Emoji: the story of a language
We use them every day, often without even thinking about it. A smiling face, a red heart, a thumbs-up. Emojis have become an essential part of our digital communication, replacing words, emotional tones, and sometimes even full sentences. From simple visual symbols, they’ve evolved into a truly universal language, capable of crossing linguistic and cultural boundaries.
But when did they actually begin? And who decided that these tiny icons would become the global standard for digital emotions? To answer that, we have to take a step back—to the early days of mobile internet in Japan—and trace a story that mixes technology, pop culture, industry, and a bit of creative genius.
The origins of emojis: from Japan with love
Emojis were created in 1999 in Japan thanks to the vision of Shigetaka Kurita, a designer working at mobile operator NTT DoCoMo. Kurita was developing a set of visual symbols for the new i-mode messaging service, the first mobile internet platform for cell phones.
The idea was simple but revolutionary: to create a series of pixel-based icons that would let users express emotions or concepts without typing full sentences. The original set included 176 12×12 pixel images, such as a heart, a sun, an umbrella, a Japanese bath symbol, and a few smiley faces. These early emoji were inspired by manga, road signs, and traditional Japanese pictograms.
Why do we use these specific emojis?
The emojis we use today come from a global standard defined by the Unicode Consortium, the organization that sets unified codes for digital characters. When emojis started spreading outside Japan, companies like Apple and Google wanted to include them in their operating systems. But to do so, they needed a shared framework—which is why Unicode began assigning them standardized character codes.
Now, every emoji has a name, a universal code, and an approved description. This ensures that regardless of the device or platform, users can see the same symbol and emotion. Tech companies may customize the design, but they can’t change the meaning.
Emoticons vs. emojis: a crucial difference
Before emojis, there were emoticons—born in the 1980s in American universities. They were first used by Scott Fahlman in 1982 with the classic smiley face created from punctuation marks: 🙂 . Emoticons weren’t graphical but were text-based combinations meant to add tone and emotion to informal digital messages.
Emojis are their visual evolution, more intuitive, direct, and cross-cultural. While emoticons relied on user creativity, emojis are standardized and available on every virtual keyboard. This universal codification is what made them explode worldwide.
Curious facts from the emoji world
Some emojis have become cult symbols, pop icons, or even tools for political communication. The eggplant emoji 🍆, for instance, is famous for its ironic and suggestive use—so much so that it’s been banned in certain ad campaigns. The gun emoji 🔫 was also redesigned by Apple in 2016 to look like a toy, in an effort to discourage violent connotations.
There’s even an Emoji Subcommittee, a division of the Unicode Consortium that reviews proposals for new emojis every year. There’s a detailed approval process that requires cultural or social justification for each new icon. That’s how we’ve gotten gender-neutral emojis, accessibility symbols, and pictograms representing specific cultures.
Are emojis the language of the future?
Today, emojis aren’t just decoration—they’re part of our digital grammar. Studies in digital linguistics have shown that they are used consistently, performing clear semantic functions: reinforcing a message, replacing words, or changing tone.
“Emojis are the new punctuation of the digital age”, some researchers say. It’s no surprise that many companies use emoji marketing to build trust and emotional connection, especially with younger audiences. But like any language, emojis evolve, adapt to context, and reflect the social sensitivities of the times.
