From ghosts to ramen: every Japanese-themed emoji explained

In 1999, Japanese artist and interface designer Shigetaka Kurita worked with the development team of i-mode, an early mobile Internet platform from Japanese telecom operator NTT Docomo. The service allowed only 250 characters to be entered. So the team is looking to develop A clever and concise way to convey information. Kurita drew a set of small sketches using a 12×12 pixel grid, which became the original 176 emojis.

According to the Unicode Consortium, more than 92% of online users worldwide currently use emojis. As of the September 2023 Unicode 15.1 update, there are 3,782 standard emojis.

The word “emoji,” though often mistakenly thought to have evolved from the word “emoticon,” is actually a Japanese word. Broken down, its kanji characters—”絵文字”—translate to “picture” (絵) + Characters (text). Due to the origins of emoji and their long history in Japan, there are many emojis that depict Japanese symbols, food, and festivals. But these emojis are often overlooked due to their specific cultural tendencies. Here is a complete breakdown of all 50 current Japanese emojis and their meanings.

Smiley faces and characters

1. Ogre: This ogre is actually a themOni are generally evil creatures in Japanese mythology. They are similar to ogres, demons, and trolls.

2. Kimono: “Kimono” means “something to wear” and generally refers to the traditional Japanese clothing.

3. Goblin: This emoji is Tengu Mask. Tengu is a bird-like supernatural creature in Shintoism.

nature

4. Pine tree decoration: Kadomatsu Are traditional Japanese New Year decorations. They are made of bamboo and placed in front of houses and buildings to welcome the ancestral spirits.

5. Tanabata Tree: During the Chinese Valentine’s Day, people write their wishes on colorful papers and hang them on bamboo wishing trees.

FOOD

6. Steaming bowl: The rim of the ramen bowl is decorated with traditional red superior Lightning pattern.

7. Sushi: Most sushi emojis show salmon and tuna Nigiri Sushibut some platforms will show MakiOr maki sushi.

8. Bento Box: A bento is a packaged meal that is sometimes served in a lacquerware container. Since it varies slightly from platform to platform, it’s interesting to see what food is in each bento emoji. Commonly there’s rice and pickled plums, sushi, and vegetables.

9. Rice Balls: one Rice Ball or Swimmer It is a triangular rice ball that can be filled with various fillings and has a piece of seaweed at the bottom for easy access.

10. Rice Cake: There are several types of Senbeior rice crackers. This is Nori Senbei, It is coated with soy sauce and wrapped in seaweed.

11. Swirl Fish Cake: This is Mingmu,A sort of Fish cake The fish cake has a distinctive pink swirl that resembles the swirl of Naruto from Tokushima Prefecture. Naruto is a common topping for ramen.

12. Oden: Oden It is a stew that usually consists of fish cakes, tofu, boiled eggs and Konjac Yam cakes stewed in broth.

13. Dumpling: Dumpling Are sweet dumplings made from glutinous rice flour. Emoji dango is a Hanami DangoThis is a popular three-color variant during cherry blossom season.

14. Sake: Sake – or more precisely, Japanese state — is an alcoholic beverage made from rice, usually served in a ceramic cup Decouli Bottles and matches chalk cup.

Travel and Places

15. Bullet Train: The world’s first high-speed train, the 0 Series Shinkansenintroduced in 1964. While designs vary, the emoji is usually white with blue accents – matching the original Shinkansen.

16. Tokyo Tower: Standing at 333 meters tall, Tokyo Tower is the second tallest building in Japan. This emoji is often mistaken for the Eiffel Tower, which was the inspiration for the design of Tokyo Tower.

17. Japan Post Office: What makes this emoji Japanese The symbol for the post office is 〒, which is the Japanese postal symbol.

18. Love Hotel: This emoji is often mistaken for a cute hospital with a big pink heart, but the “H” actually stands for “hotel.” Love Hotels A love hotel is a place where couples can rent a place by the hour. Although this type of hotel exists all over the world, the term “love hotel” originated in Osaka.

19. Shrine: red Torii Door The shrine is an iconic symbol of the religion. The gate marks the boundary between the secular world and the sacred world.

20. Hot Springs: You can find this symbol everywhere, and it represents steam rising from water. spa In Japan, it is used to indicate hot springs on maps.

21. Map of Japan: Japan also has two emoji flag options and is the only country to have its outline depicted in the designated emoji map.

22. Moon-viewing Ceremony: This emoji represents the Moon Viewing Festival, a mid-autumn festival in Japan. During the festival, people admire the full moon. Festival traditions include decorating homes with decorations made from Japanese pampas grass and eating dango, a white food that matches the full moon.

