Where does “Emoji” come from?
Emoji (German) comes from English emoji, from Japanese 絵文字, from Japanese 絵, from Middle Chinese 繪.
Emoji (German): emoji
Ancestry of “Emoji”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | emoji | A digital graphic icon with a unique code point... |
| 2 | Japanese | 絵文字 | pictograph; emoji: emoticons that originated in... |
| 3 | Japanese | 絵 | picture, painting; drawing, sketch |
| 4 | Middle Chinese | 繪 | — |