Emoji Search & Copy
Quickly find and copy any emoji by searching with keywords like 'heart' or 'smile', or browse by category.
What is the Emoji Search & Copy?
Tired of endlessly scrolling to find the right emoji for your posts or messages? This tool lets you instantly search a complete emoji set using everyday words like 'laugh,' 'fire,' or 'thumbs up.' Click any emoji to copy it immediately. You can also browse through categories like Faces, Animals, or Food. Frequently used emoji appear in your 'Recently used' list for even faster access next time. All your usage history is stored only in your browser and is never sent to our servers.
How to use
- Type a word like 'heart' or 'smile' into the 'Search in Korean' box to find matching emoji.
- Alternatively, click a category button like 'Faces' or 'Food' to browse a specific set.
- Click any emoji in the results to copy it and add it to the 'Selected emoji' field.
- Your most-used emoji are saved under 'Recently used' for quick access. Click 'Clear history' to remove them.
Emoji Search & Copy guide
How this tool is used in real work, and what to watch out for.
The Emoji You See Isn't What Others See
What's copied is not an image, but a character code. For example, ๐ is just the number U+1F600, and each company decides how to draw that character. This means the same code will look different on Apple, Google, and Microsoft devices.
When you hover over an emoji in this tool, its codepoint (starting with U+) appears. That's the actual value being sent; the picture you see is just how your current device's font has decided to draw it.
- The expressions on iPhones (Apple Color Emoji) and Androids (Noto Color Emoji) can be quite different. The gap is especially wide for nuanced faces like ๐ .
- The appearance of emoji on Windows has changed significantly between versions. On an older PC, today's emoji can look completely different.
- If you see a square (โก) or a question mark, it means the device's font doesn't support that emoji yet. This happens most often with the newest emoji.
Why One Emoji Can Count as Two (or More) Characters
You may have noticed that character-counting tools sometimes register a single emoji as two characters. This isn't a bug. Many systems, including JavaScript, count strings in UTF-16 units, and most emoji take up two of these units (a "surrogate pair").
It gets more complex. Some emoji are actually combinations of multiple characters joined to form a single picture, so they can take up four or even six units.
| Emoji | Actual Composition | UTF-16 Length |
|---|---|---|
| ๐ | 1 codepoint | 2 |
| ๐ฐ๐ท | Regional Indicator Symbols K + R | 4 |
| #๏ธโฃ | Hash symbol + variant selector + keycap | 3 |
| ๐ณ๏ธโ๐ | White flag + Zero-Width Joiner + rainbow | 6 |
Using Emoji in Text Messages Can Get Complicated
Emoji often cause trouble in automated text messages and alerts. Standard SMS messages are based on older text encodings that don't include emoji. Because of this, a system might automatically convert your message to the more expensive MMS format, or worse, deliver it with the emoji garbled into a question mark.
The cost per message for SMS and MMS can be vastly different, so adding a single emoji can literally multiply your sending fees. Always send a test to your own number before a bulk campaign.
- Adding an emoji to an SMS will often convert it to an MMS, which costs more.
- Some marketing platforms and API services have restrictions on emoji use in their templates. Check their rules before you proceed.
- Outcomes vary by carrier and the recipient's device. Emoji breaking on older phones is still a possibility.
Screen Readers Announce Every Emoji Aloud
Screen readers, used by people with visual impairments, read emoji by their official names. For example, ๐ is read as "grinning face." One emoji can be informative, but if you use three for emphasis, like ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ, the user just hears "fire, fire, fire."
Even worse is the style of sprinkling emoji between words. The sentence becomes completely unintelligible as it's constantly interrupted by emoji names.
- Group emoji at the end of sentences. Inserting them in the middle breaks the flow of reading.
- Avoid repeating the same emoji. One is enough.
- Don't rely on an emoji alone to convey meaning. Pair it with text, like "โ Done," so the meaning is clear even if the emoji doesn't display.
- Using emoji as bullet points breaks the list's structure for screen readers. In web content, it's always better to use proper list tags.
Tips for Better Searching
This tool's search works on a set of manually added English keywords. This lets you find emoji with common, everyday terms, not just their stiff official Unicode names. The trade-off is that our list is curated for frequently used emoji and doesn't include every single one in existence.
- Search with short, simple words. "laugh" will get you better results than "grinning squinting face."
- Keywords are in English, such as heart, fire, check, etc.
- Separate search terms with a space to find emoji that match all words. For example, "tear smile" can help you narrow down the results.
- If you can't find it, browse by category. Emoji are grouped into Faces, People ยท Hands, Animals ยท Nature, Food, Activities, Travel ยท Places, Objects, Symbols, and Flags.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of words can I search with?
You can use common English words that describe the emoji, like 'heart', 'smile', 'fire', 'star', or 'money'. The search also works with official emoji names.
Why do copied emoji look different on other devices?
The tool copies a character code, not an image. Each OS and app (iPhone, Android, Windows) draws this code using its own font, so visual differences are normal.
Where is my 'Recently used' history stored?
Your history is saved in your browser's local storage only. It is never sent to our servers and is deleted if you clear your browser data.
Why does an emoji show up as a square box (โก)?
This means your current device's font doesn't support that specific emoji yet. If you copy and paste it, it will appear correctly on devices that do have support.