World Emoji Day 2025: Why July 17 Is a Global Celebration of Digital Emotions
In today’s fast-paced digital era, communication has evolved drastically. Traditional phone calls have taken a back seat, and instant messaging has become the primary mode of staying in touch.
In today’s fast-paced digital era, communication has evolved drastically. Traditional phone calls have taken a back seat, and instant messaging has become the primary mode of staying in touch. Among youth especially, modern chatting apps have become a central part of daily life. In this landscape, emojis have emerged as powerful tools for expressing emotions without words.
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What Are Emojis?
Emojis are small pictorial icons used to express feelings such as happiness, sadness, anger, love, surprise, and more. They are often considered more expressive than text, allowing users to share emotional nuances easily. Emojis are also referred to as pictographs, logograms, ideograms, or smileys.
Also Read: Aadhaar Card: What It Is, Where It Is Valid, and Where It Is Not
History of Emoji and Why July 17 is Celebrated
The concept of emojis dates back to 1999, when Japanese designer Shigetaka Kurita created the first emoji set while working at the telecom company NTT Docomo. His aim was to convey weather conditions and emotions through simple symbols. This innovation earned him the nickname “Mr. Emoji.”
In 2002, tech giant Apple introduced a calendar emoji featuring the date July 17, marking the day they released their iCal app. Later, in 2014, Jeremy Burge — founder of Emojipedia — officially declared July 17 as World Emoji Day, based on the Apple calendar emoji.
Emojis in Numbers: 3,790 and Counting
According to the Unicode Consortium, there are currently 3,790 officially recognized emojis. These emojis are categorized into various segments such as:
- Facial expressions
- Emotions and gestures
- Animals and nature
- Food and drink
- Professions
- Skin tones and gender variations
- National flags
With the release of Unicode 16.0, eight new emojis have been added recently. This number continues to grow each year to accommodate cultural changes and technological progress.
Most Popular Emojis in India
In India, emojis play a significant role in digital conversations. Here are some of the most used ones:
- 😂 – Used to express intense laughter
- ❤️ – A symbol of love and affection
- 🙏 – Reflects Indian cultural gestures like namaste or gratitude
- 😍 – Shows admiration or romantic interest
- 🤣 – For uncontrollable laughter
- 😊 – Represents peaceful happiness
- 😢 – Indicates sadness or emotional pain
- 💕 – Expresses tender affection
- 🤗 – Used to show warmth or comfort
- 💔 – Symbolizes heartbreak or emotional loss
Why Emojis Matter in Modern Communication
Emojis are not just decorative icons. They help bridge the emotional gap in text-based communication, offering a deeper context to our digital conversations. Especially in global interactions where language barriers exist, emojis act as a universal language.
