What do emoticons mean? Meaning of emoticons in WhatsApp: in Russian

Sometimes words alone are not enough to express feelings. In such cases, when communicating on social networks, we turn to emoji. Winking “emoticons” and other symbols appeared back in 1999, but they only recently won great love among users. Despite the fact that almost everyone uses them, the meanings of some pictures are not entirely clear.

For example, two palms clasped together can be interpreted in different ways - perhaps they symbolize prayer, but it is also possible that these are two people greeting each other with the words “High Five”. How to understand the meaning of certain emojis? We bring to your attention a few tips that will help you understand the meaning of emoticons on iPhone, iPad and macOS.

Examples of the meaning of emoticons Emoji

Many users mistake this picture for a crying face. In fact, the drop is not a tear, but sweat, meaning relief after the excitement experienced.

Don't be fooled, this is not a nut at all, but a roasted sweet potato.

What appears at first glance to be a pyramid of ping-pong balls is actually a “harvest festival card,” symbolizing a Japanese traditional ceremony performed during the Tsukimi festival.

If you think it's an acorn, you're wrong. It's actually a chestnut.

This picture should not be used as a greeting card as it is nothing more than a bookmark.

This gesture means “OK” and indicates that everything is fine with you.

Raised palms do not mean an appeal to higher powers, but symbolize joy.

This “smiley” means severe irritation and a nervous state. Many users mistakenly use it to express contempt.

What looks like a black cube actually symbolizes the Muslim shrine of the Kaaba located in Mecca.

No, this girl does not have deer antlers growing on her head. They just give her a facial massage.

Often users resort to this picture when they want to express denial of something, but in fact it symbolizes the person at the information board.

This is not a dance move at all, as it may seem, but open arms.

This boy didn't hide or think. Believe it or not, he bows.

A smiley face without a mouth symbolizes silence. However, it is often used to express confusion, even fear, and is sometimes used as a "Kolobok" character.

You might think it's fire, but it's actually a name badge.

This sign is not a fancy image of a house at all, but a symbol of anger.

The picture below appeared with the release of iOS 10.2. Some people might see a glass of whiskey here, but in reality it's just a glass.

This symbol does not mean ordinary laughter, but hysterical laughter, when the laugher literally rolls on the floor.

This image can be interpreted as both a jellyfish and an umbrella, but Apple believes that this is what the oriental furin bell looks like, ringing in the wind.

Do not confuse this symbol with the panic button. It's actually a trackball.

You shouldn’t look for hidden meaning in this sign, because it’s just a hole.

It may seem that this guy is none other than the legendary Ziggy Stardust performed by British artist David Bowie. Despite the similar makeup, this is just a symbol of any singer.

How to independently find out the meaning (determine the meaning) of emoji on iPhone

Finding out the meaning of an emoji on an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch is very easy. Using the function Pronunciation you can “force” iOS to explain out loud what this or that picture means.

1 . On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to " Settings", select "About main» -> « Universal access» -> Speech -> Pronunciation).

2 . Write a message and insert an emoji.

3 . Place the cursor next to the Emoji emoticon whose meaning you want to find out and click on the screen until a menu with actions appears.

Click " Choose", after which the emoji will be highlighted, and then select the option " Talk"and the voice assistant will read aloud the meaning of the emoticon in Russian.

What does this or that Emoji mean? Many people ask this question because it is not always clear what a smile means. Emoji with two hands together, for example. What does this emoticon mean? Is it two people giving each other a high five? Or is it someone praying? If you sometimes doubt what an Emoji means, then we have prepared some tips that will help you answer this question.

How to Find Out What an Emoji Means on Your Mac

There are several ways to find out the meaning of an emoji smiley on your Mac.

The first method is quite simple:

Step 1: In the Messages app on your Mac, tap an emoji to open the Emoji keyboard.

Step 2: Find the emoji whose meaning you want to know.

Step 3: Hover your cursor over an Emoji and after a couple of seconds, you will see a tooltip with a description of this smiley.

Second way:

Step 1: In any application, go to Menu Bar > Edit > Emoji Icons and Symbols (or Special Characters in some versions of OS X). This will bring up a window with all the symbols present on your computer.

Step 2: Select Emoji in the left sidebar.

Step 3: Select the Emoji whose meaning you want to know and click on it.

