For instance, there's no doubt that the tears of joy emoji is used as a way to tell someone you're laughing so hard that you're crying. But what about everyone's favorite brunette in the pink shirt? She's clearly the queen of sass, right?
Not so fast.
See also: Warning: The Emoji Live Among Us
The Unicode Consortium is responsible for the standard character encoding that makes it possible for us to see emoji across various devices. Its website explains that "while the artwork for each emoji varies by platform, the meaning of each symbol remains the same."
But the truth is, some meanings haven't remained the same at all.
In many cases, the original meanings are based on Japanese culture, as that is where emoji were first popularized. But people have since adopted entirely new uses and meanings for certain emoji.
From cultural crossovers to niche communities, some of these reinterpretations have become so mainstream, that it might surprise you to find out what the following emoji actually represent.
1.
