1.
emoji, pictographic character
Small pictorial symbols used in digital communication to express emotions, objects, or ideas. Originated in Japanese mobile phone culture in the late 1990s and became a worldwide standard.
絵文字を使ってメッセージを送る。
Send a message using emoji.
このアプリには新しい絵文字が追加された。
New emoji were added to this app.
彼女はメールに絵文字をたくさん入れるので読みにくい。
She puts so many emoji in her emails that they're hard to read.
ETYMOLOGY:
絵 (picture) + 文字 (character). The word was coined in Japan for pictographic characters used on mobile phones in the late 1990s. It has since been borrowed into English and many other languages as "emoji."
USAGE:
In Japanese, 絵文字 can refer both to modern digital emoji and to older pictographic writing systems. In everyday use, it almost always means the digital kind. The related term 顔文字 refers to text-based emoticons like (^_^), which are distinct from 絵文字.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 絵文字を使う: use emoji
- 絵文字を入れる: insert emoji
- 絵文字入力: emoji input
- 新しい絵文字: new emoji