Step 4: On the right side, you will be presented with the meaning of this Emoji.

Find out what Emoji means using iPhone

If on a Mac you can easily find out what a smiley emoji means, then on an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch it is more difficult. We're going to use the feature to say the name of the emoji out loud.

Please note that for some reason, this feature is not available on iOS 9, but it still works on older versions of iOS. It is not known why Apple removed this feature, it may have been a mistake and they will be bringing it back in the future.

Step 1: On your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, go to menu Settings > General > Accessibility > Speech and turn it on Pronunciation.

Step 2: Create a new email or note and insert the Emoji whose meaning you want to know.

Step 3: Select an emoticon and select “Say” in the menu. Siri will say the name and symbol of the emoji.

Use the Emoji Dictionary app

There are many apps on the App Store that have emoji descriptions, but one of the simplest and free apps is Emoji Dictionary. Download the app and see the meaning of your favorite Emoji. Unfortunately, this app hasn't been updated since January 2015, so the Emoji list is a bit out of date. For example, it does not include the latest Emoji, .

It's no secret that in the modern world there is not a person who does not know what an emoticon is. Perhaps many will be interested in how these funny symbols came into being. And it will probably be interesting to decipher the emoticons and what exactly they mean.

What is a smiley?

Let's start with the definition itself. From English smiley is translated as “smiling”. Thus, emoticons are stylized, schematic images. They are especially popular in online correspondence and SMS messages.

Traditionally, the smiley looks like a yellow circle, inside of which there are dotted eyes and a black arc indicating the mouth. The computer version looks almost the same. The only difference is the presence of a hyphen, which is located between the eyes and mouth and indicates the nose. True, recently the abbreviated form, without a line in the middle, has been used quite often. Today, the meaning of emoticons depends on the location of the arc and many other nuances.

When did emoticons appear?

Most sources claim that the smile was first drawn by Harvey Bell at the request of one of the insurance companies. The company wanted their logo to be not only memorable, but also to inspire confidence in those who wish to use the company's services. The artist received a fee of $50 for this logo. Then many clients wondered: what do the emoticons on the badges of the company’s employees mean?

But the real birthday of this funny sign is September 19, 1982. It was then that Scott Fahlman proposed introducing a new symbol into the computer lexicon. The professor suggested denoting a smile using a colon, a hyphen and a closing parenthesis. This designation, according to scientists, was supposed to show that the message is humorous in nature and should not be taken seriously. This is how its computer version appeared.

Why are emoticons needed?

Having learned how emoticons appeared, you probably thought, why are they needed? Have you ever asked yourself what a normal conversation consists of? Is it only from words? Of course not. In communication, we take into account not only words, but also intonation, gestures, and especially the facial expressions of the speaker.

But how can you convey all this in correspondence and make it not so dry? Show another person that you are sad or laughing, crying or joking? In fact, no way. Unless using emoticons.

We need these funny signs precisely in order to convey our feelings and sensations when the interlocutors do not see each other. Using them, you don’t need to write long explanations; just write or draw a smiley face, and everything becomes clear. They replace our intonation and facial expressions, and it has become simply necessary to use them when communicating on the Internet. If you and your interlocutor know what emoticons mean, then the conversation becomes much brighter and more interesting.

Rules for using emoticons

It would seem that the use of emoticons does not require the author to know any rules. But is it? Let's look at some tips from Internet regulars.

First of all, they note that you cannot use emoticons without “eyes.” That is, you should write: :), and not just).
Secondly, you should not use multiple parentheses. This may indicate that a person has multiple chins.
Thirdly, it is noted that the “nose” part, that is, the dash, can always be skipped.
Fourthly, the emoticons themselves cannot be sculpted close to the text. There should be a space between the last word and the “smile”.
In addition, it replaces a period, so you don’t have to think about whether to put a punctuation mark after or before the smiley.
Also, many advise refraining from using rare and obscure emoticons. Not everyone can understand their meaning.
You should also not use a lot of monotonous “smiles” at the end of a sentence or message. One or two will be enough. You should know when to stop even when expressing emotions.

