😀 - How Does This Face Get Delivered?
When you send 😂 to a friend on LINE, how does that emoji reach their smartphone? Is an image file being sent? Actually, no. Emojis are sent as "characters."
Emojis Are "Characters"
Emojis are "characters" just like the letter "A" or the kanji "山." In the computer world, every character is assigned a number. "A" is number 65, "あ" is number 12354, and 😀 (grinning face) is number 128512.
This numbering system is called Unicode. Unicode is an international standard that manages all the world's characters under a single numbering system, with approximately 150,000 characters registered as of 2024. Emojis are part of this system.
So when you send 😀, what actually travels across the network is just the number "128512" (encoded as a UTF-8 byte sequence). That colorful face illustration is drawn by the receiving device after it receives the number.
Why the Same Emoji Looks Different on Different Devices
A 🍕 (pizza) sent from an iPhone may appear with a slightly different design on Android. This is because Unicode only defines the number and name - "pizza emoji = U+1F355" - while the actual design is left to each platform.
- Apple: Realistic, three-dimensional designs
- Google: Rounded, pop-style designs
- Samsung: Unique style (previously made headlines for designs that differed significantly from other companies)
- Microsoft: Transitioned from flat design to 3D design
- X (formerly Twitter): Uses its own emoji set called Twemoji
Design differences can lead to misunderstandings. One study reported that the same "smiling face" emoji gave different impressions across platforms - "happy," "sarcastic," or "creepy."
Emoji Garbling - Why They Turn Into □ or ?
Sometimes when you send a new emoji, it appears as □ (tofu) or ? on the recipient's screen. This is a form of character encoding failure.
- Outdated OS: New emojis are added every year, but older operating systems don't have the fonts for them
- Unsupported font: The number was received, but the device doesn't have a design for that number
- Encoding mismatch: Rarely, character code conversion can shift the numbers
The □ symbol is called "tofu" because its square shape resembles a block of tofu. Google's font "Noto" gets its name from "No more tofu."
How New Emojis Are Added
New emojis are reviewed and added annually by the Unicode Consortium, a nonprofit organization. Anyone can propose a new emoji, but it must pass rigorous review to be adopted.
- Proposals must include evidence for "why this emoji is needed"
- You must prove it can't be substituted by existing emojis
- Emojis representing specific companies or brands are rejected
- The process from proposal to adoption typically takes about 2 years
When emojis were first officially standardized in Unicode 6.0 in 2010, 722 emojis were added. Originally used on Japanese mobile phones (i-mode), they spread worldwide when included in the iPhone's Japanese keyboard. The word "emoji" itself is Japanese.
Summary
Emojis are not images but "characters." They travel across networks as Unicode numbers, and the receiving device renders the design. That's why designs differ across platforms and why they appear as □ on older systems. Next time you send an emoji, imagine the number behind it traveling through DNS resolution, TCP connections, and TLS encryption to reach the other person. Of course, all of this only stays private if your messaging account is protected by a strong password. Curious about the IP address your emoji travels from? IP確認さん shows your connection details in seconds.