Emoji Glossary

Animal Emoji Meanings 🐶

Animal emojis are a mainstay in most conversations on social media because of how diverse they can be. While they obviously represent the animals themselves, the emoji can also represent the animal's characteristics. The latter happens to be the more common way animal emojis are used on social media, showing the importance of knowing what people might actually mean when they use them.

To make things easier, we’ve broken up the main animal emojis into these five categories: 

  • Mammal emoji meanings
  • Bird emoji meanings
  • Marine animal emoji meanings
  • Reptile emoji meanings
  • Insect emoji meanings

Mammal Emoji Meanings

Emoji: 🐶🐕
Name:
Dog emoji
Meaning:
One of the most classic animal emojis, the dog emoji is meant to represent playfulness, cuteness and innocence. 

Emoji: 🐩
Name:
Poodle emoji
Meaning:
The poodle emoji has the same characteristics as the classic dog emoji but with an added layer of intelligence and style. 

Emoji: 🦮
Name:
Guide dog emoji
Meaning:
The guide dog emoji is for those who utilize service dogs or may be talking about them.

Emoji: 🐕‍🦺
Name:
Service dog emoji
Meaning:
The service dog emoji is for those who utilize service dogs or may be talking about them.

Emoji: 🐱🐈
Name:
Cat emoji
Meaning:
Like the dog emoji, the cat emoji is also a classic representation of society's most beloved pets. 

Emoji: 🐈‍⬛
Name:
Black cat emoji
Meaning:
The black cat emoji symbolizes bad luck and is often used to convey this superstition. It's also popular in discussions about Halloween and to represent scary or spooky themes.

Emoji: 🐭🐁
Name:
Mouse emoji
Meaning:
While very cute, the mouse emoji is usually used in reference to someone or something sneaky or annoying. 

Emoji: 🐹
Name:
Hamster emoji
Meaning:
The hamster emoji, representing another type of rodent, is commonly used affectionately in reference to family pets.

Emoji: 🐰🐇
Name:
Rabbit emoji
Meaning:
The rabbit is a popular emoji to use in relation to holidays like Easter, cute animals and hopping or jumping. 

Emoji: 🦊
Name:
Fox emoji
Meaning:
Foxes are known for being sly, quick-moving animals and the fox emoji is used to represent just that. 

Emoji: 🐻
Name:
Bear emoji
Meaning:
The classic bear emoji is most commonly used to symbolize all bears. It is often used by those who focus on wildlife and conservation. 

Emoji: 🐼
Name:
Panda bear emoji
Meaning:
The panda bear emoji represents the beloved Chinese mammal known for its playful antics, as well as its habits of eating and sleeping.

Emoji: 🐻‍❄️
Name
: Polar bear emoji
Meaning:
The polar bear emoji is typically used in conversations revolving around the Arctic Circle, conservation and global warming. 

Emoji: 🐨
Name:
Koala emoji
Meaning:
The koala emoji is emblematic of Australia and is commonly used to represent Australian culture, wildlife, nature, and tours.

Emoji: 🐯🐅
Name:
Tiger emoji
Meaning:
The tiger emoji is meant to represent the wild and the jungle and is typically used when discussing real or fictional tigers. 

Emoji: 🦁
Name:
Lion emoji
Meaning:
The lion emoji represents courage, leadership and, of course, being the king of the jungle. 

Emoji: 🐮🐄
Name:
Cow emoji
Meaning:
The cow emoji is most commonly associated with the dairy industry, milk and agriculture. 

Emoji: 🐷🐖🐽
Name:
Pig emoji
Meaning:
The pig emoji is usually used to refer to farming and agriculture, but it can also be used when talking about something being messy, smelly or a ‘pigsty’. 

Emoji: 🐵🐒
Name:
Monkey emoji
Meaning:
The monkey emoji is typically used to portray goofiness and someone who doesn’t take themselves too seriously. 

Emoji: 🙈
Name:
Monkey covering eyes emoji
Meaning:
This emoji is also known as the see no evil emoji and is often used in situations where something is happening that someone doesn’t want to acknowledge or see. 

