Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing The surprising history (and politics) of emoji, with Keith Houston
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Jul 3, 2025 
In this engaging discussion, Keith Houston, author of "Face with Tears of Joy" and creator of the blog Shady Characters, dives into the fascinating world of emoji. He traces their evolution from ancient symbols to modern digital tools, revealing how they reflect cultural, generational, and political attitudes. Houston explains the role of the Unicode Consortium in standardizing emojis and highlights the intricacies of composition and pluralization. The conversation culminates in exploring emoji's journey towards inclusivity and the transformative impact they have on emotional expression today.
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Emoji's Ancient and Digital Roots
- Emoji origins trace back to prehistoric smiley faces and medieval manuscript margin drawings.
- Early Japanese prints told stories through pictures, evolving toward modern emoji use in the 1960s and 1980s computers.
Unicode Controls Emoji Inclusion
- Unicode Consortium creates a unified character standard for computers including emoji.
- They require proposals for new emoji proving need, no copyright conflicts, and filling gaps in the set.
Composite Emoji and Unicode Approval
- Composite emoji combine existing emoji with zero width joiners to form new symbols.
- This method avoids full approval processes but still requires Unicode to define new combinations.
