18 Emojis That You’ve Probably Been Using the Wrong Way, and What They Really Mean

Emojis have become an essential part of our lives, as they can help communication and add a personal touch to our text when writing all types of thoughts on social media. However, due to their appearance, some of them can be easily misused and completely change what we want to say.

5-Minute Crafts created this compilation with 18 emojis that have been widely used the wrong way.

1.

• What you may think: It’s a cute monster.
• What it really means: It represents an oni, a type of horrible ogre in the Japanese culture.

2.

• What you may think: She’s a ballerina.
• What it really means: She’s making an OKAY gesture with her entire body.

3.

• What you may think: It’s a whining face.
• What it really means: It’s intended to express exhaustion or tiredness.

4.

• What you may think: It’s a whistling face.
• What it really means: It’s intended to represent a kiss and convey feelings of affection and love.

5.

• What you may think: They’re dumplings.
• What it really means: It’s a pot of food, like a casserole dish.

6.

• What you may think: It’s a peace sign.
• What it really means: It’s a hand making a “V” sign to express victory.

7.

• What you may think: It’s a crying face.
• What it really means: It’s a sad face expressing relief. The drop next to the eye is sweat from anxiety or concern, not a tear.

8.

• What you may think: It’s a person waiting for a massage or lying down to do push-ups.
• What it really means: It’s a person bowing to offer a deep apology or ask for a big favor.

9.

• What you may think: It’s a high-five.
• What it really means: It’s intended to convey “thank you” or “please.” It can also be used to represent a prayer.

10.

• What you may think: It’s a mischievous face.
• What it really means: It’s a face savoring food, conveying that it’s delicious.

11.

• What you may think: It’s a praise gesture.
• What it really means: It’s intended to be used for celebrating success or any other cheerful event.

12.

• What you may think: It’s a face in pain.
• What it really means: It’s a face that can convey several levels of sadness, frustration, struggle, and helplessness. It’s known as the persevering face.

13.

• What you may think: It’s a burnt cookie.
• What it really means: It’s a rice cracker or a Japanese senbei. It’s half-wrapped with a sheet of seaweed and is often eaten while drinking green tea.

14.

• What you may think: It’s a typical speech bubble.
• What it really means: It represents an angry speech, like in comic books.

15.

• What you may think: It’s a face expressing shock.
• What it really means: It’s a screaming face showing horror and fear. Its gesture represents The Scream, an iconic painting created by Edvard Munch.

16.

• What you may think: It’s just another face to express surprise.
• What it really means: It’s a hushed face.

17.

• What you may think: It’s a sign that prevents people from lighting fires.
• What it really means: It’s a name badge with the shape of a tulip, used to write your name on it at places where others don’t know you, such as a work conference or a school trip. This design can usually be found in Japanese kindergartens.

18.

• What you may think: It’s just another happy face, but upside down.
• What it really means: It’s usually used to express sarcasm, joking, silliness, or irony. It can also mean bemusement as when saying, “Oh well!”

Do you know any other emojis that should be on this list? If so, tell us in the comments!