Emoji Unicode Reference Guide
Every emoji category explained — code points, sequences, ZWJ sequences, and HTML entities.
Published:
Tags: emoji Unicode reference, emoji code points, Unicode emoji chart
Emoji Unicode Reference Guide Emoji are not just pictures — they are Unicode characters with code points, composition rules, and rendering behavior that varies by platform. This reference covers the technical structure of emoji: single code points, ZWJ sequences, skin tone modifiers, variation selectors, and HTML entities. --- What is Emoji Code Point Landscape? Unicode allocates emoji primarily in the Supplementary Multilingual Plane (SMP, U+10000–U+1FFFF). Because these exceed the Basic Multilingual Plane (BMP), they require two UTF-16 code units — called a surrogate pair — in JavaScript and older systems. Major emoji blocks: | Block | Range | Contents | |-------|-------|----------| | Miscellaneous Symbols | U+2600–U+26FF | ☀️, ☁️, ☔ | | Dingbats | U+2700–U+27BF | ✂️, ✈️ | | Emoticons |…
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an emoji Unicode code point?
A code point is the unique integer assigned to every character in the Unicode Standard. Emoji code points are typically in ranges like U+1F300–U+1FAFF (supplementary multilingual plane). The code point for 🍕 PIZZA is U+1F355. Each code point maps to exactly one character, though complex emoji like family sequences use multiple code points joined by ZWJ.
What is a ZWJ sequence in emoji?
A Zero-Width Joiner (ZWJ, U+200D) is an invisible character that tells the rendering engine to combine adjacent emoji into a single glyph. The sequence U+1F468 + U+200D + U+1F4BB renders as 👨💻 (man technologist) on supporting platforms. On unsupporting platforms, the individual components render separately.
How do emoji skin tone modifiers work?
Fitzpatrick skin tone modifiers (U+1F3FB through U+1F3FF) follow a human emoji to request a specific skin tone. U+1F3FB is Light Skin Tone, U+1F3FF is Dark Skin Tone. The sequence 👋 U+1F44B + U+1F3FD produces 👋🏽 (waving hand with medium skin tone). Not all human emoji support skin tones.
What is the difference between text and emoji presentation?
Many characters have both a text presentation (black-and-white glyph) and an emoji presentation (color image). Variation Selector-15 (U+FE0E) forces text presentation; Variation Selector-16 (U+FE0F) forces emoji presentation. For example, ❤ (U+2764 alone) may render as black text, while ❤️ (U+2764 + U+FE0F) renders as a red emoji heart.
What is the latest Unicode emoji version?
Unicode 15.1 (September 2023) is the most recent version, adding 118 new emoji including a phoenix, lime, mushroom, and various people poses. Unicode 16.0 is expected in late 2024. The emoji version number tracks the Unicode Standard version; the full list is maintained at unicode.org/emoji/charts/.
All articles · theproductguy.in