How to use all the face emojis – and what they REALLY mean
EMOJIS are a great way to make sure your message comes across right but sometimes their meanings are not clear.
With Apple releasing new emojis regularly, it can be difficult to keep track of which ones to use and which to avoid.
What do different smiley emojis mean?
According to Emojipedia, each of these smiley face icons has a very different meaning…
Grinning face
Meaning
A simple grinning face can be used to convey good cheer and humour. It is a baseline emoji that can be used to respond to most happy situations.
Use
This face could be used to represent a humorous turn of events, goodwill or a cheeky joke.
Grinning face with big eyes
Meaning
The open eyes of this emoji are often used to show excitement and happiness.
Use
This is used to respond to good news that might also be exciting or surprising.
Grinning face with smiling eyes
Meaning
This emoji has its mouth is wide open with eyes squeezed shut. Its expression laughs loudly, cheerfully and heartily - but it has a surprising second meaning.
Use
Some people use this face to express happiness and laughter, while others select it as a sarcastic expression, as if to say "Yeah, great!" in an obviously insincere way.
Beaming face with smiling eyes
Meaning
Similar to the smiling character above, this little yellow face expresses warm feelings, happiness and good nature.
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Use
You're not rolling on the floor in fits of giggles, but you're laughing and sharing a toothy grin with the recipient.
Grinning squinting face
Meaning
With a broad smile and scrunched-up eyes, this one is used to let someone know you're excited about something.
Use
When you're messaging a friend or loved one about a thrilling upcoming event.
Grinning Face with sweat
Meaning
The smiling face with a drop of sweat looks relived. These are sometimes sent to convey a "close call," as if you're wiping sweat from your forehead.
Use
It’s often used by those who have just been through a nail-biting situation. Some also use it to represent sweat from exercising.
Rolling on the floor laughing
Meaning
With a wide grin, tilted head and tears of joy, this face means someone is rolling on the floor laughing.
Use
Use this to let someone know you're cracking up at their jokes!
Face with tears of joy
Meaning
Widely used to convey hysterical laughter, this emoji has a big grin and smiling eyes.
Use
Use this face to have a good giggle with. It's not quite as intense as the face rolling on the floor with laughter, but it's a great way to let someone know you're sharing a LOL. It has fallen out of use with Gen z, who use the skull emoji instead.
Slightly smiling face
Meaning
This one's a simple: open eyes and a small closed-lipped grin. Warm, friendly and positive, this one is an uncomplicated way of showing your good nature.
Use
People tack the slightly smiling face on the end of a professional message to keep things good-natured and positive. Others might use it with a sarcastic, ironic or patronising tone.
Upside-down face
Meaning
Literally turning the classic smiley explained above on its head, this emoji is a goofy and wacky character.
Use
Many people commonly use this in joking or silly messages. Others use it ironically in place of a shrug or as if to say, "Oh well!"
Winking Face
Meaning
This cheeky yellow face is winking and smiling, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's only used in flirty situations.
Use
You can choose this symbol to show you're joking, sharing a secret or being playful with a friend or loved one. When used flirtatiously it has a playful, joking aspect to it.
Melting face
Meaning
A smiling face melting into a puddle can be use to talk about extreme heat or feeling warm. The distorted smile has leady to a second less literal meaning.
Use
While it can be used for temperature, this little face is often used to show embarrassment or shame. It is also used to show a slow sinking sense of dread.
Smiling face with smiling eyes
Meaning
A sweet wide smile, blushing cheeks and closed eyes, this cute emoji is used to convey affection.
Use
Drop one of these in a message to show your love and appreciation for a partner or friend.
Smiling face with halo
Meaning
Also known as the angel face, this emoji expressed innocence. Whether that's genuine or pretend is completely up to you.
Use
Use this face to represent good deeds or positive intentions, or humorously in the context of not-so-innocent behaviour.
Smiling face with hearts
Meaning
The yellow smiling face surrounded by three hearts symbolises romance, affection and love.
Use
Use it to express tender feelings, falling in love or feeling enamoured with somebody.
Smiling face with heart eyes
Meaning
With heart eyes and a huge grin, this emoji is used to denote "the look of love".
Use
This face has a variety of uses. It can be added into a message to express love, affection or passion. Meanwhile, in some cases, it might mean something is visually pleasing, beautiful or pretty.
Star-struck
Meaning
A wide smile and stars in their eyes, this face is most commonly used for being star struck.
Use
If you happen to meet your favourite celebrity you might use this emoji but for everyone else it is used to express amazement or excitement. It is also used if someone does something impressive or fascinating.
Face blowing a kiss
Meaning
Blowing a kiss or the kissing face, this has a little red heart depicting a kiss.
Use
Sometimes used sarcastically, more often than not this is to represent a kiss goodbye or to convey love and affection.
Kissing face
Meaning
This traditionally means kissing and used for affection or love. It's sometimes called the duck face emoji.
Use
While it is sometimes used to express love, it is more often used as somebody whistling and feigning innocence.
Smiling face
Meaning
The smiling face is used for happiness or being pleased, it has a little bit of blush on the cheeks for added sweetness.
Use
This face is widely used to express a softer happiness face, it is not excited but rather happy or pleased. The relaxed eyebrows and closed eyes show comfort.
