, surprise, or excitement |
🙋 | Happy Person Raising One Hand | Waving or asking a question |
☹️ | Frowning Face | Sad, concerned, or disappointed |
😑 | Expressionless Face | Bored, indifferent, or pausing to collect thoughts |
🥴 | Woozy Face | Drunk, dazed, or confused |
👈 | Backhand Index Pointing Left | Pointing to the left |
💩 | Pile of Poo | Poo, bad, or silliness |
✅ | Check Mark Button | Approval or verification |
Turn Yourself Into an Emoji
Now you know what lots of the standard emojis mean, why not go a step further and turn yourself into an emoji—also known as a Memoji? It's fun and easy to do. You can use the native iOS Memoji feature, or download Android apps that replicate the feature.