Emoji: 🙉
Name:
Monkey covering ears emoji
Meaning:
Also known as the hear no evil emoji, this emoji is used when something is being said that someone doesn’t want to hear or listen to. 

Emoji: 🙊
Name:
Monkey covering mouth emoji
Meaning:
The speak-no-evil emoji is often used to indicate holding back from saying something or refraining from making a risky comment.

Emoji: 🦇
Name:
Bat emoji
Meaning:
The bat emoji is often used to represent things spooky or unsettling. You will often find it paired with the black heart, vampire and blood emoji. 

Emoji: 🐺
Name:
Wolf emoji
Meaning:
The wolf emoji is typically used when someone refers to a ‘wolf pack’ or their crew. It can also represent wildlife, nature and danger. 

Emoji: 🐗 
Name:
Boar emoji
Meaning:
The boar emoji is meant to represent being wild, dangerous and even deadly. 

Emoji: 🐴
Name:
Horse emoji
Meaning:
The horse emoji is commonly used amongst horse lovers and those talking about horse racing. 

Emoji: 🦄
Name:
Unicorn emoji
Meaning:
The unicorn emoji is often used by children and is associated with glitter, glee, magic and wonder. 

Emoji: 🐆
Name:
Leopard emoji
Meaning:
The leopard emoji symbolizes speed, agility, and cleverness, traits for which the leopard is renowned. It may also be used interchangeably with other big cat emojis.

Emoji: 🦓
Name:
Zebra emoji
Meaning:
While the zebra emoji just typically represents itself, it can also be used when talking about interesting patterns and combinations. 

Emoji: 🦍
Name:
Gorilla emoji
Meaning:
The gorilla emoji effectively captures the essence of gorillas as powerful, large, and intelligent creatures.

Emoji: 🦧
Name:
Orangutan emoji
Meaning:
Orangutan is based on Malay words meaning “forest man”, but the emoji moreso depicts the silly, calmness of the animal. 

Emoji: 🦣
Name:
Mammoth emoji
Meaning:
The mammoth emoji is most commonly used when someone is referencing ice age or something of a large size. 

Emoji: 🐘
Name:
Elephant emoji
Meaning:
With the elephant being one of the world's most beloved animals, this emoji represents kindness, peace and joy. It can also be used in reference to its large size. 

Emoji: 🦛
Name:
Hippo emoji
Meaning:
While hippos in the real world are quite dangerous, the hippo emoji is meant to represent a certain level of playfulness or silliness. 

Emoji: 🦏
Name:
Rhino emoji
Meaning:
The rhino emoji is used to represent the large mammals native to Africa and Asia. It can also be employed metaphorically to describe someone who is being pushy or forceful.

Emoji: 🐪🐫
Name:
Camel emoji
Meaning:
There are two camel emojis: one with one hump and another with two humps. These emojis are commonly used to symbolize 'hump day' or Wednesday.

Emoji: 🦒
Name:
Giraffe emoji
Meaning:
The giraffe emoji is most used when discussing safaris, the desert or in comparison to really tall things.

Emoji: 🦘
Name:
Kangaroo emoji
Meaning:
The kangaroo emoji is most typically used when talking about Australia and Aussie culture. 

Emoji: 🦬
Name:
Bison emoji
Meaning:
The bison emoji is most commonly used when talking about bulls, cows and other similar animals. It may also be used when referring to something large. 

Emoji: 🐃
Name:
Water buffalo emoji
Meaning:
While the water buffalo emoji may seem like a random edition, it is meant to represent overall strength and toughness. 

Emoji: 🐂
Name:
Ox emoji
Meaning:
The simple ox emoji is typically used to represent various bovines, such as cows or bulls. It is also frequently used in reference to the astrological sign Taurus. 

Emoji: 🐎
Name:
Racehorse emoji
Meaning:
The racehorse emoji symbolizes determination and strong will. It is also commonly used to represent someone or something moving at a particularly fast pace.

Emoji: 🐏
Name:
Ram emoji
Meaning:
The ram emoji depicts a male sheep. It is commonly used in reference to the astrological sign, Aries. 

Emoji: 🐑
Name:
Sheep emoji
Meaning:
The emoji specifically depicts an ewe which is a female sheep. The sheep emoji is typically used in situations where someone is seen to be a ‘sheep’ or a follower. 

