5 Most Popular Emojis Which Everyone Understands

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Online chats are incomplete without emojis. And when we say that, we mean by it. People can judge you or maybe perceive you as a rude person if you’re not a fan of using emojis when you’re in conversation with them. We use emojis to express our feelings or to paint out our louder expressions to the person or your group of friends, whether on Discord, WhatsApp, or any other platform. In terms of emojis, they come in all shapes and sizes, either as regular emoji faces or as hand gestures and other objects that are the successors of primary emojis.

But how did the use of emojis start? How did their evolution happen? And most importantly, what are the five most popular emojis which anyone can understand and relate to today? Everything is covered here.

EMOJIS: THEIR SIGNIFICANCE AND HOW THEY CAME TO BE USED

Although emojis date back to millennials, their use is rapidly growing. The last decade has seen Gen Z rock the use of emojis. In today’s era, you might be surprised to know that more than 90% of people in their daily conversations use at least one emoji, and the percentage and frequency of using emojis is even higher in the newer generation. As indicated by a recent study on emojis, Gen Z considers the crying laughing face emoji as outdated because their parents often use it and instead prefer using the skull or crying face emojis to express amusement.

THE FIVE MOST POPULAR EMOJIS THAT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS

Let’s talk about the five most popular emojis of all time! But do you ever wonder what are those emojis that are so popular and hold a universal language in the realm of the digital world? No more guessing works, as our team has dug into the matter, and our research might surprise you! So, let’s unveil the top five!

1. THUMBS UP SIGN

Who would have thought that thumbs up is not only a basic sign that everyone understands is the most popular emoji? This bland emoji is, in fact, used as an expression of okay, in showing an agreement, or encouragement in digital communications, not only in Western cultures, but you would be surprised to know that the use of this emoji has been popular in the Eastern world too. Historically, thumbs up were used by English archers preparing for battle as a signal that everything was in order and they were ready for battle. But its meaning today has changed as it shows signs of positivity or acceptance as an emoji.

2. FACE WITH TEARS OF JOY (AKA THE LAUGHING EMOJI)

A face with tears of joy is, in fact, a very popular and one of the most universally understood emojis. It gives a surreal expression of hilarious, reacting to something very funny or entertaining. Not only it’s now popular in this meme-celebrating era, but it has always been very popular and the most used and well-understood emoji, even in the era when the use of emojis just started. This emoji’s history dates back to the 1990s when two Japanese companies, NTT DoCoMo and Softbank, created this emoji. Considering its massive popularity, it was later added to Unicode6.0 in late 2010. It was sourced from the SoftBank Mobile and au by KDDI emoji sets.

3. HUGGING FACE EMOJI

The hugging face is the universal emoji for all the couples out there. A huggling face is an excellent emoji to depict care and love support, meaning you’re there for that somebody, and you’ve got them covered. This emoji makes much more sense than the heart and heart in the eyes emoji. A friendly face reaching out to you with both arms like they’re hugging you; what would be a better way than this to show your empathy and emotional support to your friends in the digital world? So, this emoji also comes in third place, according to our team’s research. This emoji is relatively new (it was added in Unicode 8.0, and it was made only thinking about teenagers. It came out alongside other popular emojis. One of the earliest implementations of this emoji was on Microsoft’s MSN Messenger, all the way back to 2008!

4. SMILING FACE WITH HEART-SHAPED EYES EMOJI

Next in our list of top fives is the most likable emoji among Gen Z and Gen Alpha, a smiling face with a twist of heart-shaped eyes. Instead of a regular smiling emoji and a heart emoji, this emoji represents a combination of both. Whenever someone uses it, it means describing their extreme liking towards something or someone. This emoji is one of those emojis with which the young generation can vibe and relate to. A smiling face with heart-shaped eyes is trendy; anyone can easily understand it. Speaking of its origin, well, the original version from Japanese carriers dates back to 1999, when Apple introduced it in its early, limited-release emoji implementation in Japan. In 2010, Unicode 6.0 approved Smiling Face with Heart-Eyes for use on various modern platforms.

5. PERSON WITH FOLDED HANDS EMOJI

This emoji has a rather region-based meaning but is celebrated worldwide on social media. In essence, this emoji was inspired by Japanese culture, showing two hands placed firmly together to express thanks. But in Western culture, this emoji is often looked upon as giving someone a high five, or in some Southeast countries, it often depicts a sign of praying. So it is, in fact, a very popular emoji, and its meaning is relative based on the region you’re from. First appearing in 2008, the folded hand emoji has evolved since then. Featured in iOS 2.2 in 2008, the folded hand emoji featured a burst of light. In the iOS 8.3 update 2015, the light behind the folded hands emoji was removed. Additionally, different versions depend on whether you use an Apple, Android, or Microsoft device.

CONCLUSION

So this was our list of well-sorted five most popular emojis everyone understands. Emojis are a great way of communicating your thoughts and emotions. Not everything can be expressed through words, and emojis are just their acting as our saviors in heated debates and long conversations with our friends.