An emoticon is a special symbol or icon that is a visual representation of a facial expression or body position. Serves to convey a mood, attitude or emotion. In certain cases, it can replace a phrase or part of a statement.

It is believed that emoticons appeared a long time ago. There are examples of the use of such symbols already in the 19th century! Today, emoticons are an integral part of any good application, chat, messenger, social network, etc. Whatsapp also provides a large set of icons so that users of the program can convey feelings, attitudes and different thoughts using funny pictures, without typing words to express desired.

How do you add an icon to a message? Everything is very simple. On android devices, it is enough to do the following:

Start whatsapp.
Go to a specific chat (correspondence with a user) or click the create message button.
Then tap the smiling face icon. It is located at the very bottom, to the left of the text input window.
Choose the symbol you like and click on it. The emoticon will automatically be added to the message. That’s all!

On iOS devices, the process of enabling emoticons is a little more complicated. To insert an emoticon into a message on an iPhone or iPad, you must first click on the language selection button. It is made in the form of a globe. After that, select “Emoji” from the list with different languages.

What’s the difference between emojis, emoticons and emoticons?

We all know the funny yellow faces we use almost every day. They make our communication easier, replace whole words and make our chats, like emails, more colorful. But what are they actually called? The terms emoji and emoticons are mostly used synonymously. But there are important differences between the terms.

What emoticons are used most often in correspondence

Pictures depicting faces and objects have become firmly established in Internet communication. Today it is impossible to imagine correspondence in VK, Vatsap, Viber and other messengers without them. There are funny faces with very different meanings.

They are divided into several groups, types, and they are suitable for all occasions:

round images with faces;
figurines and faces of men;
various items;
emoji with hands and palms of all kinds.

Principles of Emoji Code Formation

Most people in the street think that emojis and emoticons are the same thing. However, this is not quite true.

Smilies or emoticons are just a special case of emoji use. A stylized graphic representation of a human face, created specifically to convey emotions. Typographic marks are their basis. By the way, the first ever smiley was made around the 1700s BC. e. in Turkey. At least that’s what archaeologists say.

Emoji is a language of ideograms and emoticons that uses pictures instead of words. Although some of them, denoting faces, refer to emoticons. But here a special Unicode code is already used.

Typically, the code starts with an ampersand and hash sign and ends with a semicolon. A certain number of digits are located between them. For example, to “draw” an ordinary happy face, you need the following code:

The meaning of emoticons expressing emotions through symbols

the beginning in this area was laid, it remains to pick up the idea and choose simple signs of the text, with the help of which it would be possible to easily and simply reflect other expressions of mood and emotional state. Here are some emoticons from symbols and their meanings:

:-), :), ), =), :c), :o), :], 8), :?), :^)Or :}– smiley happiness or joy;
:-D, :D– a wide smile or unrestrained laughter;
:'-), :'-D– laughter to tears;
:-(, :(, =(– sad face of the symbols;
:-C, :C– smilies from the characters of the text, denoting strong sadness;
:- — скорбь;
:-o, – boredom;
:_(, :'(, :~(, :*(– crying smiley;
XD, xD– emoticons in letters that mean mockery;
>:-D, >:)– variants of expression of gloating (malicious grin);
:-> – oscal;
}:->or ]:->– an insidious smile;
:-/or :-– these smilies can mean confusion, indecision;
:-|| – anger;
D-: – strong anger
:-Eor :E– the designation of rage with text signs;
:-|, :-I– this can be deciphered as a neutral attitude;
:-(), :-o, =-O, = O, :-0, :O– these characters together mean a surprise;
8-Oor :-[ ], :-( )– transcript: extreme astonishment (shock);
:-* – gloominess, bitterness;
=P, =-P, :-P– irritation;
xP – disgust;
:-7 – sarcasm;
:-J – irony;
:> – smug;
X( – inflated;
:~- – bitterly to tears.

