WhatsApp Emoji Meanings: Express Yourself

Reading time11 minutes
Jaqueline Corradi
Jaqueline Corradi
Content Manager

Do you know the WhatsApp emoji meanings? With more than 2 billion users worldwide, WhatsApp has certainly become one of the most important online communication platforms, and emojis are part of daily conversations.

Instead of writing a sentence, one emoji can express what you wish to say. So, you save time and also can express your feelings, but will the person on the other side understand the message? To help with that, it's important to understand the emoji meanings and learn how to use them.

Emojis can be inserted not only in personal conversations on WhatsApp but they can also be included in the messages that are sent by your brand to customers. It can make the conversation funnier, and less formal. Check out the article to know more about it. 

What is A WhatsApp Emoji?

The images shows a thinking face emoji in a smartphone screen

An emoji is a graphic representation that's used to convey an idea, feeling, or emotion. They have been used for a long time on the internet, even before WhatsApp. But this platform has made their popularity grow considerably. 

WhatsApp Emoji Meanings

The image shows several emojis

Do you feel concerned about using the wrong emoji? Worry no more, we are going to help you to understand the WhatsApp emoji meanings. There are hundreds of them, but here are some of the most popular ones: 

Smiley WhatsApp Emoji Meanings 

Classic Smiley Face 🙂

This emoji is probably one of the most known in the world. It's a discreet smile, which often means you are happy or satisfied with a situation. It can be used to give a kinder tone to the WhatsApp message and to be seen as friendly.   

  • To copy:  🙂

Grinning Face With Smile Eyes 😄

This emoji also represents happiness. It's used to convey enthusiasm and show you are really excited. It's often used to greet a friend to show how happy you are to send them a message or to answer when you hear good news, for example. 

  • To copy: 😄

Smiling Face and Rosy Cheeks 😊

The smiling face and rosy cheeks emoji is often used to express happiness when someone receives a compliment. But, it can also entail that you are shy since blushing is considered a sign of that feeling. This emoji gives a good connotation to the message. 

  • To copy: 😊

LOL 😂

The emoji with the smiling face and tears of joy is the representation of LOL (laughing out loud). This is used when you find something really funny, like when a friend sends you a meme or tells you a joke. Instead of writing LOL or any other representation of laughter, you just use the emoji. 

  • To copy:  😂

ROFL 🤣

The ROFL (rolling on the floor laughing) has a similar Whatsapp emoji meaning to the above. But we can describe it as a version where you want to emphasize even more how funny a situation is, and that you are laughing a lot. It gives a stronger connotation to the message, highlighting your emotion.

  • To copy:  🤣

Melting Face 🫠

The melting face emoji is commonly used to express how a situation makes you feel embarrassed, and it's discomforting. This is an emoji that was recently released but has already become popular. 

  • To copy:  🫠

Upside Down Face 🙃

The upside-down face can represent sarcasm. It can be difficult to show you are being ironic through a written message as we don't have the voice intonation to highlight it. So, the emoji helps with that. 

  • To copy: 🙃

Smirking Face 😏

The smirking face has a flirting connotation. For example, when you send a dubious message to someone you are interested in dating. It's like saying "you know what I mean". It expresses second intentions, and that you are suggesting something else. 

  • To copy: 😏

Winking Face 😉

This emoji can be in multiple contexts, and its meaning will vary according to them. It's possible to use it to indicate what you have just said is a lie or to be ironic. Meanwhile, you can send a message to someone you like and insert the winking face to show you are being flirty. 

  • To copy:  😉

Heart-Eyes 😍

The heart eyes emoji means you are enchanted by something. For instance, your friend has just sent you a breathtaking picture, and you answer with this emoji to show how amazed you are by it. You can also use it to express your love for someone. 

  • To copy: 😍

Smiling Face with Floating Hearts 🥰

This emoji usually means you are in love with someone, but it can be used in other situations. You can send it to express how grateful you are for receiving a compliment, to show happiness and affection. It isn't always associated with dating or flirting. 

  • To copy: 🥰

Starry Eyes 🤩

The starry eyes emoji has a similar meaning to the heart eyes, both are used to represent admiration, and how astonished you are. You can use it to express that you find something or someone really special or beautiful and to show you are happily surprised as well. 

  • To copy:  🤩

Shushing Face 🤫

This WhatsApp emoji meaning is related to being discreet and keeping a secret. For instance, you tell your friend something nobody else can know about, and you include this emoji to indicate that. It's like saying you should keep quiet about a subject. However, in some contexts, people may interpret this emoji as telling them to shut up, so be careful when using it. 

  • To copy:  🤫

Rolling Eyes 🙄

Face WhatsApp emoji meanings refer to the expressions we make in real life according to a situation. It's very common to see people rolling their eyes when they are annoyed, bored, or frustrated by something, isn't it? That's exactly what this emoji represents.

  • To copy: 🙄

Teeth Clenching Face 😬

Do you know a fake smile, when you are in an awkward situation and don't know how to react? That's what the teeth-clenching face emoji means. It's used to represent that you are feeling weird and probably put in a difficult situation. 

  • To copy: 😬

Thinking Face 🤔

This emoji is used to express you are reflecting upon a subject or situation. For instance, if someone has just told you something unexpected and you are pondering about it, you can send this emoji. It can also imply that you are feeling in doubt or uncertain. It's similar to saying "hmm…".

  • To copy: 🤔

Face Vomiting 🤮

The vomiting certainly doesn't represent a good thing. It means you are disgusted by a situation and feel bad for it.  People use it to express their repulsion by a thing, or a person, or actually to say they are sick because of food.

