In the contemporary world, people have several ways to express emotions in digital messages. Emojis and emoticons are two of them.
During the conversation, both the emoji and emoticon are used with each other in conduction, but they are quite different from each other.
Key Takeaways
- Emojis are pictorial symbols that represent emotions, objects, or ideas and are designed to be more expressive than emoticons, created using text characters.
- Emojis are available in a wide variety of styles and designs, while emoticons are created using simple text characters such as 🙂 or :(.
- Most modern devices and platforms support emojis, while emoticons may not display correctly on all devices or platforms.
Emoji vs Emoticon
Emoji is a very small image that can be inserted into a text, and it depicts an emotion or idea. It can be found in almost every kind of electronic communication. An emoticon is two or more keyboard characters, especially punctuation marks, that represent human facial expressions like happy or sad.
A small enough image that can be inserted into the text and expresses an idea or emotion is known as an emoji. They are most used in text and email messages and are available in any electronic communication.
An emoticon is made with the help of the keyboard characters (numbers, punctuation marks, letters), which represent human facial expressions.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Emoji | Emoticon |
|---|---|---|
| Interpretation | It is a small graphical image that expresses emotions or ideas. | It is made from keyboard characters to represent a face. |
| Invented | In 1999 | In 1982 |
| Derived | From Japenese | From English |
| Made of | Pre-made faces | Symbols |
| Version | Emoitcon’s advanced version | Precursors to modern emojis |
What is Emoji?
Emoji’s primary function is to fill in emotional cues. Emojis are much like emoticons, but emoticons are a typographic approximation, and emojis are pictures.
Originally, the word emoji originated from a Japanese search for e (picture) and moji (character). The word “emoji”, in a strict sense, refers to pictures that are represented as encoded characters.
In the contemporary world, it has become a large part of popular culture around the world. In 2015, “Tears of Joy emoji” became the word of the year.
If the software fails to support the character, then it will only display a blank space or placeholder icon. So, it is important for the software to explicitly support these characters.
What is Emoticon?
An emoticon is a representation of facial expression by using characters such as letters, punctuation marks, and numbers. It helps to express a person’s mood, reaction, or feelings.
An emoticon is a noun that is a symbol and is used by people to communicate in digital communications. Mostly to form a smiley face, punctuation marks are used to form the mouth and eyes.
In 1986, Japan adopted a special kind of style, namely kaomoji, on ASCII NET. Katakana character set is utilized in it, which helps to understand without tilting head.
Emoticons in communication technology played a significant role. Various devices and applications provide stylized pictures without the usage of text punctuation.
Main Differences Emoji and Emoticon
- Emojis are just like emoticons, but they are available in all kinds of genres, such as animals, expressions, places, and end objects. In contrast, emoticons are a set of ad-hoc symbols that are created using alphanumeric characters.
- Emojis do not use keyboard characters (numbers, punctuation marks, and letters) to be inserted in messages.
Last Updated : 14 October, 2023
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Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
The article presents a clear distinction between emojis and emoticons. Emojis definitely add a new dimension to expressing emotions in digital communication.
I couldn’t agree more. Emojis have revolutionized digital communication.
The article effectively highlights the main differences between emojis and emoticons. It’s truly eye-opening to see how digital symbols have evolved over time.
Absolutely! I think the main differences section is particularly insightful. It’s amazing to see how emojis cover a wide range of genres.
The article does a great job at explaining what emojis and emoticons are and their differences. It’s interesting to see how these digital symbols have evolved over the years.
The comparison table provides a helpful summary of the main differences between emojis and emoticons. This article is very informative.
I completely agree. Emojis have become so popular and are deeply ingrained in our culture.
I’m glad the article discussed the historical and cultural significance of emojis and emoticons. It provides a well-rounded view of these digital symbols.
The historical background on emojis and emoticons is fascinating. The etymology of the word emoji is particularly interesting.
I appreciate the detailed comparison between emojis and emoticons. The references provided also add credibility to the information presented.
The article effectively captures the essence of emojis and emoticons. The details on the primary differences are thought-provoking.
I found the comparison between emoticons and emojis quite illuminating. The historical context provided valuable insights.
Certainly! The article does a remarkable job at encapsulating the evolution and differences between emojis and emoticons.
While emojis are more versatile, emoticons still have their charm. It’s impressive how emoticons were used in communication technology before emojis gained popularity.
Definitely! It’s amazing to see the evolution of digital symbols in communication.
I personally find the origins of emoticons very intriguing. The use of kaomoji in Japan is quite remarkable.