Object

23. Carp streamer: Koinohori It’s to celebrate Children’s Day in May.

24. Japanese Doll: To celebrate March Hina FestivalOn the day of the Hinamatsuri, every household places a multi-layered altar of dolls, symbolizing the imperial family of the Heian period. These dolls are called Hina Doll.

25. Confetti Balls: This device that releases confetti is a Cut Jade,A sort of Nanyu A decorative ball that, during large celebrations, splits open in the middle to release confetti and streamers. Often seen at graduations, holidays, company inaugurations, and anniversaries.

26. Japanese Yen Banknotes: The emoji library includes four currencies: US dollar, euro, pound sterling, and yen.

27. Red Paper Lanterns: Akachochin Lanterns like this are common outdoors Izakaya. Akachochin Hanging outside a venue usually means that the venue serves alcohol.

28. Wind Chimes: Wind Chimes This is a common Japanese glass wind chime in summer. Wind chimes were originally used as amulets to ward off evil spirits, so they can be seen in many shrines and temples.

29. Mailbox: These mailboxes depict the red mailboxes of Japan Post.

symbol

30. Flower Poker: This is a photo from Injuried Poker. It represents the harvest moon.

31. White Flower: This emoji echoes Hanamaru A stamp used by Japanese teachers to mark high marks. It says The rest of the warmeaning “well done”.

32. Currency Conversion: The currency exchange emoji usually represents the US dollar and the Japanese yen.

33. Yen Rising Chart: The chart shows that the yen is trending upwards, a trend not seen recently as the yen recently fell to a 37-year low.

34. Japanese “Here” Button: The features of this emoji are size (“here”) is written in Katakana.

️35. Japanese “Service Fee” button: This emoji has Katakana exist for Sabisuor services.

36. Japanese “Acceptable” button: This Chinese character is pronounced this It means “may pass” or “allow”.

️37. Japanese “Free” Button: This is the first character of the word eatwhich means “free.” This Chinese character also means “nothing,” and in some cases, can mean that something is not available.

38. Japanese “Not Free” Button: This emoji usually means that something requires payment or a fee. This featured character also means “to exist” or “to have,” and can indicate that a business provides a service or item.

39. Japanese “Vacancy” button: This Chinese character means “empty” or “vacant” and is often used to indicate the vacancy of a hotel or parking lot.

40. Japanese “No seats available” button: Opposite to the Japanese “empty” button, this kanji means “full.” You’ll also see it combined with the cherry blossom emoji, which represents the blossom.

41. Japanese “Apply” button: This Chinese character is Shin exist Rising Star, It means “to apply for” or “to request”. It is often used in contexts such as job applications and friend requests. This character also represents the monkey in the Chinese zodiac, so you may also see it used in monkey-related posts.

42. Japanese “Open for Business” button: This Chinese character is No exist British Bankmeaning “open for business” or “operating.” In addition to indicating that a business is currently open, it is also often used to indicate the hours a business is open.

️43. Japanese “Monthly Amount” button: This Chinese character can mean both “月” and “月”. It is often used to represent the month of a date, as well as the moon.

44. Japan’s “Bargain” Button: This Chinese character is minewhich means “special.” This emoji often indicates a special offer or promotion.

45. Japan’s “Secret” Button: This Chinese character is Hellothe first Chinese character in the word Ice Light, It means “secret”.

46. ​​Japanese “Congratulations” button: This Chinese character means “celebration” and “congratulations.” It can also mean a public holiday.

47. Japanese “Passing Score” Button: This Chinese character means “to fit”, “to connect” or “to suit”. It is often used as Pentagonwhich means “through”. This is what everyone wants to Re-study (Entrance exam) season.

48. Japanese “Discount” button: This Chinese character means “proportion,” “division,” or “split.” It often appears in words related to discounts and price cuts.

49. Japanese “Block” button: This Chinese character is relativesmeaning “prohibition” or “ban”.

️50. Japanese “Save” button: This Chinese character can be read as Jade Penmeaning finger. It also means “to indicate,” “to designate,” and “to point to.” It can indicate a direction, or indicate that something has been set aside for a specific use.

As you become more familiar with these culture-specific emojis, keep in mind that emojis, like language, are constantly evolving and their meanings can change over time. Also, context is crucial — these emojis can mean different things depending on how they’re used. These are just the basics for understanding the origins of emojis in Japanese culture. Now, go enjoy them!

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