Smileys and their decoding

Probably each of us is interested in the meaning of symbols to indicate feelings. After all, knowing what emoticons mean, we can use them correctly. Here are some examples:

:-) :) - these two emoticons mean a smile;
:(:-(- are used to indicate sadness;
=) =-) - these combinations express joy;
:> :-> - this is how they smile or giggle on the Internet;
:) :-) - and this is how sarcasm is expressed;
;) ;-) - if you want to wink at your interlocutor, select one of these options;
:-F - with this emoticon you can kiss your interlocutor;
:S:- S - expresses embarrassment;
>:(- these combinations express anger;
~:0 - these emoticons express horror;
@-->--- is a rose that you can give to your interlocutor.

Of course, this is not a complete list of emoticons used. There are quite a lot of them, some of them are quite difficult to understand without knowing their decoding. But in this article we have presented the most common ones.

Well, now you know what emoticons mean and how to use them correctly. You also know the history of their origin, although it should be noted that almost every second American credits himself with the idea of creating emoticons. But we have given the most reliable and well-known versions. You also learned how common emoticons are deciphered. We hope you found this article helpful.

This icon is called differently: we have an inverted smiley face or an inverted emoji, they have an upside down emoji, silly emoji, etc. One way or another, everyone is already accustomed to the correct orientation of emoticons on the screens of our smartphones, tablets and computers.

However, if you suddenly want to send someone an inverted emoticon, then on the Internet you can easily find a couple of applications with which, let’s say, you can more meaningfully convey feelings and emotions in electronic correspondence.

Such programs are especially useful when you urgently need to compose a more interesting message, demonstrating to the addressee your personal originality, sense of humor and other intellectual power.

Manufacturers and developers understood the importance of this kind of software solutions relatively long ago and very correctly. Therefore, iPhone, iPad and even Mac users do not even need to look for anything (much less buy separately), since the iOS 9.1 and OS X El Capitan operating systems are initially equipped with an extensive emoji catalog.

In mobile devices with Android 6, the stock of ready-made emoticons is also no worse; they are also available on social networks, for example on Twitter, Instagram or Yelp.

On the other hand, the upside-down emoticon somehow gets lost in all the current emrji riot. In the sense that it exists, but in undeservedly limited quantities. Again, if you wish, you can find a suitable program for flipping emoticons, too.

But in the standard emoji catalogs of the same iOS and Android, the flip option is not yet provided. Bye…

How and where to find an upside down emoticon in a regular set?

Of course, this will depend on the model of the mobile device. For example, on an iPhone, when composing a new message, open the Emoji keyboard (if it is not enabled, then: “Settings” -> “General” -> “Keyboard” -> “Keyboards” -> “Emoji”) by simply clicking on the smiley icon.

And since there is no built-in emoji search in iOS yet, we search for an inverted smiley “manually”, flipping through the entire catalog.

At first, this activity is very reminiscent of some kind of quest, but with experience you will still learn how to find the right icon. In iOS 9 and OS X 10.11.1, the "upside down face" is located in the " Emoticons and people "(Smileys & People), third row, third smiley from the top. By the way, you won’t be able to change the color of an upside-down emoticon—there is no such option. But it can be sent in messages, it is also displayed on Facebook, Twitter and other applications.

What does the upside down smiley mean? Well, officially no specific meaning has been assigned to this emoticon yet and you can use it depending on the situation. True, in Emojipedia there is already a brief mention of it with the following content: “ A face that is upside down depicts stupidity and stupidity «.

Hello, dear readers of the blog site. Not so long ago, we discussed in some detail the topic of using emoticons on the VKontakte social network. The main codes of Emoji emoticons were also given there (about a thousand - for all occasions). If you have not yet read that publication, I strongly recommend that you do so:

What do text emoticons made up of symbols mean?

Let's continue to study the meanings of the most common options writing certain emoticons using ordinary (non-fancy) symbols. Ready? Well, then let's go.

Initially they became widespread, i.e. lying on their side (see the above examples of laughing and sad faces). Let's see what other combinations you might encounter on the Internet and what they mean (how to decipher them).