Emoji: 🦙
Name:
Llama emoji
Meaning:
The llama emoji is typically used as a representation of South American animals. 

Emoji: 🐐
Name:
Goat emoji
Meaning:
The goat emoji is often used in conjunction with the term GOAT meaning ‘greatest of all time’. 

Emoji: 🦌
Name:
Deer emoji
Meaning:
The deer emoji is meant to portray innocence, grace and beauty alongside nature, wildlife and hunting. 

Emoji: 🦝
Name:
Racoon emoji
Meaning:
The raccoon emoji is representative of both cleverness and the fact that the animals are scavengers. 

Emoji: 🦨
Name:
Skunk emoji
Meaning:
The skunk emoji is popular to use in situations where something stinks or smells bad, both literally and figuratively. 

Emoji: 🦡
Name:
Badger emoji
Meaning:
The badger emoji represents the toughly built, nocturnal animal and is usually used to portray stubbornness and durability. 

Emoji: 🦫
Name:
Beaver emoji
Meaning:
The beaver emoji depicts the hardworking animal and is often used in the context of someone being a ‘busy beaver’.

Emoji: 🦥
Name:
Sloth emoji
Meaning:
The sloth emoji is the perfect representation of someone who likes to take it easy or who may even be labeled as lazy or slow moving. 

Emoji: 🐀
Name:
Rat emoji
Meaning:
The rat emoji is most commonly used to refer to rodents but is also frequently used metaphorically to describe someone who behaves deceitfully or betrays others.

Emoji: 🐿
Name:
Chipmunk emoji
Meaning:
The chipmunk emoji is typically used in reference to chipmunks, squirrels and other similarly sized rodents. 

Emoji: 🦔
Name:
Hedgehog emoji
Meaning:
The hedgehog emoji is usually used to represent something cute but also prickly. 

Emoji: 🐾
Name:
Paw print emoji
Meaning:
The pawprint emoji depicts playfulness and cuteness and is directly related to animals, pets and nature. 

Bird Emoji Meanings

Emoji: 🐔
Name:
Chicken emoji
Meaning:
The chicken emoji is used to represent the animal and the food. It can also be in reference to someone being scared or a ‘chicken’. 

Emoji: 🐧
Name:
Penguin emoji
Meaning:
The penguin emoji is popular when talking about colder weather or Arctic places in the world. 

Emoji: 🐦
Name:
Bird emoji
Meaning:
The generic bird emoji is used when talking about any type of bird, especially pigeons. 

Emoji: 🐤
Name:
Baby chick emoji
Meaning:
The baby chick emoji, which complements the hatching chick and hatched chick emojis, represents a baby bird. 

Emoji: 🐣
Name:
Hatching chick emoji
Meaning:
The hatching chick not only represents new life and birth but is also very popular to use around holidays like Easter. 

Emoji: 🐥
Name:
Hatched chick emoji
Meaning:
Like the hatching chick emoji, the hatched chick represents new life, springtime and Easter. 

Emoji: 🦆
Name:
Duck emoji
Meaning:
The duck emoji is usually a fun, quirky addition to a message and can sometimes be in reference to a pet name for a friend or loved one. 

Emoji: 🦅
Name:
Eagle emoji
Meaning:
Most commonly associated with the US, the eagle emoji represents strength, loyalty and patriotism. 

Emoji: 🦉
Name:
Owl emoji
Meaning:
The owl emoji is representative of something wise, thoughtful and intelligent. 

Emoji: 🪶
Name:
Feather emoji
Meaning:
While the feather emoji may appear simple, it symbolizes lightness and softness, and also represents writing, particularly with a quill.

Emoji: 🐓
Name:
Rooster emoji
Meaning:
The rooster emoji is often used in reference to morning time, breakfast and even in relation to farm life. 

Emoji: 🦃
Name:
Turkey emoji
Meaning:
The turkey emoji is most popularly used around holidays like Thanksgiving or in reference to calling someone a ‘turkey’. 