Kissing face with closed eyes
Meaning
Similar to other kissing faces this one is meant to express love or affection. The closed eyes and rosy cheeks give it an innocent air.
Use
This tends to be used in less flirty or joking situations than other kissing faces, the eyes and cheeks make it more suited for warmth and affection. It is seen as more intimate.
Kissing face with smiling eyes
Meaning
Traditionally this face means blowing a kiss with happiness or love. Some people believe this symbolises cheerful or feigned innocence while whistling.
Use
It does still mean blowing a kiss but it can also be used sarcastically or to express surprise, it is fonder than the open eyes face but less intimate than the rosy cheek one.
Smiling face with a tear
Meaning
The range of emotions this can be used to express is huge. From gratitude to staying strong, it can also mean something is bittersweet.
Use
This is generally used to express that someone is smiling through the pain. If you want to show you're ok but something bad has happened you can use this, although it does also have sarcastic uses too.
Face savouring food
Meaning
This face with it's smiling eyes and tongue sticking out the corner means something is delicious or yummy.
Use
Mainly used to indicate a good meal or delicious food, however, it has a second meaning to suggest someone is attractive.
Face with tongue
Meaning
With it's tongue out and eyes open, this face is used to express playfulness or teasing. There is a winking face variation too.
Use
It is used to express someone being playful or silly, but it does have flirtatious connotations too, especially with the winking face.
Zany face
Meaning
This face has it's tongue to one side and eyes wide and wild. It means being in a silly, goofy mood.
Use
If you're having a wild or goofy day you might want to use this face to express it. If something has been a bit mad or crazy you could also use it. Generally this has positive connotations.
Squinting face with tongue
Meaning
This face, like the others with their tongue sticking out can be used to express feeling silly or playful.
Use
The squinting eyes give it the impression of hilarity or happiness, like it is laughing. Often used to express excitement as well as playfulness. There is a suggestive meaning too.
Money-mouth face
Meaning
The face features dollar signs for eyes with a green tongue, which also has a dollar sign on it. It is very clearly linked to money.
Use
This is used to express being rich or getting paid. It can also be linked to success but is only normally used in a monetary way.
Smiling face with open hands
Meaning
This emoji is one of the few with visible hands, known also as the hug emoji. It's warm smiling face and rosy cheeks give positive feelings.
Use
Predominantly, this is used to show someone you support them or you're giving them a hug. It is also used sometimes as excitement or flourish due to it looking like jazz hands.
Face with hand over mouth
Meaning
Originally this was used to show shock or concern, as the eyes were open. The blushing cheeks and smiling eyes have since been added as an additional emoji.
Use
With open eyes this emoji still conveys shock and surprise with a more serious tone. Changing to the smiling eyes with blushing cheeks makes this more like a giggling response as if to say oops or suggest embarrassed laughter.
Face with peeking eyes
Meaning
This face has its hands over its eyes but is still peeking through as the name suggests.
Use
This can be used to show how you want to look away but are unable to, it can be used in any scenario from embarrassment to fear.
Shushing face
Meaning
This face is using a well-known sign for quiet - shushing with their hand over their mouth. The face is tilted back slightly with open eyes.
Use
It can be used in the literal sense to tell someone to be quiet, but can also give the impression that there is something someone must stay quiet about. It can be used for sharing secrets and giving a sense of a sneak peak or exclusive information.
Zipper-mouth face
Meaning
A closed eyes face with a closed zip instead of a mouth, suggesting to keep their mouth shut.
Use
Often used in response to the shushing face, it means 'I'll be quiet' or 'I will not say anything'. It means a secret is safe with you.
Thinking face
Meaning
This face with it's brows furrowed and hand on the chin in a thoughtful pose is means that you are thinking or thoughtful about something.
Use
You can use this to express that you are thinking about something. It has become more used to suggest something is suspicious or you are sceptical. It can be used in any tone from sarcastic to playful to earnest.
Saluting face
Meaning
This is one of the only faces that is not a complete face, it is posed in a salute.
Use
New to iPhones in the iOS 15.4 update, this is a sign of respect.
Face with a raised eyebrow
Meaning
This neutral smile with one raised and one furrowed eyebrow conveys suspicion or disapproval.
Use
Giving a slightly more serious tones than the thinking face, this one suggests disbelief and scepticism in a serious tone. It has been likened to Stephen Colbert and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as they are known for this expression.
Neutral and expressionless faces
Meaning
This face with flat closed eyes and mouth is sometimes also seen with it's eyes open, both were intended to be neutral in meaning.
Use
With open eyes or closed, this is used to show annoyance or irritation by the user. The closed eye version being more irritated than the open-eyed version.
Face without a mouth
Meaning
For a face with no mouth, this face is able to express a lot of emotions but is usually meaning speechless.
Use
This can be used to convey speechlessness as well as silence, humility and surprise. It can carry negative emotions like disappointment and sadness.
Dotted line face
Meaning
This face uses the same expression as the neutral face but has a dotted line around it. In comic books this is used to represent someone being invisible.
Use
New to iOS and Android in 2022, this face means you feel invisible or hidden. It could expand to meaning small or isolated or even depressed.
Face in the clouds
Meaning
The mouthless face is used in this emoji, surrounded by smoke. It can mean a foggy state of mind.
Use
Mainly used for one of two reasons: to symbolise brain fog or to indicate smoke or fog.