Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·Japanese ·2000s
Emoji
from emoji (絵文字) — "picture character"
- Meaning
- A pictographic symbol used in digital text.
- Source word
- emoji (絵文字) — "picture character"
- Route into English
- NTT DoCoMo's Shigetaka Kurita designed the first set in 1999; Apple's 2011 iOS integration turned emoji into a global English noun. Coincidentally resembles "emotion"+"icon," which is not the etymology.
- Arrived
- 2000s
From Japanese
Two waves — Meiji-era diplomatic contact (1850s–1900s) and post-war US military presence (1945–) account for almost all Japanese loans in general English.
English borrows.
Browse the full loanword atlas or explore another source language.