What other classic text emoticons mean

Below I will give a number of simple symbolic emoticons that reflect the state, character traits of people, their attitude towards interlocutors, emotional actions or gestures, as well as images of creatures, animals and flowers:

– sad joke;
– indicates a funny joke;
:-@ – a cry of anger;
:-P, :-p, :-Ъ– display language, which means licking their lips in anticipation of delicious food;
:-v – speaks a lot;
:-*, :-{}– kiss;
{} – hugs;
— сердечко (знак любви);
,, – wink designations;
|-О – a surging yawning, which means a desire to sleep;
|-I – sleeps;
|-O – snores;
:-Q – smoker;
:-? – smokes a pipe;
/ – a smiley face meaning the interjection “hmmm”;
:-(0) – shouts;
:-X – “mouth to lock” (means a call for silence;)
:-! – the meaning of nausea or an analogue of the phrase “from the soul turns back”;
~:0 – child;
:*), %-}– drunk, intoxicated;
=/ – crazy;
:}, :-{)– a man with a mustache;
=|:-)= – “Uncle Sam” (this smile means a comic image of the US state);
-:-) – punk;
{:-| – monk;
*:O) – clown;
B-) – a man in sunglasses;
B:-) – sunglasses on the head;
8-) – a man with glasses;
8:-) – glasses on the head;
@:-) – a man with a turban on his head;
:-E – this set of symbols denotes a vampire;
8-# – zombies;
@~)~~~~, @}->--, @)-v--– rose;
*->->-- – carnation;
<:3>— мышь;
=8) – a pig;
— рыба;
:o/, :o, `:o3` — собака;
:3 – cat;

If you wish, you yourself can invent emoticons by typing certain characters (letters, numbers or signs) on the keyboard. From the above list it is clear, for example, that with the help of the number “3” you can depict the face of a cat, a dog (and also, say, a rabbit) or one of the parts of the heart. And emoticons with P stand for sticking out tongue. There is room for creativity.

Horizontal Japanese Emoticons (Kaomoji)

Above were given the classic emoticons, composed of text symbols, which are interpreted and take on the correct outlines only if you tilt your head to the left or mentally rotate such an image 90 ° to the right.

More convenient in this regard are Japanese emoticons, when looking at which a tilt of the head is not required, because it is immediately clear what each of them means. Kaomoji, as you probably guessed, was first used in Japan and consisted of both standard characters found on any keyboard and using hieroglyphs.

The Japanese term “顔文字”, when translated into Latin, looks like “Kaomoji”. In fact, the phrase “kaomoji” is very close to the concept of “smile” (English smile – smile), since “kao” (顔) means “face”, and “moji” (文字) – “symbol”, “letter”.

Even with a cursory analysis of the meanings of these terms, it is noticeable that Europeans and residents of most countries where the Latin alphabet is widespread, when expressing emotions, pay more attention to such an element as the mouth (smile). For the Japanese, all the components of the face are important, especially the eyes. This is expressed in true (not modified) kaomoji.

Subsequently, Japanese emoticons became widespread in Southeast Asia, and today they are used all over the world. Moreover, they can consist not only of symbols and hieroglyphs, but are often supplemented, for example, with letters and signs of the Latin or Arabic alphabet. First, let’s see what some of the simplest horizontal text emoticons mean:

(^_^)or (n_n)– smiling, joyful;
(^____^) – Broad smile;
^-^ – happy smile;
(<_>), (v_v)– this is how sadness is usually indicated;
(o_o). (0_0), (o_O)– these smilies mean different degrees of surprise;
(V_v)or (v_V)– unpleasantly surprised;
*-* – amazement;
(@_@) – surprise has reached its maximum (“you can be stunned”);
^_^», *^_^*or (-_-v)– embarrassment, awkwardness;
(?_?), ^o^– misunderstanding;
(-_-#), (-_-¤),(>__, `(-_-+)` — злость, ярость;
8 (>_ — ревность;
(>>), (>_>)or(<_>— недоверие;
-__-or =__=– indifference;
m (._.) m – apology;
($_$) – this emoticon reflects greed;
, Q__Q– crying;
(T_T), (TT.TT)or (ToT)– sobbing;
(^_~), (^_-)– these variations of emoticons mean winking;
^}{^, (-}{-), ( ^}...{^ )– kiss;
(^3^)or (* ^) 3 (*^^*)– love;
(-_-;), (-_-;)~– is sick;
(-. -) Zzz, (-_-) Zzzor (u_u)– asleep.

