What does the Japanese word “emoji” literally mean?

The Japanese word “emoji” literally means “picture character.” It combines e, meaning “picture,” with moji, meaning “character.”

The term describes small pictorial symbols used in electronic communication. Although emoji are now associated with smartphones and social media, the word existed in Japan before emoji became globally popular.

Emoji are different from emoticons, which use ordinary keyboard characters such as :-) or <3 to suggest a face or feeling. Emoji are encoded pictographic characters, while emoticons are combinations of letters, numbers, and punctuation.

The English word was borrowed from Japanese and is not derived from the English word “emotion,” despite their similar appearance. Modern emoji can represent faces, objects, animals, food, activities, symbols, flags, and people.