On World Emoji Day, learn what these frequently-used emojis really mean

Emojis have become
indispensable to conversation in the Internet generation. Emotions that would
otherwise require a hundred words to convey, now find true expression in a
small pictogram of a yellow face.

The word ‘emoji’,
despite its proximity to the English language’s emotion, or emoticon, actually
comes from Japanese. It is a portmanteau of two words — e meaning picture and
moji, character.

Also Read | World Emoji Day: A look at the most confusing emojis

However, the
meaning of emojis vary vastly between cultures and social groups. Even intimate
communities might disagree on the specific meanings of certain emojis.

Therefore, on
World Emoji Day, let us look at the true meaning of certain emojis, according
to Emojipedia, an authoritative archive of emojis in use.

?: The grinning face with sweat:

An emoji that has
gained wide popularity since Unicode 6.0 approved it in 2010. The emoji depicts
a grinning face with one bead of sweat on top. It has come to suggest a nervous
grin and even relief. The emoji is often used to express a close call.

?: The grinning face with one large and one small eye

The smiley making a silly face with eyes misplaced
and the tongue is a signature of goofiness. The emoji commonly represents
having fun and partying. Approved as part of Unicode 10.0 in 2017, it is among
the newer emojis and is generally used to convey a spirit of wackiness.

?: Face without a mouth

A face with simple open eyes and no mouth signals
as if one is at a loss for words. While the meaning of this varies widely, it
is generally understood to mean speechlessness, moderately negative emotions,
frustration or sadness.

?: The Meh
expression

A favourite of the
serially irritated, the emoji features a yellow face with slightly raised
eyebrows, a frown and eyes looking to the side. It is used to convey a range of
negative emotions including displeasure, grumpiness and skepticism. It is
considered equivalent to giving someone the side-eye.

?: The red
pout

A red
face with an angry expression may convey intense degrees of hate or rage. But
very often the red pout signals a cuteness that makes it feature in lovers’
quarrels.