Emoji

Updated: 07/31/2022 by Computer Hope
Emoji of a geek smiling

An emoji (絵文字), which translates to "picture character," is an electronic pictograph (picture conveying a message) initially used in Japan and now all over the world. Emojis were first invented by Shigetaka Kurita and became more mainstream when they were introduced on the iPhone in 2011.

Today, emojis are part of the Unicode character set and can be used in e-mails and text messages on iOS or Android devices. They are called one of the fastest-growing languages ever.

Tip

Microsoft Windows 10 and 11 computer or laptop users can press and hold the Windows key and press the period key to open a window that lets you insert emoji, kaomoji, and symbols.

Tip

Chromebook users can press the Search/Launcher key + Shift + Space to insert an emoji.

Are emojis a language?

Yes, emojis are considered a language. On June 8, 2023, a Canadian court ruled in a court case that the thumbs up emoji (👍) was legally binding in a disputed contract.

Animoji, ASCII, Character set, Chat terms, Emote, Emoticon, Hugging face, Internet terms, Phone terms, Smiley face