絵文字
emoji[e̞mo̞ʑi]
The Japanese word for emoji is 絵文字, pronounced emoji.
絵文字 refers to a digital graphic icon.
Meaning: digital graphic icon (noun)
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish 絵文字 from 顔文字 (kaomoji). While 絵文字 refers to colorful graphic icons, 顔文字 refers to text-based emoticons made of punctuation marks, such as (^_^) or (T_T).
How do you pronounce it?
emoji
Did you know?
- Although 'emoji' sounds like 'emoticon', the two words are not related. 絵文字 is a Japanese word and is a false cognate of the English 'emoticon'.
- The world's first set of 絵文字 was created by Shigetaka Kurita in 1999 for the mobile carrier NTT Docomo. He was inspired by weather forecasts and street signs.
- Japanese culture uses 絵文字 and 顔文字 to convey 'kuuki' or 'the air' of a conversation. Because Japanese is a high-context language, these icons act as essential social cues to avoid misunderstandings.
Examples in context
- 顔文字と絵文字の違いを知ってる？Do you know what the difference between an emoticon and an emoji is?This sentence is useful for discussing the distinction between an emoticon and an emoji.Tatoeba #9737655 by small_snow, translation #9737669 by CK
- ビジネスメールに絵文字を使うなんて絶対にしないよ。I would never use an emoji in a business email.This sentence is useful for expressing that one would not use an emoji in a business email.Tatoeba #9737683 by small_snow, translation #9737634 by CK
- トムね、メアリーのメッセージに絵文字で返したんだよ。Tom answered Mary's text with an emoji.This sentence is useful for describing how someone answered a message using an emoji.Tatoeba #9737707 by small_snow, translation #7542332 by CK
- 絵文字 は最近のテクノロジーの一環として広まっていますEmojis have become part of recent technology advancements
- 顔文字 で笑顔を表現するExpress a smile using a kaomoji
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hiyori and Yota are talking about a text message.
- 陽葵 Himariこの絵文字、すごくかわいいね。Kono emoji, sugoku kawaii ne.This emoji is really cute.
- 陽太 Yotaどこで手に入れたの？Doko de te ni ireta no?Where did you get it?
- 陽葵 Himari新しいアップデートで追加されたんだよ。Atarashii appudēto de tsuika sareta n da yo.It was added in the new update.
- 陽太 Yotaいいな、僕も使ってみるよ。Ii na, boku mo tsukatte miru yo.That's nice, I'll try using it too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “emoji” translations and entries 絵文字, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 絵文字, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