Well, now a few horizontal emoticons that reflect common emotions, composed of more complex symbols and signs, as well as their designations:

٩(◕‿◕)۶, (〃＾▽＾〃)or (★ω★)/– happiness;
o( ❛ᴗ❛ )o, (o˘◡˘o), (っ˘ω˘ς )– a smile;
(´♡‿♡`), (˘∀˘)/(μ‿μ)or (๑°꒵°๑)･*♡– love;
( ◡‿◡ *), (*ﾉ∀`*), (*μ_μ)– confusion.

Naturally, Japanese emoticons, which use not only service symbols and punctuation marks, but also complex letters of the katakana alphabet, provide more opportunities to express not only emotions through facial expressions, but also through gestures.

For example, a smiley face that shrugs and shrugs has become widespread on the Internet. What does it mean? Most likely an awkward apology:

¯ (tsu) / ¯

This emoticon appeared thanks to the famous rapper Kanye West, who at the 2010 Video Music Awards unexpectedly interrupted the presenter’s speech, and then showed such a gesture, recognizing the incorrectness of his behavior (an emoticon that shrugs its shoulders and spreads its arms is called “Kanye’s shoulders” became a real meme):

The most popular whatsapp emoticons and their meanings

It is sometimes difficult to be able to decipher and understand the meaning of emoticons in the form of faces (“koloboks”). You can even compare this lesson with learning a foreign language. Although intuitively, the meaning of each picture is always clear.

But if you are just starting to actively use emoji in WhatsApp, then first we recommend that you find out the meaning of the most popular emoticons available in this messenger. So it will be easier for you to master the language of emoticons and understand what meanings these symbols carry.

The table below will help you with this:

