The 100 Most Popular Emojis Explained

There are so many emojis, it can be difficult to know what they all mean. Here are the most popular emojis explained.

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. They are a group that maintain Unicode, an encoding standard for text data across modern technology; part of their remit is emojis. To help determine which emojis should become standard, they monitor emoji popularity.

😍 Smiling Face with Heart-Eyes Love or adoration

🤣 Rolling on the Floor Laughing Intense or hysterical laughter

😊 Smiling Face with Smiling Eyes Positive or happy

🙏 Person with Folded Hands Prayer, thank you, and sometimes a high five

💕 Two Hearts Romance or love is in the air

😭 Loudly Crying Face Uncontrollable tears, perhaps due to sadness or joy

😘 Face Throwing a Kiss Kissing someone, or general expression of love

👍 Thumbs Up Sign Well done, good job, or approval

😅 Smiling Face with Open Mouth and Cold Sweat Relief, nerves, or excitement

👏 Clapping Hands Sign Round of applause in celebration

😁 Grinning Face with Smiling Eyes Glowing, beaming happiness

🔥 Fire Hot or excellent

💔 Broken Heart Grief, loss, or longing

💖 Sparkling Heart Extra special love, sometimes playful

😢 Crying Face Upset or in pain

🤔 Thinking Face Pondering or questioning

😆 Smiling Face with Open Mouth and Tightly-Closed Eyes Great excitement or happiness

🙄 Face With Rolling Eyes Sarcasm or boredom

💪 Flexed Biceps Strength or fitness

😉 Winking Face Joking or being cheeky

☺️ Smiling Face Happy or positive

👌 OK Hand Sign Okay or correct

🤗 Hugging Face Hugging (love and support) or jazz hands (enthusiasm)

😔 Pensive Face Reflective or remorseful

😎 Smiling Face with Sunglasses Cool or confident

😇 Smiling Face with Halo Angelic or innocent

🌹 Rose Romance or to be used on a special occasion

🤦 Face Palm Frustrated or dumbfounded

🎉 Party Popper Celebration or congratulations

💞 Revolving Hearts A whirlwind of love

✌️ Victory Hand Peace or success

✨ Sparkles Positive, happy, or celebration

🤷 Shrug Indifference or unknowing

😱 Face Screaming in Fear Shocked or scared

😌 Relieved Face Content or calm

🌸 Cherry Blossom Love or to be used on a special occasion

🙌 Person Raising Both Hands in Celebration Celebrating with hands in the air

😋 Face Savoring Delicious Food Cheeky, poking fun, or enjoying food

😏 Smirking Face Mischievous or flirting

🙂 Slightly Smiling Face Happy, but often used ironically

🤩 Grinning Face with Star Eyes Amazed, impressed, or excited

😄 Smiling Face with Open Mouth and Smiling Eyes Great happiness

😀 Grinning Face Elevated happiness

😃 Smiling Face with Open Mouth Happiness

💯 Hundred Points Symbol 100 percent approval

🙈 See-No-Evil Monkey Hiding, cringing, or in disbelief

👇 Backhand Index Pointing Down Pointing down

🎶 Multiple Musical Notes Three eighth notes, for singing or music

😒 Unamused Face Annoyed, sceptic, or irritated

🤭 Smiling Face with Smiling Eyes and Hand Covering Mouth Giggling or cheeky surprise

❣️ Heavy Heart Exclamation Mark Ornament Emphasized love

❗ Heavy Exclamation Mark Symbol Emphasis or shock

😜 Face with Stuck-Out Tongue and Winking Eye Fun, joking, or cheeky

💋 Kiss Mark A seductive kiss

👀 Eyes Shifty or sneaky, sometimes flirtatious

😪 Sleepy Face Ill, tired, or sad

😑 Expressionless Face Bored, indifferent, or pausing to collect thoughts

💥 Collision Symbol Explosion or exciting

🙋 Happy Person Raising One Hand Waving or asking a question

😞 Disappointed Face Disappointed, upset, or remorse

😩 Weary Face Distressed, drained, or deep enjoyment

😡 Pouting Face Annoyed or angry

🤪 Grinning Face with One Large and One Small Eye Goofy, wild, or unhinged

👊 Fisted Hand Sign Punching or giving a fist bump

☀️ Sun Sunny, warm, or hot

😥 Disappointed but Relieved Face Upset or concern

🤤 Drooling Face Desiring something or delirious

👉 Backhand Index Pointing Right Pointing to the right

💃 Dancer Excitement, positivity, or happiness

😳 Flushed Face Embarrassed, surprised, or flattered

✋ Raised Hand Stop or high five

😚 Kissing Face With Closed Eyes Puckering for a kiss

😝 Face with Stuck-Out Tongue and Tightly-Closed Eyes Playful, fun, or happy

😴 Sleeping Face Tired or bored

🌟 Glowing Star Strong approval or celebration

😬 Grimacing Face Tense, nervous, or awkward

🙃 Upside Down Face Silliness, often used for irony or sarcasm

🍀 Four Leaf Clover Good luck

🌷 Tulip Love or to be used on a special occasion

😻 Smiling Cat Face with Heart-Shaped Eyes Love or adoration, plus it’s a cat!

😓 Face with Cold Sweat Downbeat, sad, or disappointed

⭐ Star Rating something, giving approval, or celebration

✅ Check Mark Button Approval or verification

🌈 Rainbow Love or gay pride

😈 Smiling Face With Horns Cheeky, naughty, or mischief

🤘 Sign of the Horns Rock on or let’s party

💦 Splashing Sweat Symbol Sweat, working hard, stress, or liquids

✔️ Check Mark Approval or verification

😣 Persevering Face Struggling or annoyed

🏃 Runner Fitness or escaping a situation

💐 Bouquet Appreciation or happiness

☹️ Frowning Face Sad, concerned, or disappointed

🎊 Confetti Ball Celebration or congratulations

💘 Heart With Arrow Lovestruck, as if by Cupid

😠 Angry Face Annoyed, angry, or mean

☝️ Index Finger Pointing Up The number one, to interject, or to point up

😕 Confused Face Puzzled or disappointed

🌺 Hibiscus Beauty or to be used on a special occasion

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.