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How to find out what emojis mean on iPhone

Learn what your favorite emojis mean! Follow these simple steps to quickly find out exactly what each emoji means.
How to find the meaning of emojis on your iphone

Emojis are cute! Emojis bless us with a unique way to express everything, from mood swings to monotonous symbols. Interestingly, Apple offers a stunning collection of nearly 3,700 emojis for iPhone and iPad users. While using emoticons is easy, understanding their meanings can be challenging for some.

How to find the meaning of emojis on your iphone

For instance, you must have seen people insert the wrong emojis in messages and give a different meaning to the text. However, the iPhone allows you to find the meaning associated with a particular emoji. Want to know how? Use these easy-to-follow steps to decode the language of emojis.

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2 Ways to find out what emojis mean on iPhone

First, you need to enable Speak Selection and then make the iPhone read the expression out on an emoji-supported app. Follow these simple steps, and you’ll be good to go!

1. Turn on Speak Selection on iPhone

  1. Launch the Settings app โ†’ Tap Accessibility
  2. Choose Spoken Content.  
  3. Toggle on Speak Selection.

    Tap Accessibility click Spoken Content toggle On Speak Selection in Settings

2. Make your iPhone tell you the meaning of emojis

After making the changes in the Settings app, letโ€™s try this feature on an iOS app that supports emojis. We have taken the Notes app as an example here.ย ย 

  1. Open the Notes app โ†’ Open a new note or an existing one.
  2. On your keyboard, tap the emoji icon on the bottom left.
    If you have multiple keyboards installed, you’ll find the emoji icon next to the space bar.

    Tap the emoji icon in keyboard
  3. Insert the emojis of your choice.
  4. Press and hold the emojis until a pop-up menu appears โ†’ Choose Select All.
    If you have entered just one emoji, tap Select.
  5. Tap the arrow appearing on the second pop-up menu that appears.
  6. Keep swiping left until you find and tap Speak.

    Tap Select All tap arrow click Speak in Notes
  7. Now, your iPhone will read aloud the meaning of the emoji you selected.

Top 50 emoji meanings on iPhone and iPad

We have highlighted the most common yet popular iPhone emoji meanings list below. Do check them out.

Emoji SymbolEmoji NameEmoji Meaning
๐Ÿ˜‚Face With Tears of JoyLaughter; Cheerfulness
โค๏ธRed HeartLove
๐Ÿ˜ญLoudly Crying FaceCrying, sadness; Can also mean something is very cute
๐Ÿ˜ŽSmiling Face With SunglassesCool; Sunglasses
๐Ÿ˜Smiling Face With Heart-EyesLove, endearment
๐Ÿ‘Thumbs upOK, understood; Good
๐Ÿ˜ŠSmiling Face With Smiling EyesHappy; Blushing
๐ŸฅถCold FaceCold, freezing
๐Ÿ™Hands Pressed TogetherThanks; High five; Prayer
๐Ÿ™ˆSee-No-Evil MonkeyEmbarrassed, blushing
๐Ÿ˜˜Face Blowing a KissBlowing a kiss; Love
๐Ÿ˜ฑFace Screaming in FearScared; Surprised, shocked
๐Ÿ˜ฌGrimacing FaceUnsure; Tense
๐Ÿ™ŒHands Raised in CelebrationAppreciation
๐Ÿ‘Clapping HandsClapping; Celebration
๐Ÿ”ฅFireApproval, appreciation; Hot
๐Ÿ˜„Beaming Face With Smiling EyesHappiness, joy
๐Ÿ’”Broken HeartSadness; Brokenhearted
๐ŸคฃRolling on the Floor Laughing FaceLaughter; Joy
๐Ÿ‘ŒOK Hand SignUnderstood; Agreement
โ˜น๏ธFrowning FaceSadness; Disappointment
๐Ÿ˜กRed Angry FaceAnger, madness
๐ŸฅฐSmiling Face With HeartsLove; Appreciation
๐Ÿ’ฏHundred Points SymbolExcellent; Understood
๐Ÿ‘€EyesSurprised, shocked; Shifty
๐Ÿ˜ชSleepy FaceTired
๐Ÿ˜žDisappointed FaceUpset, disappointed
๐ŸคฌFace With Symbols Over MouthAngry, distraught
๐Ÿค’Face With ThermometerSick
๐ŸฅบPleading FaceCute, adorable; Admiration
๐ŸคฏExploding HeadMind blown; Shock
๐Ÿ˜Smirking FaceConfident
๐ŸฅตHot FaceHot 
๐Ÿ’€SkullSkull; Laughter
๐Ÿ‘‹Waving HandGreetings, goodbye
๐ŸคกClown FaceFunny
๐Ÿคทโ€โ™‚๏ธ ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™€๏ธMan/Woman ShruggingUncertainty; Indifference
๐ŸŽ‰Party PopperCelebration, excitement
๐Ÿ’•Two HeartsLove
๐Ÿ˜ดSleeping FaceTired
๐Ÿ€Four Leaf CloverLucky
โœ…Check Mark SymbolApproval, understanding
๐Ÿค”Thinking FaceDeep in thought
๐Ÿ˜Neutral FaceIndifference; Unsure; Awkward
๐Ÿ˜•Confused FaceConfused
๐Ÿ˜‰Winking FaceWink; Joking; Cheeky
๐Ÿ˜‡Smiling Face With HaloInnocent
๐Ÿ˜ฎSurprised Face With Open MouthShock, surprise
๐ŸคขNauseated FaceSick, nausea
๐ŸงFace with monocleSuspicious look
๐Ÿซ Melting faceBlushing
๐ŸซถHeart handsDepicts love
๐ŸซกSaluting faceRespect
๐ŸซขFace with open eyes and hand over mouthGiggling
๐Ÿ’ชFlexed BicepStrong