	A face with a happy smile. This symbol indicates that your interlocutor is cheerful. Perhaps he is joking and should not be taken seriously.
	Similar to the first emoticon with an open smiling mouth. The only difference is in the oval eyes. It conveys a positive mood, strong and infectious laughter.
	Smiling smiley. The eyes are closed. Conveys cheerful laughter. Your interlocutor is very funny.
	Another smiling face, the eyes are similar in shape to two check marks. The conveyed meaning is very close to a fit of laughter.
	Smiles and sheds tears of joy. It just means a fit of laughter. The interlocutor cannot restrain himself so funny to him.
	“Rzhunimagu” emoticon. He says that you or your interlocutor are very, very cheerful, laughing loudly and just rolling on the floor laughing.
	A face with a wide smile and a bead of sweat on the forehead. The transmitted meaning – laughs slyly and slyly, plotting something.
	This is a winking emoticon. Usually put when there is a joke or irony in the message, or if the sender of the message is flirting / flirting.
	The emoticon symbolizes self-satisfaction, inner peace and harmony.
	Smiley with a blue halo. Expresses innocence or agreement (less often).
	A smiling face with eyes closed with pleasure and a blush on her cheeks. The icon indicates that the sender is very confused or happy.
	Similar to the previous emoji icon. It differs in that the face also has hands (more precisely, palms), which seem to want to hug you. In fact, it is. The picture informs that the interlocutor is glad to meet you in the virtual space of the chat and wants to hug you.
	Inverted face. Emoji means that the interlocutor deliberately does / says stupid things, clowns, plays pranks, etc.
	A face with hearts instead of eyes. I think the meaning and so clear – “in love, very much.”
	There is also another “love” emoticon. He blows a kiss. With this emoji, you can express your feelings or thank someone close to you.
	Smiley with tongue sticking out. One eye winks. Indicates that the person is joking or flirting.
	The meaning of this emoji is “naughty”. A smile will perfectly fit into a message where you talk about some kind of playful act.
	Typical nerd. Used frequently and in different contexts. For example, you can send this emoji if you are talking about how hard you study, work, work hard, etc.
	Smiley face with protruding lips and wide open eyes. It hints at innocence and shyness, or a desire to kiss.
	Before you is “Mister Cool” – a smiley face in sunglasses. Indicates complete self-confidence, complacency, or relaxation.
	How much without a smug grin. This icon just conveys this emotion.
	Decoding this emoji is a little tricky. But if you think about it, it becomes clear that he has the following meaning – “speechless, no words.” It is also appropriate when you want to say that you do not want to discuss this topic or will not say anything else.
	Does the face have lines instead of eyes and a mouth? This emoticon means indifference, lack of emotion and neutral attitude towards the subject.
	Emoticon with rolling eyes. This means that the person finds the situation boring or the topic of the conversation does not interest him.
	Tell a lie? Or maybe your interlocutor is openly lying to you? Then you can’t do without “smiley-pinocchio”.
	Means embarrassment. Most likely, the one who sent him was a little confused and found himself in an awkward position. He literally blushed with shame.
	“Gingerbread man” looks up, resting his hand on his chin. An emoticon with multiple meanings. Doubts what has been said / heard, or ponders / considers a brilliant idea.
	Upset and angry. Better to change the subject or leave it alone.
	Red face! Very annoyed and angry! Just seething with anger.
	Face with white vapor from the nose. Very angry! Already snorts with rage!
	Face with narrowed eyes and open mouth. Such a smile suggests that the participant in the dialogue is overworked and very exhausted. He wants to rest more.
	The icon conveys that the interlocutor is puzzled and surprised.
	Emoticon – I do not agree with what is happening. Another meaning is that he is disappointed, because he imagined it differently.
	Sadness and grief emoticon. All facial features are directed downward.
	Means “sleep”. With its help, you can wish the interlocutor good night or inform that you yourself really want to sleep.
	Face with a thermometer in the mouth. Everything is clear without words – I fell ill and does not feel very well.
	A smiley face with a zipper instead of a mouth. The participant in the dialogue has a secret, or he asks to keep what was told to you in secret.
	The face in the form of a bunch you know what! This icon can be used to describe what you really dislike. But in business correspondence with the authorities, it is better not to use such a picture!
	A great emoticon for expressing disgust and extreme discontent.
	An emoticon with drooping eyebrows, a sad expression on his face and a tear trickling down his cheek. A real picture of suffering.
	A face with tears pouring from her eyes like a waterfall. Shows that the sender is very sad and at the same time confused. Some people use this picture when they want to say that they are laughing to tears.
	Face with cold sweat on the forehead. Meaning – strong tension, fear. Perhaps he was by a hair’s breadth, but miraculously escaped trouble.
	“Kolobok” with a face seized with horror. Plus the smiley screams desperately. Means a feeling of fear, fright, panic.

Of course, in this table it is impossible to list all the emoticons available for whatsapp, tell about their meanings and transmitted meanings. There are a lot of them. But we were able to tell you about the most frequently used emojis. So do not hesitate to use them when communicating with friends, family and colleagues.

What did the first emoji look like?

The first emoji created by SoftBank were black and white. They did not receive wide distribution, but it was these emoticons that Apple took as a basis when it launched the first iPhone in the Japanese market. Based on 90 tiny pictures, they developed an emoji font that is now available on all devices of the company. And here’s what the original (and first ever) set of emoticons looked like.

SoftBank Emoji Pack (1997)

The emoji created by Shigetaka Kurita in 1999 were already multi-colored. The first set includes 176 symbols with a size of 12 × 12 pixels: images of natural phenomena, signs of the zodiac, elements of urban infrastructure, household items, human emotions, numbers and a number of other symbols.

