Emoji Guide: The Top 8 Most Popular Emojis Today

Today, it’s evident how the Internet has changed our way of communicating with other people. While words are still used, emojis have become a language of their own and are used by people as a supplement to perfectly express feelings and emotions that words alone cannot convey. Since it was developed, it has shaped our digital interactions and become an irreplaceable part of our lives. Turning people into decoding experts, some find it easy to understand what these little yellow faces with different expressions meant. 

Universally understood, emojis broke through language barriers and are used worldwide. A smiley face is a smiley face, an upside down smiling emoji means sassiness and sarcasm, an angry face depicts anger, and so on – whatever language you speak. It’s essential to note though, that others are specific to certain cultures, such as the onsen emoji that means hot spring and not hot soup or drink, and so on.

Why Do We Love Emojis So Much? 

Although we tend to interpret emojis differently based on our understanding of them which has confused us in some cases, we can’t help but love emojis. Used initially as a creative form of language in text-based communications, these symbols have helped people in expressing themselves much better and imaginatively. One can say that an emoji is more of a compliment rather than a replacement for words.

Its popularity has made it a universal form of language used not only personally, but also in the business setting too – from emails to marketing and more. 

We’ve come to the part where we list down the topmost popular emojis that people used today. Please continue reading to find out what emojis made it to the list. 

1. Face with Tears of Joy

To start the list will be the face with tears of joy emoji, which won Oxford Dictionaries’ “word of the year” back in 2015. It’s the first pictograph to win the said prize, and the reason for its win is it’s the most used emoji worldwide and best represents the mood of 2015. Showing a little yellow face that’s crying with joyful laughter, it is known by many names such as laughing tears and LOL. It best represents an emotion to something funny or embarrassing that you laughed so hard that tears started streaming down your face. 

2. Rolling on the Floor Laughing 

A much more intensive version of the first emoji on the list, the rolling on the floor laughing or ROFL emoji is another popular emoji widely used today. People use it to react to something extremely hilarious as it shows a laughing face crying with a tear from each eye and leaning on its side, expressing hysterical laughter. 

3. Red Heart

Well-known to be the most popular heart emoji, it’s a prominent expression of love and romance. The emoji shows a heart in red color that is used by people to express emotions, such as love, gratitude, happiness, and sometimes, flirtatious feelings. 

4. Thumbs Up

The little yellow hand with its thumbs facing upward is as it is, it indicates approval or praise in digital communications as it is in real life. Also known as the like or yes emoji, the thumbs-up is also one of the most-used emojis today. 

5. Unamused Face

With eyes looking to the side, slightly raised eyebrows, and a frown, the unamused face is widely used by people to express negative feelings such as irritation, unpleasantness, grumpiness, skepticism, and more. Its popularity is due to it being the perfect expression of negative emotions that can sometimes be tricky when expressed through words.

6. Folded Hands 

This emoji showing two yellow hands placed firmly together can sometimes be interpreted as a high-five. However, the real meaning behind this emoji is it’s a way of saying please or thank you or could also mean pleading. The popular interpretation for it is it’s a sign of praying, which is why it’s sometimes called the prayer hands emoji. 

7. Smiling Face with Smiling Eyes

At first glance, the smiling face with smiling eyes looks like the classic smiley face. But upon closer look, the difference is its curved eyes. It’s the perfect alternative to the classic smiley because it also conveys feelings of happiness, joy, and all other positive emotions. 

8. Face Blowing a Kiss

That little yellow face with a winking eye and blowing a kiss, or more precisely a floating heart is called the face blowing a kiss emoji. Although it’s a loving and friendly way of saying goodnight or goodbye, it also conveys romantic or flirty emotions from the sender to the receiver. 

Conclusion

Listed in no order, these are just some of the most popular emojis that people from all over the world are using to express various emotions today. And the list will keep growing as more and more yellow faces with varied expressions and skin colors, including fruits, animals, signs, and more are created. A year from now and we may probably see some changes to the list of popular emojis.

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