  • To copy: 🤮

Woozy Face 🥴

This one normally means you are feeling kind of bad. It's used to refer to when people have drunk too much and are in a hangover. 

  • To copy: 🥴

Face With Crossed-Out Eyes 😵

Imagine the situation, you have just received a message with an unbelievable story, and you are completely surprised. The face with crossed-out eyes emoji is used to express that reaction like you can't believe what you are reading. This emoji is also used to represent that a person is dead. 

  • To copy: 😵

Fearful Face 😱

People use this emoji to express they are feeling horrified, really scared by something or someone. If you look closely the emoji reminds of the painting The Scream, by Edvard Munch, where a person with their eyes and mouth wide open and their hands on the face is depicted as afraid.  

  •  To copy: 😱

Loudly Crying Face 😭

This emoji means sadness. It represents someone who is crying a lot. It can express despair, an unconsolable feeling, and grief. It's completely different from the smiling face with tears of joy where the person is crying because they are happy. This one has the opposite WhatsApp emoji meaning.  

  •  To copy: 😭

Face With Symbols on The Mouth 🤬

It represents a very angry person. It indicates the person is cursing or wants to say bad words. It's used when you feel furious about a situation or someone, but it can be considered rude, depending on who you are talking to. 

  •   To copy: 🤬

Disappointed Face 😞

This emoji is used to express sadness and disappointment. For example, if a friend of yours sent you a message that let you down, that's an emoji that could send to show this emotion. However, it can be used just to say you are unhappy, or unmotivated. 

  • To copy: 😞

Nature Whatsapp Emoji Meanings

Rainbow 🌈

The rainbow emoji is often used as a representation of the LGBTQIA+ community, as the flag has the same colors. It also represents joy and can be inserted into a message to give a more cheerful tone. 

  • To copy: 🌈

Maple Leaf 🍁

One of the main symbols of Canada is the maple leaf. Therefore, this emoji is often used to refer to this country.

  • To copy: 🍁

Rose 🌹

The red rose is a traditional symbol of passion, and it's used in messages to express this feeling. Or, you can send the emoji to represent that you are giving a flower to someone, as a gesture of kindness.

  • To copy: 🌹

Wilted Rose 🥀

In opposition to the red rose, the wilted one symbolizes sadness or disappointment. It's often sent when you wish to say you are feeling down, tired, and without any excitement. For instance, if someone tells you bad news, you can use this emoji to express that it made you feel discontent. 

  • To copy: 🥀

Unicorn 🦄

A mythological creature, the unicorn is often used to express feeling happy and joyful. The emoji is colorful and it can make a message sound lighter. It's related to fairy tales, magic, and being cute. 

  • To copy: 🦄

Heart WhatsApp Emoji Meanings

Red Heart ❤️

A red heart is commonly associated with love and it's used to represent it in illustrations and paintings, for instance. That isn't different with the emoji, it's sent to say you love someone, like your boyfriend or girlfriend, a relative, or a friend. 

  • To copy:  ❤️

Fire Heart ❤️‍🔥

Different from the red heart, which isn't used only to refer to passion, this one means you are in love with someone, and you wish to emphasize that. The flames around the heart show how intense the feeling is. 

  • To copy:  ❤️‍🔥

Broken Heart 💔

Imagine the situation, your girlfriend or boyfriend has just sent you a message that hurt your feelings. The broken heart emoji is used to represent how a person feels in a situation like this, and it's used not only by people who are dating. It can be sent in other contexts when you feel let down by a friend or family member, for example.

  • To copy: 💔

Bandaged Heart ❤️‍🩹

If the emojis are telling a story, and sometimes people use a sequence of them to do that, the bandaged heart would be the symbol that comes after the broken heart. You were hurt and felt sad, but now you are trying to heal your feelings, although you aren't completely fine yet. That's what this emoji means. 

  • To copy: ❤️‍🩹

Activities WhatsApp Emoji Meanings

Jack-O-Lantern 🎃

The famous character, Jack-O-Lantern, represents the Halloween festivities since it has become a symbol of this holiday. You can use this emoji with other ones that are associated with Halloween, like the vampire and zombie ones. 

  • To copy: 🎃

Christmas Tree 🎄

This emoji symbolizes Christmas and it's often used in messages where people wish happy holidays at the end of the year. 

  • To copy: 🎄

Fireworks 🎆

Fireworks are commonly associated with festivities and celebrations, and its emoji is used to express that. For instance, if you have just received great news, you can send this emoji to the person.  It's also used to represent new year's parties. 

  • To copy: 🎆

Party Pooper 🎉

This is another emoji associated with celebrations. It's often used in happy birthday, happy holidays, and congratulations messages. 

  • To copy:  🎉

Confetti Ball 🎊

The confetti ball emoji meaning is practically the same as the party pooper one. Some people use both of them in the same message or you can choose the one you prefer. Once more, it expresses happiness and that you are celebrating something special. 

  • To copy: 🎊

Discover JivoChat Solution for WhatsApp

Do you use WhatsApp for business? JivoChat can help you boost your presence through this messaging app to nurture client relationships and increase sales. You can use JivoChat to create campaigns enriched with customer data, present offers to specific audience segments, and keep your customers updated on the latest news about your products and services.

JivoChat software interface on desktop and mobile

You can keep track of all WhatsApp interactions through the JivoChat app, so you won't miss any important notifications. You will also be able to create customer profiles with their previous interaction history, contact details, and agents' comments.

Choose your Favorite WhatsApp Emojis

Now that you have gotten to know more about the WhatsApp emoji meanings, what about starting to use them more in your messages? Select the ones you like more, they can make the message sound funnier and lighter.

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