π Emoji vs Emoticon: What's the Difference?
An emoji is a small picture that is part of the Unicode standard, like π. An emoticon is a face built from ordinary keyboard characters, like :) or :-D. Kaomoji, text symbols and stickers are often mixed up with them, so the table below lines up all of them, followed by when each one works best.
Emoji, emoticons, symbols and stickers compared
| Type | What it is | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Emoji | A picture character in Unicode. Copies like text; the artwork varies a little by device | π β€οΈ π πΆ |
| Emoticon | A face typed with keyboard characters, read sideways | :) ;) :-D <3 |
| Kaomoji | Japanese-style text faces you read straight on | (^_^) (β―Β°β‘Β°)β―οΈ΅ β»ββ» (ｑβ₯βΏβ₯ｑ) |
| Text symbol | A single Unicode symbol; its look depends on the font | β₯ β β β βͺ |
| Sticker | An image, not text. Sent inside one app and cannot be pasted as text | Images from a sticker pack |
Emoji: a Japanese word for "picture character"
Emoji comes from Japanese: e (η΅΅, picture) plus moji (ζε, character). It sounds like "emotion", but the two words are unrelated.
Emoji first appeared on Japanese mobile phones in 1999 and entered the Unicode standard in 2010, a big reason emoji now work across phones and computers. Because they are characters, you can copy and search them, while each company draws its own version of the same π.
Emoticon: a face made of punctuation
Emoticon blends "emotion" and "icon". The sideways smiley :-) is usually traced to a 1982 message board at a US university, where it was proposed to mark jokes.
Western emoticons are read with your head tilted to the left, like :) and ;). Because they are plain characters, they look the same everywhere, and some apps automatically turn them into emoji as you type.
Kaomoji: emoticons you read straight on
Kaomoji (ι‘ζε, "face characters") are the Japanese take on emoticons. They are read upright and often borrow characters from other alphabets, which lets them show far more detail, from a table flip (β―Β°β‘Β°)β―οΈ΅ β»ββ» to a shrug Β―\_(γ)_/Β―.
Text symbols: is β₯ the same as β€οΈ?
Text symbols such as β₯ β β are Unicode characters that predate emoji. They suit places where a picture would look out of place, like a username, a bio or a document heading.
The plain heart β₯ and the red heart β€οΈ are different characters, but both can switch between text and picture. An invisible marker (a variation selector) after them asks for the emoji picture; without it you may get the text symbol. That is why the same heart can look different from app to app.
Which one should you use?
Emoji are the quickest way to add feeling to a chat. If the other person has an older device, very new emoji may show up as boxes, so a classic emoticon or kaomoji is the safer choice.
For usernames, game IDs and headings, text symbols blend in better than pictures. When you want a big, funny reaction, a sticker does the job.
FAQ
Are emoji and emoticons the same thing?
No. An emoji is a picture character like π that your device draws; an emoticon is a face you type from keyboard characters like :). Many people use the words loosely, but they refer to different things.
Can I copy a sticker as text?
No. A sticker is an image, so you can only send it inside its app or save it as a picture. Emoji, emoticons and kaomoji can be copied and pasted anywhere.
Why does my emoji show up as a box (β‘) for someone else?
Their device does not support that emoji yet, which is common with brand-new ones. It will appear once they update; in the meantime an emoticon is a safe fallback.
Who decides which new emoji are added?
The Unicode Consortium, a standards body, approves new emoji, usually once a year. Anyone can submit a proposal, and each company then draws its own design.