5 Emoji Meanings That Don’t Mean What You Think

According to the latest Slack and Duolingo survey, 57 percent of global respondents believe messages are “incomplete” without an emoji. However, nearly the same percentage admits to being unaware of specific emoji having multiple meanings.

Some of the emojis you see and use online and in text messages don’t mean what you think they do—or, at the very least, not what they were intended to mean. Some of the misunderstandings are cultural in nature, at least in the Western world; after all, emoji originated in Japan.

1. See No Evil 

What most people interpret it to mean: Most people interpret this to mean a cutesy “oops” expression.

What it actually means: As the name implies, this monkey is covering its eyes in order to “see no evil,” as in the proverb “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.”

2. A shooting Star 

What most people think it means: This one resembles a shooting star and is frequently used in conjunction with other space-themed emojis such as the moon, earth, and sun.

What it actually means: This is not a shooting star, believe it or not. Rather, it is intended to convey dizziness. Remember those cartoons where stars spun around a character’s head after he was hit with an anvil or something heavy?

3. Money Wings Emoji

The same split perception exists for the money wings emoji. Depending on their country of origin, respondents were divided on whether it meant a loss (28%) or an influx (31%).

4. Pile of Poop Emoji

Another one is the “pile of poop” emoji ().

According to the survey, its meaning is divided between its literal depiction of “crap” and a more figurative meaning of “something that has gone to crap (ie. wrong).” Surprisingly, it can also mean “good luck” in some countries, including Japan.

5. Person with Folded Arms 

What most people interpret it to mean: In the Western world, this is typically interpreted as a person praying.

What it actually means: A folded hand gesture in Japan means “please” and “thank you,” so it’s not far off from what most people think it means.