Emoji by Shigetaka Kurita (1999)

Figurines of little men

These are no longer koloboks, but more detailed images of people: only heads, waist-high or full-length. Most often, the gestures or clothing of the figurine matters.

Table. Most Popular Humans Emoticons

Angry little man		Expresses resentment, disappointment, negative emotions
Man with one hand raised, palm up		If you need to highlight some information, pay attention to the text of the message, use this little man
Emoticon shrugs shoulders		Surprise or misunderstanding. Can be an answer to a question or a comment on a post

A man who covered his face with an open palm		The so-called “hand-face”. The emoticon expresses the very range of feelings when you want to say that you have lost the power of speech from grief and / or surprise
Kissing emoticons with heart		Love and tenderness. With its help, they talk about their feelings for the interlocutor or describe someone’s ideal relationship.
Figurine in lotus position		It can mean both yoga and relaxation, meditation. It can also be a call for reassurance, and sometimes it can be a “I miss this” answer.
Man with arms crossed in front of his face		A figurine with a frightened face speaks for itself: “No”, “You can’t”, “In no case.”
Smiley dancer		Originally conceived to represent dancing. But users often put this figurine in order to express a positive attitude and joy.
Family people		They mean that the interlocutor writes about a strong family or wants to emphasize tender feelings for his loved ones.

What is an emoticon?

The English words “emotion” and “icon” form the term emoticon.
Short strings of characters, letters, or numbers represent facial expressions and different poses. Emoticons can bring text to life and convey a mood or emotional state.
means laughter or a big smile, when surprised we use : -O, and <3 stands for the heart and feelings.
The emoticon archetype is the face of a sketchy man. In 1982, a misunderstood joke among physicists led to the question of how irony can be translated into written communication. Then Scott Folman suggested a combination , with the advice to tilt your head in order to correctly read and understand the innovation.

What’s so special about emoji?

Emoji is a new cultural phenomenon. With their help, people who in ordinary life speak different languages can understand each other. The symbols of a smiling, sad or annoyed person are universal, they do not need to be translated or explained to either adults or children. This distinguishes emoji language from common languages and other ways of exchanging information.

In recent years, emojis have also helped in the fight against race and gender discrimination. At first, influenced by social media users and opinion leaders, Unicode diversified the list of human images with pictograms with different skin tones and eye shapes. In recent years, emojis for gender-neutral characters and people with disabilities have emerged. By the end of 2019, images of same-sex couples with different skin tones, human limb prostheses, hearing aids and household items will debut.

Emojis change our communication and help spread ideas about equal rights for all people in different cultures. And they are also becoming an integral part of world mass culture. That’s why it’s important to know when and where to use emojis.

Smiles

What smiling emoticons mean in Watsap, their decoding in pictures, is presented in the tables below. When choosing a symbol, consider how the eyes and mouth are drawn, what additional elements are used. Context is often hidden in combinations.

Light smile

Inverted smile

An emoticon in the form of a shape-shifter for Watsap signals that everything said earlier was not serious. This is a great reaction to a joke or anecdote.

Use and effect of emojis, emoticons and emoticons

Communication with our interlocutors is not only spoken words. We also communicate non-verbally, that is, without using language. Namely, through our facial expressions, our gestures, our body language and voice pitch. We look away when we are embarrassed. We open our eyes in surprise or raise our arms defensively out of fear. We are displeased with wrinkling our nose or lowering our voice with irony.
Our communication is moving more and more into the digital sphere. We write emails and chat on WhatsApp, Facebook or Snapchat. What we can express in words or non-verbally in real life is taken over in real-time communication with fairly short texts, emoji. They add an emotional level to the text and can prevent misunderstandings.Most men and women say they can express emotions better through emoji than through words.
In addition to various facial expressions and gestures, there are emoji that depict objects. They can help the other person understand what situation the other person is in at the moment.

State emoticons

If a counterpart misinterprets what the state emoticons in Watsap mean, it’s ridiculous. Decoding in funny pictures will help to avoid such incidents.

