How to use all the face emojis – and what they REALLY mean

Grinning face

Meaning

A simple grinning face can be used to convey good cheer and humour. It is a baseline emoji that can be used to respond to most happy situations.

Use

This face could be used to represent a humorous turn of events, goodwill or a cheeky joke.

Grinning face with big eyes

Meaning

The open eyes of this emoji are often used to show excitement and happiness.

Use

This is used to respond to good news that might also be exciting or surprising.

Grinning face with smiling eyes

Meaning

This emoji has its mouth is wide open with eyes squeezed shut. Its expression laughs loudly, cheerfully and heartily - but it has a surprising second meaning.

Use

Some people use this face to express happiness and laughter, while others select it as a sarcastic expression, as if to say "Yeah, great!" in an obviously insincere way.

Beaming face with smiling eyes

Meaning

Similar to the smiling character above, this little yellow face expresses warm feelings, happiness and good nature.

Use

You're not rolling on the floor in fits of giggles, but you're laughing and sharing a toothy grin with the recipient.

Grinning squinting face

Meaning

With a broad smile and scrunched-up eyes, this one is used to let someone know you're excited about something.

Use

When you're messaging a friend or loved one about a thrilling upcoming event.

Grinning Face with sweat

Meaning

The smiling face with a drop of sweat looks relived. These are sometimes sent to convey a "close call," as if you're wiping sweat from your forehead.

Use

It’s often used by those who have just been through a nail-biting situation. Some also use it to represent sweat from exercising.

Rolling on the floor laughing

Meaning

With a wide grin, tilted head and tears of joy, this face means someone is rolling on the floor laughing.

Use

Use this to let someone know you're cracking up at their jokes!

Face with tears of joy

Meaning

Widely used to convey hysterical laughter, this emoji has a big grin and smiling eyes.

Use

Use this face to have a good giggle with. It's not quite as intense as the face rolling on the floor with laughter, but it's a great way to let someone know you're sharing a LOL. It has fallen out of use with Gen z, who use the skull emoji instead.

Slightly smiling face

Meaning

This one's a simple: open eyes and a small closed-lipped grin. Warm, friendly and positive, this one is an uncomplicated way of showing your good nature.

Use

People tack the slightly smiling face on the end of a professional message to keep things good-natured and positive. Others might use it with a sarcastic, ironic or patronising tone.

Upside-down face

Meaning

Literally turning the classic smiley explained above on its head, this emoji is a goofy and wacky character.

Use

Many people commonly use this in joking or silly messages. Others use it ironically in place of a shrug or as if to say, "Oh well!"

Winking Face

Meaning

This cheeky yellow face is winking and smiling, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's only used in flirty situations.

Use

You can choose this symbol to show you're joking, sharing a secret or being playful with a friend or loved one. When used flirtatiously it has a playful, joking aspect to it.

Melting face

Meaning

A smiling face melting into a puddle can be use to talk about extreme heat or feeling warm. The distorted smile has leady to a second less literal meaning.

Use

While it can be used for temperature, this little face is often used to show embarrassment or shame. It is also used to show a slow sinking sense of dread.

Smiling face with smiling eyes

Meaning

A sweet wide smile, blushing cheeks and closed eyes, this cute emoji is used to convey affection.

Use

Drop one of these in a message to show your love and appreciation for a partner or friend.

Smiling face with halo

Meaning

Also known as the angel face, this emoji expressed innocence. Whether that's genuine or pretend is completely up to you.

Use

Use this face to represent good deeds or positive intentions, or humorously in the context of not-so-innocent behaviour.

Smiling face with hearts

Meaning

The yellow smiling face surrounded by three hearts symbolises romance, affection and love.

Use

Use it to express tender feelings, falling in love or feeling enamoured with somebody.

Smiling face with heart eyes

Meaning

With heart eyes and a huge grin, this emoji is used to denote "the look of love".

Use

This face has a variety of uses. It can be added into a message to express love, affection or passion. Meanwhile, in some cases, it might mean something is visually pleasing, beautiful or pretty.

Star-struck

Meaning

A wide smile and stars in their eyes, this face is most commonly used for being star struck.

Use

If you happen to meet your favourite celebrity you might use this emoji but for everyone else it is used to express amazement or excitement. It is also used if someone does something impressive or fascinating.

Face blowing a kiss

Meaning

Blowing a kiss or the kissing face, this has a little red heart depicting a kiss.

Use

Sometimes used sarcastically, more often than not this is to represent a kiss goodbye or to convey love and affection.

Kissing face

Meaning

This traditionally means kissing and used for affection or love. It's sometimes called the duck face emoji.

Use

While it is sometimes used to express love, it is more often used as somebody whistling and feigning innocence.

Smiling face

Meaning

The smiling face is used for happiness or being pleased, it has a little bit of blush on the cheeks for added sweetness.

Use

This face is widely used to express a softer happiness face, it is not excited but rather happy or pleased. The relaxed eyebrows and closed eyes show comfort.

Kissing face with closed eyes

Meaning

Similar to other kissing faces this one is meant to express love or affection. The closed eyes and rosy cheeks give it an innocent air.

