Typically this means, “read below” or simply, “this,” and is a way of signing off on something (usually a link someone is posting) or suggesting agreement. Somewhat hilariously, this symbol was actually created to signal a help desk person, leading one to one wonder: when was the last time you needed to illustrate a help desk person in a digital conversation?ġ3. ‍‍A person with their hand raised says, “I volunteer as tribute!” But if you’re not Katniss, it’s most often used as an admission that you, too, do a certain thing. According to Unicode’s official meanings, this one is “hands folded in prayer.” It’s most often used in the United States to signal gratitude or thanks as well as the international symbol of “yeah, we hope” or “preach.”ġ2. A pair of hands that look like they’re raising the roof are actually a high-ten, offering a way to say, “you did a great job.” This one also suggests congratulations.ġ1. This one has a double meaning, as it’s also often used as punctuation to make an emphatic point, as in: Clean up the break room.ġ0. Much like in real life, clapping hands signal a job well done, but the meaning of this emoji is heavily dependent on how it’s being used. A hug with no arms, but a hug nonetheless.ĩ. Inexplicably, the smiling emoji with hands facing forward signifies a hug. It’s saying, “don’t repeat this,” or “this news doesn’t go beyond me.”Ĩ. Remember the phrase “zip the lip”? Well, the zipper-mouthed emoji suggests the speaker’s lips are sealed. The sunglasses face emoji says “I’m cool as a cucumber,” but it’s also often used to stand in simply for the word, “cool.”ħ. It’s most often used to indicate that a person is joking or being sarcastic but can also indicate frustration or annoyance.Ħ. The upside down smiley is tougher to nail down, because it doesn’t have a consistently fixed meaning. The face with a hand on its chin shows someone is thinking about an answer, but can also be used ironically to question someone else’s statement.ĥ. Unsurprisingly, the crying face (which looks more like it’s sobbing) generally says the writer is sad or disappointed, but it’s rarely used for actual tragedy, in which case an emoji could read as insensitive.Ĥ. Rather, you’re likely to see it used as often as Americans say we “love” something, as in, “Want to get gelato after?” “ ”ģ. It’d be easy to read this one as romantic, but it’s not necessarily reserved strictly for those contexts. The heart-eyes emoji is the 2nd most-used on Facebook, and it conveys strong feelings of love or admiration. This one also has the distinction of being the most-used emoji on Facebook.Ģ. You can take the reaction up a notch with its cousin,, which is tilted to the side and hence suggests that you’re laughing so hard you’re rolling on the ground. It’s also used to indicate someone is kidding or joking around. The laughing crying face indicates something is so funny that the writer is crying laughing. It’s important to keep in mind that the meaning of a particular emoji (or string of them) is largely going to be dependent on its use and context.ġ.

So don’t worry that you need to start sending a smiley in every work request now (though you can see how emojis have helped DigitalMarketer’s email subject lines HERE).įor those moments when social media seems impossible to understand, we’ve written this handy guide-slash-dictionary on the emojis you’re most likely to encounter out in the wilds of the internet, so you can both understand others and use them freely without sounding tone deaf.īy far, the most-used emojis are faces and hand gestures, so that’s most of what you’ll find here, along with some choice selections of other widely-used emojis. And they get more and more specific each year as the Unicode Consortium-which is the official entity that decides what gets added to the emoji lexicon-continues to add to the offering of emojis.įor the most part, emojis are used far more in social media contexts and messaging apps than in e-mail, which tends to be viewed as more professional. Simply put, emojis are an excellent way of conveying nonverbal sentiments that are harder (or just longer) to get across with text alone. This emoji-based Instagram post was one of our top performers this year. Once you get the hang of them, they’re actually incredibly beneficial in our increasingly text-based communications. īut emojis are part of our world now, and whether you understand them or not, they’re here to stay. And the last thing you need is to misuse any fruit emojis. Deciphering what’s meant by or can be enough to make your head explode. Within the ever-shifting world of social media, there’s one aspect that can forever confuse those who won’t spend much time interacting with social platforms: emojis.

Sunglass emoji thumbsup