World Emoji Day

Yep, world emoji day is a thing. Who would've thought that out of the 365 day cycle, one whole day (that's 0.3% of the year) has been allocated to celebrate the mini pictures you see on your phone keyboard.

Well, it is a thing, and we're celebrating it!

Turns out there's a whole world of meaning behind those obscure emojis that never grace your "Frequently Used" section. (Not you 🍆)

Here's a look at some of our favourites...

💮 White Flower

An emoji symbol of a white flower, often a cherry blossom.

The Apple artwork contains Japanese text on the inside that translates to mean “Well Done” or “You did very well”. This is used by teachers in Japan as a stamp on school work that is of a high standard, often accompanied by a score written in red.

White Flower was approved as part of Unicode 6.0 in 2010 and added to Emoji 1.0 in 2015.

Also Known As

💮 Cherry Blossom

💮 Paper Doily

💮 Well Done Stamp

Apple Name

💮 White Flower

🎋 Tanabata Tree

A tree that people use to attach pieces of paper containing good wishes. Often done for spiritual or religious reasons, in many cultures.

Tanabata is the Japanese Star Festival, where these trees are commonly used.

Tanabata Tree was approved as part of Unicode 6.0 in 2010 and added to Emoji 1.0 in 2015.

Also Known As

🎋 Tanabata

🎋 Wish Tree

Apple Name

🎋 Tanabata Tree

🎍 Pine Decoration

A green decoration known as kadomatsu (門松, "gate pine") in Japanese. Shows three bamboo shoots of grathered vertically with different heights for each. Pine or plastic is sometimes used in place of bamboo, and various decorative items may be found alongside the traditional straw mat.

A kadomatsu can be found outside some homes in Japan at the start of a new year. This is believed to welcome spirits in the hope of a plentiful harvest in the year to come.

Pine Decoration was approved as part of Unicode 6.0 in 2010 and added to Emoji 1.0 in 2015.

Also Known As

🎍 Bamboo

🎍 Kadomatsu

🎍 New Year Decoration

Apple Name

🎍 Pine Decoration

🌸 Cherry Blossom

A pretty, light-pink flower in bloom. The cherry blossom is very popular in Japan and Japanese art. Weather forecasts track the cherry blossom front across Japan each year.

Cherry Blossom was approved as part of Unicode 6.0 in 2010 and added to Emoji 1.0 in 2015.

Also Known As

🌸 Pink Flower

🌸 Sakura

Apple Name

🌸 Cherry Blossom

All emoji descriptions courtesy of emojipedia.org

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