Emoji	How to take
	Indicates that the interlocutor is in shock. He understands his mistake and is very sorry. Or the person cannot believe in something. This is a response to a message, a compliment.
	Vis-a-vis is very hot. He fears for his health (jokingly or literally).
	Signal that the interlocutor is extremely cold. Perhaps this is a veiled request to be warmed with spiritual warmth or a cup of hot chocolate.
	The eyebrows are a house, the mouth is open, and its corners are lowered – this is what a very upset character looks like. It is a reaction to negative emotions, to bad news. Expresses shock, disappointment, fear.
	A graphic representation of a discouraged person who does not understand what happened, and how it is possible. In addition to the strongest feelings, it also conveys a state of strong intoxication.
	An elongated face is raised eyebrows, rounded eyes, an open mouth. It looks like an extreme degree of surprise.
	The gingerbread man expresses the strongest disappointment in a person, in his actions.
	Fantasy based on the painting “The Scream” by E. Munch. Symbolizes fear, appeal to others. The popularity of emojis during Halloween is skyrocketing.
	This is how fear, shock, refusal to accept the ongoing horror look.
	The waterfall of tears indicates that the author of the message is suffering greatly. The symbol can be used to express sympathy or, in a humorous context, to enhance the emotional color of the allegorical meaning.
	Excitement. I’m so nervous the sweat breaks out.
	Tears and frustration. Sympathy.
	Falling asleep character. The drop coming down from the nose refers to the culture of manga. Can show that what is happening is uninteresting, boring and very tiring.
	Expresses surprise, shock. But it is interpreted as a positive or negative sign according to the direction of the conversation.
	An expression of thoughtfulness. It may also indicate that the proposal is worth considering, or it may turn out to be sarcasm.
	Expression of fatigue and weariness from life, from the situation. It is pointless to continue the conversation further. At least for the moment.
	A thermometer in the mouth, an unhappy expression on his face – a person is sick, has fever. He wants to be pitied.
	The sender is tired and plans to go to bed or wishes good night.
	The meaning of such an emoticon in Whatsapp is easy to read – it is skepticism, disbelief in what they say.

Winking faces

On Whatsapp, the meaning of the one-eyed emoticon is both a light joke and a non-binding flirtation. In any case, what has been said should not be taken seriously.

Emoticons demons, clowns and ghosts in Watsap

An explanation of what the clowns, spirits and devils emoticons can mean in Watsap is presented in the pictures below.

The meaning of the friendly ghost emoticon in Whatsapp is unambiguous: it is a joke about the afterlife or Halloween, perhaps a horror movie.

Pictograms with palms

Probably one of the most popular in any social network, be it Instagram or Odnoklassniki. Such a smile is enough to reply to the message of the interlocutor.

Table. Most popular palm and hand emoticons

Possible misunderstandings in the use of emoji, emoticons and emoticons

When communicating in real time, we try to be short. In writing, misunderstandings are more common because there is no non-verbal communication. The interlocutor takes what is implied with irony seriously. Jokes or wordplay doesn’t get through or is perceived correctly. You end up talking past each other. But pitfalls are found not only in communication.

Kissing emoticon

What the kissing emoticons mean in Watsap is clear without words. The decoding in pictures is intended to clarify some of the subtleties of perception.

Sources used and useful links on the topic: https://www.orgtech.info/rasshifrovka-znacheniya-smajlikov-v-vatsape/ https://www.emojiworld.ru/ https://mir-vkontakte.ru/znachenie- smajlikov / https://seo-aspirant.ru/emoji-vk https://goldbusinessnet.com/kompyuter-i-internet/chto-oznachaet-smajlik-tekstovye-graficheskie-smajly-kody-emoji/ https: // bloha .ru / editorial / yemodzi-znacheniya-vsekh-2776-smaylikov-na-ay / https://message-app.com/znachenie-smaylikov-v-whatsapp.html

Post source: lastici.ru