Emoji: 🦤
Name: Dodo emoji
Meaning:
The dodo emoji is most often used when referring to someone dumb, as these birds were viewed as ‘simple’ creatures before they became extinct. 

Emoji: 🦚
Name:
Peacock emoji
Meaning:
The peacock emoji is often used to represent someone who enjoys being the center of attention or engaging in dramatic behavior, much like the bird's display of its vibrant tail feathers. 

Emoji: 🦜
Name:
Parrot emoji
Meaning:
Like the parrot itself, the parrot emoji is used to refer to mimicking speech or someone copying something you’ve done. 

Emoji: 🦢
Name:
Swan emoji
Meaning:
The swan emoji is often used as a symbol of peace and beauty. 

Emoji: 🦩
Name:
Flamingo emoji
Meaning:
In addition to its pretty pink color, the flamingo emoji is also known for representing vibrancy and being flamboyant. It is also frequently used in discussions related to Florida.

Emoji: 🕊
Name:
Dove of Peace emoji
Meaning:
The dove of peace emoji was originally designed as a religious symbol and a symbol of peace, but it has since also been used to express love, beauty and grief.

Emoji: 🪺
Name:
Nest with eggs emoji
Meaning:
This emoji shows eggs in a nest, which can be taken literally but also represents a ‘full nest’ aka parents whose children are home. 

Emoji: 🪹
Name:
Empty nest emoji
Meaning:
The empty nest emoji represents a literal empty nest, but can also be used when talking about ‘empty nesters’ aka parents whose children have moved out.

Marine Emoji Meanings

Emoji: 🐙
Name:
Octopus emoji
Meaning:
The octopus emoji is used to reference the ocean and marine life in general. 

Emoji: 🦑
Name:
Squid emoji
Meaning:
While the squid emoji is mainly used to represent the ocean and marine life, it can also sometimes be used to refer to cuddling. 

Emoji: 🦐
Name:
Shrimp emoji
Meaning:
The shrimp emoji is representative of seafood and the ocean, but can also be used when referring to the size of something being very small. 

Emoji: 🦞
Name:
Lobster emoji
Meaning:
This emoji represents one of the most popular crustaceans and is most typically used in reference to seafood and the East Coast. 

Emoji: 🦀
Name:
Crab emoji
Meaning:
The crab emoji represents the crustacean itself, its role as a food source, and the mood descriptor ‘crabby.’ It is also sometimes used as a visual representation of the astrological sign, Cancer. 

Emoji: 🐡
Name:
Blowfish emoji
Meaning:
The blowfish emoji primarily symbolizes protection and defense, reflecting how blowfish puff up to deter predators. It can also be used to represent the concept of 'blowing up' in the sense of expanding rapidly or reacting intensely.

Emoji: 🐠
Name:
Tropical fish emoji
Meaning:
The tropical fish represents both salt and freshwater fish along with fishing and fish as food. 

Emoji: 🐟
Name:
Fish emoji
Meaning:
The generic fish emoji is most popularly used to describe any type of fish that doesn’t belong to the tropical fish category. 

Emoji: 🐬
Name:
Dolphin emoji
Meaning:
Commonly associated with the ocean, the dolphin emoji is also frequently used to denote intelligence, reflecting the well-known smartness of dolphins.

Emoji: 🐳🐋
Name:
Whale emoji
Meaning:
The two whale emojis represent the biggest animals in the world and are usually used in conversations surrounding water and the ocean. 

Emoji: 🦈
Name:
Shark emoji
Meaning:
The shark emoji is often used to portray something or someone who is stealthy, greedy or aggressive. 

Emoji: 🦭
Name:
Seal emoji
Meaning:
The seal emoji is mainly used when talking about seals and other popular marine life. 

Emoji: 🦦
Name:
Otter emoji
Meaning:
The otter emoji portrays a playful, lovable and furry aquatic animal.

Emoji: 🪸
Name:
Coral emoji
Meaning:
While the coral emoji represents single coral, reefs and invertebrate marine life, it is also used to show climate change and global warming. 

Reptile Emoji Meanings

Emoji: 🐸
Name:
Frog emoji
Meaning:
The frog emoji is most commonly used in conjunction with the teacup emoji to depict the ‘Kermit sipping tea meme’ when something controversial happens or is said. 