What are the new emojis in iOS 18

Giving a breather to its already vivid emoji collection, Apple is expected to release 7 new emojis in iOS 18. As per the previous launches, the emojis may roll out in iOS 18.3 or 18.4 update. However, you can preview the emojis in the Unicode Consortium.

I know you must be curious to know about the upcoming iOS 18 emojis, so here is a table defining some of the new emoji symbols and names.

Emoji name:

  • Sleepy/tired face with bags under eyes
  • Fingerprint
  • A leafless tree
  • Root vegetable
  • Harp
  • Shovel
  • Splatter
Note These emoji designs are Unicode-provided prototypes only and have not been finalized yet. Apple may refine the final designs to make sure the iOS 18 emoji style is consistent.

Along with these, iOS 18 has also introduced a new feature called Genmoji, which takes emoji customization to the next level. Powered by AI, it allows you to create personalized emojis based on text descriptions. So, you can generate as many creative emojis as you want.

If you are wondering which emojis were last released by Apple, hereโ€™s the list. It includes 118 dynamic emoticons comprising six new concepts and four gender-neutral family emojis. Also, there is a big change in the design of family emojis. You can access these emojis on iOS 17.4 or later.

Emoji Symbol Emoji Name  
โ€๐Ÿฆโ€๐Ÿ”ฅPhoenix 
โ€๐Ÿ‹โ€๐ŸŸฉLime wedge
โ›“๏ธโ€  Broken Chain 
๐Ÿ„โ€๐ŸŸซBrown Mushroom
โ€๐Ÿ™‚โ€โ†”๏ธHead shaking horizontally 
โ€๐Ÿ™‚โ€โ†•๏ธHead shaking vertically 
๐Ÿšถโ€โžก๏ธPerson walking facing right
๐Ÿƒโ€โžก๏ธPerson running facing right
โ€๐ŸงŽโ€โ™‚๏ธโ€โžก๏ธPerson kneeling facing right  
โ€๐Ÿง‘๐Ÿปโ€๐Ÿฆฏโ€โžก๏ธPerson with white cane facing right 
โ€๐Ÿง‘๐Ÿปโ€๐Ÿฆฝโ€โžก๏ธ Person in manual wheelchair facing right
โ€๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿฆผโ€โžก๏ธPerson in motorized wheelchair facing right
๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿง’Family of two adults and child
๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿง’โ€๐Ÿง’Family of an adult and two children
๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿง’Family of an adult and a children
๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿง’โ€๐Ÿง’Family of two adults and two children
๐ŸชฌHamsa Amulet (A blue hand with an eye in the center)
๐ŸชฏKhanda Emblem (symbol of the Sikhism)
๐ŸชˆYellow flute
๐Ÿช‡Maracas
๐ŸชชIdentification card
๐Ÿ›ปPickup truck

Wrapping up

Emojis let you interact and connect with others and add interest to your message. I hope you can easily find the meaning of emojis on your iPhone now and donโ€™t have to worry about messing up with emojis while texting.

So, switch to emoji texting now! And donโ€™t forget to share your favorite emoji in the comments section.

Also read:

Become an iOS 18 Master: Get our exclusive iOS 18 eBook ๐Ÿ“š for FREE when you sign up for our newsletter below.
1 comment
  1. Great tips! I never realized I could just long-press on an emoji for more information. Itโ€™s so helpful for understanding those more obscure emojis. Thanks for sharing!

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