Where does “emoji” come from?

emoji (Indonesian) comes from Japanese えもじ, from Japanese え, from Middle Chinese 衣.

emoji (Indonesian): A digital graphic icon with a unique code point...

Definitions

  1. A digital graphic icon with a unique code point...

Ancestry of “emoji”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japaneseえもじ—
2JapaneseえAlternative form of い
3Middle Chinese衣—
Every word from Middle Chinese 衣 →Every word from Japanese え →Every word from Japanese えもじ →