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 digital graphic icon used to represent a concept or object

Definitions

  1. emoji digital graphic icon used to represent a concept or object

Ancestry of “Emoji”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishemojiA digital graphic icon with a unique code point...
2Japanese絵文字pictograph; emoji: emoticons that originated in...
3Japanese絵picture, painting; drawing, sketch
4Middle Chinese繪—
Every word from Middle Chinese 繪 →Every word from Japanese 絵 →Every word from Japanese 絵文字 →