絵文字

えもじ

emoji

Also:pictorial symbol, ASCII art

What does 絵文字 mean?

絵文字 is a Japanese noun meaning emoji in English. It can also be translated as pictorial symbol, ASCII art depending on context. It is written as 絵文字 in kanji, えもじ in hiragana, and emoji in romaji. This word is part of JLPT N5 vocabulary.