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Did you know that emojis and emoticons were not the same?

Merriam-Webster decodes the difference between the two

Texting has changed the way we use language, and perhaps the most noticeable change is the use of those little icons we now use in place of words to get our messages across. From emotions to food, there is a little icon for almost everything. What do you call the little yellow coloured icons showing emotions? Did you know that if you have been calling them emojis, then you’ve been using the word wrong? Often when we talk about icons expressing emotions, we tend to use the words emoji and emoticon interchangeably. However, Merriam-Webster has revealed that the two words aren’t the same! 

‘Emoticon’ and ‘emoji’ are not etymologically related. While ‘emoticon’ means ‘emotion’ + ‘icon’ — the right word for the little emotion expressing icons on your smartphone’s keyboard, ‘emoji’ means ‘pictograph’ in Japanese. The ‘E’ stands for picture or drawing and ‘moji’ denotes letter and character. Emoticons are expressions of emotions while emojis are used to explain things. So, for example, 😅😂🤣🥲 are emoticons while 🍎🍔⚽🚗 are emojis. Want to know more? Check out the link below!

— Jaismita Alexander