Uchikura & Co., LLC

I Had No Idea 💦 Meant THAT in English
I recently learned something surprising about emojis.

 

In Japan, 💦 is commonly used to represent sweat, nervousness, embarrassment, or a feeling like, “Oops!” We might write, “I forgot the meeting 💦” or “It’s really hot today 💦.” There is usually nothing strange about it.

 

But apparently, on English-speaking social media, 💦 can sometimes have a sexual meaning.

 

I had no idea.

 

And it is not the only emoji that can cause misunderstanding. 🍆 may look like an eggplant, but it is commonly used as a sexual symbol. 🍑 can mean more than just a peach. Even 😏, 👅, 🥵, and certain combinations of emojis can carry meanings that may be very different from what a Japanese person expects.

 

I always thought emojis were almost a universal language. After all, a picture should mean the same thing everywhere, right?

 

Apparently not.

 

Just like spoken languages, emojis have developed their own slang, cultural meanings, and hidden interpretations.

 

So before you casually add 💦 to your next English social media post, you might want to think twice.

 

I certainly will. 💦

 

Wait… maybe I shouldn’t have used that.