Emoji: 🐊
Name:
Alligator emoji
Meaning:
The alligator emoji is usually used to portray both alligators and crocodiles and their strength and patience. 

Emoji: 🐢
Name:
Turtle emoji
Meaning:
The turtle emoji often represents a ‘slowpoke’ and someone or something slow-moving. 

Emoji: 🦎
Name:
Lizard emoji
Meaning:
The lizard emoji is often used in scenarios that are silly, playful or even mischievous. 

Emoji: 🐍
Name:
Snake emoji
Meaning:
The snake emoji is used to refer to someone's sketchy or snake-like behavior. It is also commonly used to represent Taylor Swift’s Reputation album.

Emoji: 🐲🐉
Name:
Dragon face/dragon emoji
Meaning:
The dragon face or Tete De Dragon emoji portrays the face of the mythical creature that resembles a giant reptile. This emoji is used in reference to many cultures' folklore, legends and fairytales. 

Emoji: 🦕
Name:
Dinosaur emoji
Meaning:
The emoji represents a massive, herbivore dinosaur with a long neck and tail. It is used in any reference to dinosaurs or even ‘being old’. 

Emoji: 🦖
Name:
T-rex emoji
Meaning:
Like the sauropod emoji, the T-rex emoji shows appreciation for dinosaurs and is used to share information or make comparisons.

Insect Emoji Meanings

Emoji: 🐌
Name:
Snail emoji
Meaning:
Unsurprisingly, the snail emoji is often used in instances where someone or something is moving slower than preferred. 

Emoji: 🦋
Name:
Butterfly emoji
Meaning:
The butterfly emoji is regularly used to depict a particular type of beauty and effortlessness.

Emoji: 🐛
Name:
Bug emoji
Meaning:
The bug emoji is also seen as a caterpillar that will turn into a butterfly. Because of this, it is sometimes used to illustrate someone or something ‘pre-glow up’. 

Emoji: 🐜
Name:
Ant emoji
Meaning:
Besides representing ants themselves, this emoji also represents being a hard worker and anything in reference to colonies. 

Emoji: 🐝
Name:
Bee emoji
Meaning:
The bee emoji has recently emerged as a metaphor for resilience, determination and hard work. It is also often used in relation to Beyonce and her ‘beyhive’.  

Emoji: 🪲
Name:
Beetle emoji
Meaning:
The beetle emoji is usually used in reference to bugs or insects in general, though it can be linked to pop culture through The Beatles or Beetlejuice. 

Emoji: 🐞
Name:
Ladybug emoji
Meaning:
The ladybug emoji is often used to symbolize luck, happiness, and good fortune, embodying the positive connotations traditionally associated with ladybugs. 

Emoji: 🦗
Name:
Cricket emoji
Meaning:
The cricket emoji is most often used in situations that are awkwardly silent when no one is saying anything or responding. 

Emoji: 🪳
Name:
Cockroach emoji
Meaning:
Like a cockroach, this emoji can be used in scenarios where someone is being relentless or seems like they won’t give up.

Emoji: 🕷
Name:
Spider emoji
Meaning:
The spider emoji is commonly used to evoke feelings of fear and disgust, often in scenarios involving creepy or scary themes.

Emoji: 🕸
Name:
Spider web emoji
Meaning:
The spider web emoji of course illustrates a web, but it can also portray a web of stories or lies. 

Emoji: 🦂
Name:
Scorpion emoji
Meaning:
The scorpion emoji is often used to symbolize danger or intensity but can also be used in the context of astrology in relation to the astrological sign, Scorpio. 

Emoji: 🦟
Name:
Mosquito emoji
Meaning:
Alongside representing the actual insect, the mosquito emoji can also depict someone annoying or ‘bugging’ you like a mosquito would. 

Emoji: 🪰
Name:
Fly emoji
Meaning:
Similar to the mosquito, the fly emoji is a representation of someone or something that just will not stop bugging you.

Emoji: 🪱
Name:
Worm emoji
Meaning:
The worm emoji is used both to refer directly to worms and metaphorically to describe an unpleasant person who is dishonest or doesn’t deserve respect.

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