Tech History: An Emoji was Once Named “Word of the Year”

In 2015, Oxford Dictionaries named 😂 “Face with Tears of Joy” as its Word of the Year—a first in history. Why? Because it was the most used emoji worldwide and perfectly captured the spirit of the times.

But emojis didn’t start in 2015…

📜 The Beginning: Japan, 1999

The first emojis were created by Japanese designer Shigetaka Kurita for a mobile internet platform. There were 176 of them—simple 12x12 pixel icons like 🌞, 🚗, and ☎️. Kurita wanted a way to add emotion and context to digital communication, and his little icons did just that.

🌍 Going Global

For years, emojis were mostly a Japanese phenomenon—until Apple quietly added them to the iPhone in 2011. Once unlocked, they spread like wildfire. By the mid-2010s, they were mainstream, popping up in marketing campaigns, pop culture, and even official press releases.

🎨 Emojis Today

Today there are over 3,600 emojis in the Unicode Standard. They’re more inclusive than ever, representing different skin tones, genders, cultures, and even foods (🥑, 🍣, 🍕). Whole conversations now happen in emojis alone.

🤔 The Big Picture

Emojis aren’t just decoration—they’re a new language. They capture nuance, tone, and playfulness in a way plain text never could. In just two decades, they’ve gone from a niche Japanese feature to a global cultural phenomenon—one so powerful that even dictionaries had to admit: sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words.