For working professionals
For fresh graduates
Study abroad
More

HTML Emojis: A Comprehensive Guide

Updated on 30/01/2025476 Views

Table of Content

In the modern day, be it texting or reading something online, we come across emojis very frequently. Emojis help convey emotions otherwise impossible in a textual format. If you want to make your web pages look modern, HTML emojis are a great place to start.

Being a web developer myself, I use HTML emojis quite often. It makes my website pop and have character. In this tutorial let me teach you how to add animated Emoji HTML in your future web development projects.

What are HTML Emojis

Firstly, let me tell you about the origins of HTML emojis. Emojis were created in Japan in the late 1990s and later standardized by the Unicode Consortium. They gained popularity on social media in the 2010s and were eventually included in web development to improve user experience and efficiently represent emotions. Since then, the popularity of emojis has skyrocketed and there are no signs of it slowing down anytime soon.

Now let me give you a brief idea of what exactly HTML emoijs are. HTML emojis are symbols or icons that can be used in HTML code to add visual components, emotions, or emphasis to text. They are represented by Unicode characters that can be directly inserted into HTML using Unicode or emoji codes. HTML Emojis have become a popular approach to improve the user experience and convey emotions in web development. It makes web pages more interactive and user-friendly.

Now let me discuss why the advantages of using HTML emojis.

Visual Appeal: Emojis provide visual interest and appeal to text, making it more engaging for readers.
Emotional Expression: Emojis can better portray emotions, tone, and mood than plain text, resulting in a more relatable and expressive communication style.
Universal language: Emojis cross language and cultural barriers, giving a universal mode of communication that is easily understood by individuals all over the world.
Attention Grabbing: Emojis can call attention to crucial points or phrases in your text, highlighting important information.
Emojis are trendy: Emojis show that your website or content is up to date with current trends and new communication styles, which appeals to younger viewers in particular.
Accessibility: Emojis can improve accessibility for visually impaired users by giving additional context or emotional clues, while they are not a replacement for alt text.

How to use HTML Emojis?

In this part of the tutorial, I will teach you how you can include HTML emojis in your next web page step by step. The steps are as follows.

Choose an Emoji and Use the respective Unicode code: Choose the emoji you wish to use in your HTML code. After that find the Unicode code point for your preferred emoji. Unicode Emoji Charts provides a list of emojis and their HTML emoji codes. Then use the Unicode code point to add the emoji straight to your HTML code. To show the smiling face with smiling eyes emoji 😊, use 😊 in your HTML code for example.
Use HTML emoji codes: You may also use emoji codes to embed emoticons into HTML code. Emoji codes are short and easy to remember. For instance, 😊 can be rendered as 😊 using emoji code in HTML. Add the emoji code directly to your HTML code. For example, 😊 displays the same smiling face with smiling eyes emoji 😊.
Testing across browsers: After adding emojis to your HTML code, test your webpage in various browsers and devices to confirm that the emojis appear correctly and consistently.

Now, let me demonstrate with the help of an example.

Code:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>HTML Emojis Example</title>
<style>
/* Optional CSS for styling emojis */
.emoji {
font-size: 24px;
margin-right: 5px;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1>HTML Emojis Example</h1>

<p>This is a crying laughing face emoji: <span class="emoji">&#128514;</span></p

<p>Here are some other emojis:</p>
<ul>
<li>Guardsman: <span class="emoji">&#x1F482;</span></li>
<li>Prince: <span class="emoji">&#x1F934;</span></li>
<li> Celebration: <span class="emoji">&#x1F64C;</span></li>
</ul>

<p>You can also use emoji codes like this: &#x1F4AC; for a speech baloon emoji.</p>
</body>
</html>

In the above example,

I have provided various emojis with their Unicode codes (😂, 💂, 🤴, 🙌, 💬).
I have also added a basic CSS style to alter emoji size and spacing (optional).

HTML Emoji List

There are almost an endless number of emojis supported by HTML. In this section of the tutorial, let me share some popular emoji HTML code list to help you get started. Pay close attention to the structure of how the code is represented in the Unicode format.

Smiley faces

Here is a list of smiley face emojis in HTML emojis.

😊 Smiling face with smiling eyes: 😊
😃 Grinning face with big eyes: 😃
😄 Grinning face with smiling eyes: 😄
😀 Grinning face: 😀
😆 Grinning squinting face: 😆
😂 Face with tears of joy: 😂
🤣 Rolling on the floor laughing: 🤣
😍 Smiling face with heart-eyes: 😍
😘 Face blowing a kiss: 😘
😎 Smiling face with sunglasses: 😎
😇 Smiling face with halo: 😇
😜 Winking face with tongue: 😜

Heart emojis

Here is a list of heart emojis in HTML emojis.

❤️ Red heart: ❤️
💖 Sparkling heart: 💖
💕 Two hearts: 💕
💓 Beating heart: 💓
💗 Growing heart: 💗
💘 Heart with arrow: 💘
💝 Heart with ribbon: 💝
💞 Revolving hearts: 💞
💟 Heart decoration: 💟
❣️ Heart exclamation: ❣️

Hand gestures

Here is a list of hand gesture emojis in HTML emojis.

👍 Thumbs up: #x1F44D
👎 Thumbs down: #x1F44E.
✌️. Victory Hand: ✌️
🤞 Crossing fingers: 🤞
🤘 Sign of the horns: 🤘
👌OK hand: 👌

Animals

Here is a list of animal emojis in HTML emojis.

