Emoji Meanings

Short, plain-English guides to what smileys and emoji mean, where they came from, and how to use them without being misunderstood. Looking up one specific emoji? whatdoesthissymbolmean.com has a page for each of the most-searched ones.

• A Short History of the Smiley Face
  From Harvey Ball's 1963 yellow button to Scott Fahlman's :-) in 1982 and the first emoji in 1999, here is how the smiley face took over the world.
• Angel and Halo Smileys: Meanings and Uses
  Angel and halo smileys mean 'I'm innocent', sometimes sincerely, often with a wink. Learn what 😇 means, the O:-) emoticon, and when to use animated angels.
• Forum Smiley Etiquette: How to Use Smileys Well
  Use forum smileys to show tone, not to replace words. Practical etiquette tips on how many to post, which to avoid, image size, and respecting board rules.
• How to Embed a GIF in a Forum Post
  How to post an animated GIF on a forum with BBCode [img] and [url] tags or HTML <img>, plus direct links, hotlinking etiquette and image size.
• Laughing Emoji Compared: 😂 vs 🤣 vs 😆 vs 😄
  How do 😂, 🤣, 😆, 😄, 😁 and 😅 differ? Compare the laughing emoji side by side with official names, code points and when each one fits best.
• Popcorn Emoji Meaning: What 🍿 Means in Chat
  The popcorn emoji and popcorn smiley mean 'I'm watching this drama unfold and enjoying it'. Learn when to use 🍿, when not to, and the animated alternative.
• Sleep and Goodnight Emoji: What Each One Means
  The meanings of 😴 💤 😪 🥱 🌙 and other sleep and goodnight emoji, with official names, code points and tips for choosing the right bedtime sign-off.
• Smileys vs Emoticons vs Emoji: What's the Difference?
  Emoticons are typed from punctuation, emoji are Unicode picture characters, and smileys are any smiling face, animated GIFs too. Here's how they differ.
• Weather Emoji: Meanings, Names and Code Points
  A guide to weather emoji like ☀️ ⛅ 🌧️ ❄️ and 🌈: their official names, Unicode code points and versions, plus how people use them to describe moods.