Use

This tends to be used in less flirty or joking situations than other kissing faces, the eyes and cheeks make it more suited for warmth and affection. It is seen as more intimate.

Kissing face with smiling eyes

Meaning

Traditionally this face means blowing a kiss with happiness or love. Some people believe this symbolises cheerful or feigned innocence while whistling.

Use

It does still mean blowing a kiss but it can also be used sarcastically or to express surprise, it is fonder than the open eyes face but less intimate than the rosy cheek one.

Smiling face with a tear

Meaning

The range of emotions this can be used to express is huge. From gratitude to staying strong, it can also mean something is bittersweet.

Use

This is generally used to express that someone is smiling through the pain. If you want to show you're ok but something bad has happened you can use this, although it does also have sarcastic uses too.

Face savouring food

Meaning

This face with it's smiling eyes and tongue sticking out the corner means something is delicious or yummy.

Use

Mainly used to indicate a good meal or delicious food, however, it has a second meaning to suggest someone is attractive.

Face with tongue

Meaning

With it's tongue out and eyes open, this face is used to express playfulness or teasing. There is a winking face variation too.

Use

It is used to express someone being playful or silly, but it does have flirtatious connotations too, especially with the winking face.

Zany face

Meaning

This face has it's tongue to one side and eyes wide and wild. It means being in a silly, goofy mood.

Use

If you're having a wild or goofy day you might want to use this face to express it. If something has been a bit mad or crazy you could also use it. Generally this has positive connotations.

Squinting face with tongue

Meaning

This face, like the others with their tongue sticking out can be used to express feeling silly or playful.

Use

The squinting eyes give it the impression of hilarity or happiness, like it is laughing. Often used to express excitement as well as playfulness. There is a suggestive meaning too.

Money-mouth face

Meaning

The face features dollar signs for eyes with a green tongue, which also has a dollar sign on it. It is very clearly linked to money.

Use

This is used to express being rich or getting paid. It can also be linked to success but is only normally used in a monetary way.

Smiling face with open hands

Meaning

This emoji is one of the few with visible hands, known also as the hug emoji. It's warm smiling face and rosy cheeks give positive feelings.

Use

Predominantly, this is used to show someone you  support them or you're giving them a hug. It is also used sometimes as excitement or flourish due to it looking like jazz hands.

Face with hand over mouth

Meaning

Originally this was used to show shock or concern, as the eyes were open. The blushing cheeks and smiling eyes have since been added as an additional emoji.

Use

With open eyes this emoji still conveys shock and surprise with a more serious tone. Changing to the smiling eyes with blushing cheeks makes this more like a giggling response as if to say oops or suggest embarrassed laughter.

Face with peeking eyes

Meaning

This face has its hands over its eyes but is still peeking through as the name suggests.

Use

This can be used to show how you want to look away but are unable to, it can be used in any scenario from embarrassment to fear.

Shushing face

Meaning

This face is using a well-known sign for quiet - shushing with their hand over their mouth. The face is tilted back slightly with open eyes.

Use

It can be used in the literal sense to tell someone to be quiet, but can also give the impression that there is something someone must stay quiet about. It can be used for sharing secrets and giving a sense of a sneak peak or exclusive information.

Zipper-mouth face

Meaning

A closed eyes face with a closed zip instead of a mouth, suggesting to keep their mouth shut.

Use

Often used in response to the shushing face, it means 'I'll be quiet' or 'I will not say anything'. It means a secret is safe with you.

Thinking face

Meaning

This face with it's brows furrowed and hand on the chin in a thoughtful pose is means that you are thinking or thoughtful about something.

Use

You can use this to express that you are thinking about something. It has become more used to suggest something is suspicious or you are sceptical. It can be used in any tone from sarcastic to playful to earnest.

Saluting face

Meaning

This is one of the only faces that is not a complete face, it is posed in a salute.

Use

New to iPhones in the iOS 15.4 update, this is a sign of respect.

Face with a raised eyebrow

Meaning

This neutral smile with one raised and one furrowed eyebrow conveys suspicion or disapproval.

Use

Giving a slightly more serious tones than the thinking face, this one suggests disbelief and scepticism in a serious tone. It has been likened to Stephen Colbert and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as they are known for this expression.

Neutral and expressionless faces

Meaning

This face with flat closed eyes and mouth is sometimes also seen with it's eyes open, both were intended to be neutral in meaning.

Use

With open eyes or closed, this is used to show annoyance or irritation by the user. The closed eye version being more irritated than the open-eyed version.

Face without a mouth

Meaning

For a face with no mouth, this face is able to express a lot of emotions but is usually meaning speechless.

Use

This can be used to convey speechlessness as well as silence, humility and surprise. It can carry negative emotions like disappointment and sadness.

Dotted line face

Meaning

This face uses the same expression as the neutral face but has a dotted line around it. In comic books this is used to represent someone being invisible.

Use

New to iOS and Android in 2022, this face means you feel invisible or hidden. It could expand to meaning small or isolated or even depressed.

Face in the clouds

Meaning

The mouthless face is used in this emoji, surrounded by smoke. It can mean a foggy state of mind.

Use

Mainly used for one of two reasons: to symbolise brain fog or to indicate smoke or fog.