🐶 Dogface: 🐶
🐱 Cat face: 🐱
🐭 Mouse face: 🐭
🐰 Rabbit face: 🐰
🐼 Panda face: 🐼
🦊 Fox face: 🦊
🐻 Bear face: 🐻
🐯 Tiger face: 🐯
🦁 Lion face: 🦁
🐸 Frog face: 🐸
🐵 Monkeyface: 🐵
🐧 Penguin: 🐧

Weather

Here is a list of weather emojis in HTML emojis.

☀️ Sun: ☀️
🌤️ Sun behind a little cloud: 🌤
🌦️ Sun behind rain cloud: 🌦
⛈️ Cloud with lightning and rain: ⛈
🌧️ Cloud with rain: 🌧
🌩️ Cloud with lightning: 🌩
🌨️ Cloud with snow: 🌨
☔ Umbrella with rain drops: ☔
❄️ Snowflake: ❄️
🌈 Rainbow: 🌈
🌪️ Tornado: 🌪
🌫️ Fog: 🌫

Food and drinks

Here is a list of food and drink emojis in HTML emojis.

🍎 Red apple: 🍎
🍉 Watermelon: 🍉
🍇 Grapes: 🍇
🍌 Banana: 🍌
🍍 Pineapple: 🍍
🍔 Hamburger: 🍔
🍟 French fries: 🍟
🌭 Hot dog: 🌭
🍕 Pizza: 🍕
🍝 Spaghetti: 🍝
🍜 Steaming bowl: 🍜
🍦 Ice cream: 🍦
🍩 Doughnut: 🍩
🍪 Cookie: 🍪
🍰 Cake: 🍰
🍷 Wine glass: 🍷
🍺 Beer mug: 🍺
☕ Hot beverage: ☕
🍸 Cocktail glass: 🍸
🍹 Tropical drink: 🍹
🍾 Bottle with popping cork: 🍾

This list includes a wide range of emojis that are often used in a variety of scenarios, including expressions and gestures, animals, weather, and cuisine. Although it is just a fraction of what is offered by HTML, this should be a good starting point.

How to Style HTML Emojis in HTML?

We can use CSS to style HTML emojis just like we target and style any other HTML element. The CSS code we implement can be internal, inline, or external in nature. We can also use predefined classes to style emoji icons for HTML.

Let me explain with the help of an example emoji code for HTML.

Code:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Styling HTML Emojis</title>
<style>
/* Define styles for emojis */
.emoji {
font-size: 36px; /* Set font size */
color: blue; /* Set text color */
margin-right: 10px; /* Add margin for spacing */
}
/* Additional style for a specific emoji */
.custom-emoji {
font-size: 48px;
color: red;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1> Styling HTML Emojis Example </h1>

<p>Regular emoji: <span class="emoji">&#x1F616;</span></p>
<p>Styled diamond emoji with class: <span class="emoji custom-emoji">&#x1F48E;</span></p>
<p>You can also use emoji codes like this: &#x1F649; for a hear no evil emoji.</p>
</body>
</html>

In the above example,

The CSS styles for emojis are defined using the .emoji class.
We also use the .custom-emoji class to give a new look to a single emoji.
Emojis are presented in various font sizes, colors, and margins depending on their class.

In Conclusion

HTML emojis are like the sprinkles on top of your digital cupcakes; they bring flair, flavor, zest, and fun to your website! Emojis in HTML are your go-to companions for a wonderful online experience, whether you're expressing emotions, spicing up content, or simply bringing smiles to your face. This tutorial has given you a basic idea of how you can implement HTML emojis in your future website project.

If you want to learn more advanced concepts of HTML and web development, I would suggest doing a certified course from a reputed platform. One such platform that comes to mind is upGrad. Their courses are curated by some of the best professors in this field. The courses are in collaboration with some of the best universities around the world.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are HTML emojis?

HTML emojis are symbols or icons that can be used in web development to provide visual components, emotions, or emphasis to text. They are represented by Unicode characters and can be added straight to HTML code using special codes or by copying and pasting the emoji itself.

How do I insert emojis into my HTML code?

To incorporate emojis into your HTML code, use the Unicode value of the emoji directly, such as 😃 for the 😊. Alternatively, you can use the emoji's decimal or hexadecimal value, as 😃 or 😃.

Are there any compatibility issues with using HTML emojis?

Yes, there may be compatibility concerns with HTML emojis, particularly if older browsers or systems do not support Unicode characters or if the emoji in question is new and not widely recognized across all devices. Testing across multiple browsers and devices is critical to ensuring compatibility.

Can I style HTML emojis using CSS?

Yes, you can style HTML emojis with CSS. Emojis can be styled using CSS properties such as color, font-size, padding, margin, and even animations, much like other HTML elements.

Do HTML emojis affect website performance?

HTML emojis rarely have a substantial impact on website performance. However, using a high number of emojis or very large emojis might increase page size and potentially impair loading speeds, particularly on slower connections or older devices. It's generally a good idea to utilize emojis carefully while optimizing other areas of your website for performance.

Are there any best practices for using HTML emojis?

Yes, here are some best practices when using HTML emojis. Like, emojis should be used sparingly and with purpose, and only when they offer value to your text.

To ensure accessibility, include alternative text or descriptions for emojis.

Can I use custom emojis in HTML?

Custom emojis can be used in HTML, but they require special handling. Unlike standard Unicode emojis that are universally recognized and supported by browsers, custom emojis are specific to platforms or applications and may not display correctly or at all across different devices or browsers.

Where can I find a list of Unicode emojis and their corresponding codes?

The Unicode Consortium's official website provides a full list of Unicode emojis and their corresponding codes. They uphold the Unicode Standard, which contains all emojis and their Unicode code points.