Even if you use emojis every day, you probably aren’t using them all properly. From generational differences in the ways we interpret emojis to ambiguous visual representations, double-check to make sure you’re getting these emojis right.
I’ve provided the official Unicode name for each of these emojis to be as specific as possible. Many are casually referred to by a variety of other names, including Apple’s naming convention.
This emoji looks like it’s angry, but that’s not the intended usage. As the official Unicode name suggests, this one is instead expressing triumph after overcoming something difficult. You can use it to represent the euphoria you feel after completing a difficult project at work, beating your personal best in a fitness goal, or similar.
To properly express anger or frustration, try 😡 (pouting face), 😠 (angry face), or 🤬 (serious face with symbols covering mouth).
This is a simple emoji (not an emoticon) that’s useful for showing you agree with something. It’s especially handy as a reaction in Slack, WhatsApp, or similar to acknowledge you’ve seen a message without sending “OK” or another short response.
However, depending on who’s seeing the thumbs-up and the context behind it, this emoji can come across as passive-aggressive. If you send a thumbs-up in response to a long or thoughtful message, it can look dismissive or like you’re trying to end the conversation there.
It’s useful to confirm short messages, but you should respond in kind to longer ones. If you’re worried about a thumbs-up being misinterpreted, try using ❤ (heavy black heart) or 💯 (hundred points symbol) for greater emotion when acknowledging a message.
Outside the emoji world, a skull represents death, danger, or poison. And while this emoji can work for those, today it’s more commonly used to figuratively mean “I’m dead” from laughter, cringe, or frustration.
Like a lot of the emojis discussed here, these revised uses are more common among younger generations. If you need to express death more clearly, try 🪦 (headstone) or ⚰️ (coffin).
This multifaceted emoji has a couple of different ways to interpret it. Some people see it as a high-five, but that’s not the intention. It’s also commonly used to indicate prayer or hopefulness.
Yet another meaning of this emoji is illustrating a common hand gesture to say “please” or “thank you” in Japan. A similar gesture is used in several Southeast Asian countries to express thanks or say hello.
To express praying, you can also use 🛐 (place of worship). And you can combine 🫸 (rightwards pushing hand) and 🫷 (leftwards pushing hand) for a more bombastic high-five.
A common use for this emoji is passing gas, especially when combining it with many of the other face or people emojis. However, as evidenced by its name, this is meant to be a cartoon-style dash cloud.
You can combine it with other emojis, like 🏃 (runner), to show faster movement.
Fun fact: these clouds, used to show fast movement in comics and cartoons, are called “briffits”.
This emoji can be taken at face value to tell someone you’re painting your nails; another simple meaning is to express luxury or indulgence, like when you’re enjoying a day off.
But it goes beyond that. It’s more commonly used now to show an air of indifference, as if you’re taking the time to slow down and paint your nails while something crazy is going on. It communicates sassiness and a “deal with it” attitude.
This upside-down smiley might look like it’s trying to show a playful or silly attitude, but that’s not how most people interpret it. Instead, it’s meant to show passive-aggressiveness or to communicate that a message is sarcastic.
For example, you might say “We’re not going out tonight then 🙃” when you’re upset that someone changed plans at the last minute. Or “Thank goodness it rained on the last day of our trip 🙃”.
When you’re feeling playful or silly, try 😛 (face with stuck-out tongue) instead.
This emoji conveys a complex emotion, and is also easy to confuse with many of the other ones that have sweat or a tear on them. Per its name, it’s meant to convey that you’re upset about something, but are at least glad it’s not worse. It’s meant for mild frustrations, since there are plenty of emojis for stronger feelings.
😓 (face with cold sweat) communicates sadness or pain without the relief the one above conveys. Meanwhile, 😅 (smiling face with open mouth and cold sweat) expresses that you’re uncomfortable asking something or that you’ve just been through a close call.
You likely see this super-popular emoji dozens of times per day. And while its meaning is clear—laughing so hard that you’re crying—the problem with this one is how overused it is. It’s become somewhat like the Comic Sans of emojis, where it’s a cliché because everyone uses it for anything mildly funny.
You can do your part to cut down on emoji overuse by using this one less often. Other emojis offer a range of emotions: 😁 (grinning face with smiling eyes) for something that made you smile, 😆 (smiling face with open mouth and tightly-closed eyes) for general laughter, and 🤣 (rolling on the floor laughing) for uncontrollable cracking up.
With thousands of emojis to choose from, it’s understandable how many of them would become easily misunderstood, pick up additional meanings, or even change over time with visual redesigns. Choosing the right emoji for any situation is easier when you know these common misreadings.
