emoji

noun

emo·​ji ē-ˈmō-jē 

plural emoji or emojis

: any of various small images, symbols, or icons used in text fields in electronic communication (as in text messages, email, and social media) to express the emotional attitude of the writer, convey information succinctly, communicate a message playfully without using words, etc.

The function of emoji, as [emoji developer Shigetaka] Kurita describes it—adding subtle emotional emphasis to a sentence in text—isn't too different from that of emoticons, the frowny and smiley faces that people have been making out of punctuation since the mid-1990s.

—Britt Peterson

compare emoticon

Examples of emoji in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That’s why the best guidance isn’t a list of approved emojis. —Nirit Cohen, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025

Showing off a fresh red manicure, Klum moved the shells over her chest for the seaside shoot, but needed a star emoji to cover up her assets. —Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2025

Suppose a like is worth one point, a heart emoji is worth five points, and a comment is worth thirty points. —Noah Giansiracusa, Time, 7 Aug. 2025

The bride-to-be announced the news on Instagram on Monday, Aug. 4, with a simple white heart emoji and photos of her diamond engagement ring. —Ashlyn Robinette, People.com, 5 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Japanese, literally, "pictograph," from e "picture, drawing" + moji "letter, character"

First Known Use

1997, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for emoji

• koji
• logie
• shoji
• pedagogy

Kids Definition

emoji

noun

emo·​ji

ē-ˈmō-jē

plural emoji or emojis

: any of various small images, symbols, or icons used in electronic communication (as email) to express the feelings or attitude of the writer or to present information concisely or playfully