Indication of emotions by emoticon symbols

Joy or smile 🙂 is most often depicted using the symbols: :) or :-) or =)
Uncontrollable laughter 😀 (equivalent to the expression: :-D or :D or)))) (under-smile used mainly in RuNet)
Another designation for laughter, but more like mockery 😆 (equivalent): XD or xD or >:-D (schadenfreude)
Laughter to tears, i.e. what does the “tears of joy” emoticon mean 😂: :"-) or:"-D
Insidious grin 😏: ):-> or ]:->
A sad or sorrowful emoticon 🙁 has text meanings: :-(or =(or:(
Symbolic designation of a very sad smiley 😩: :-C or:C or (((((again, a variant of the under-smiley)
Mild displeasure, confusion or puzzlement 😕: :-/ or:-\
Strong anger 😡: D-:
Text designation of the neutral attitude emoticon 😐: :-| either: -I or._. or -_-
The symbolic meaning of the admiration emoticon 😃: *O* or *_* or **
Decoding the emotion of surprise 😵: :-() either:- or: -0 or: O or O: either o_O or oO or o.O
Options for what an emoticon of great surprise or bewilderment can mean 😯: 8-O
either =-O or:-
Disappointment 😞: :-e
Fury 😠: :-E or:E or:-t
Confusion 😖: :-[ or %0
Sullenness: :-*
Sadness: :-<

Meaning of text emoticons emotional actions or gestures

What does a winking smiley mean in text-symbolic form 😉: ;-) or;)
Sad joke: ;-(
Happy joke: ;-)
Options for designating a crying emoticon 😥 or 😭: :_(or:~(or:"(or:*(
Joyful crying (means “tears of joy” emoticon 😂): :~-
Sad cry 😭: :~-(
Angry cry: :-@
Kiss in text notation 😚 or 😙 or 😗: :-* or:-()
Hugs: ()
To show your tongue (means to tease) 😛 or 😜: :-P or:-p or:-Ъ
Mouth shut (means shh) 😶: :-X
It makes me sick to my stomach (denoting nausea): :-!
Drunk or embarrassed (meaning either “I’m drunk” or “you’re drunk”): :*)
You are a deer: E:-) or 3:-)
You're a clown: *:O)
Heart 💓:<3
Text designation of the “rose flower” emoticon 🌹: @)->-- or @)~>~~ or @-"-,"-,---
Carnation: *->->--
Old joke (meaning button accordion): [:|||:] or [:]/\/\/\[:] or [:]|||[:]
Krezi (means “you’ve gone crazy”): /:-(or /:-]
Fifth point: (_!_)

What do horizontal (Japanese) symbolic emoticons mean?

Initially, it so happened that most of the text emoticons that were invented and became widespread had to be deciphered as if “tilting the head to the side.” However, this is not entirely convenient, you will agree. Therefore, over time, their analogues began to appear (also typed from symbols), which did not require virtually or actually tilting the head to the side, because the image created by the symbols was located horizontally.

Let's consider, what do the most common horizontal text emoticons mean?:

(joy) is usually indicated: (^_^) or (^____^) or (n_n) or (^ ^) or \(^_^)/
in symbols denoted as: (<_>) or (v_v)
The following symbols mean different things: (o_o) or (0_0) or (O_o) or (o_O) or (V_v) (unpleasant surprise) or (@_@) (meaning “You can be stunned”)
Emoticon meaning: (*_*) or (*o*) or (*O*)
I'm sick: (-_-;) or (-_-;)~
Sleeping: (- . -) Zzz. or (-_-) Zzz. or (u_u)
Confusion: ^_^" or *^_^* or (-_-") or (-_-v)
Anger and rage: (-_-#) or (-_-¤) or (-_-+) or (>__
What does fatigue mean: (>_
Jealousy: 8 (>_
Distrust: (>>) or (>_>) or (<_>
Indifference: -__- or =__=
This emoticon text expression means: (?_?) or ^o^;>
Value close to: (;_;) or (T_T) or (TT.TT) or (ToT) or Q__Q
What does winking mean: (^_~) or (^_-)
Kiss: ^)(^ either (^)...(^) or (^)(^^)
High five (means friend): =X= or (^_^)(^_^)
Carrot Love: (^3^) or (*^) 3 (*^^*)
Apology: m (._.) m
Greedy emoticon: ($_$)

Naturally, on many blogs and forums it has long been possible to add emoticons in the form of pictures (from ready-made sets), but many still continue to use text emoticons, because they have already gotten their hands on this and there is no need to find the right one in the catalog picture.

If you want to know what this or that set of characters that is a text emoticon means, write about it in the comments. Maybe the whole world will figure it out...

Good luck to you! See you soon on the pages of the blog site