Table 6.

Categories, semantic, and emotional functions of emoji.

	Category	Definition	Example
Content	Smileys and people	Emojis for smileys, people, families, hand gestures, clothing, and accessories.
	Animals and nature	Emojis for animals, nature, and weather.
	Food and drink	Emojis for fruit, vegetables, meals, beverages, and utensils.
	Activity	Emojis for sports, music, the arts, hobbies, and other activities.
	Travel and places	Emojis for varied scenes, locations, buildings, and modes of transport.
	Objects	Emojis for household items, celebrations, stationery, and miscellaneous objects.
	Symbols	Heart emojis, clocks, arrows, signs, and shapes.
	Flags	Flag emojis, mainly flag emojis of different countries.
Meaning	Behavioral	Express a behavior, behavioral intentions or activities, such as agree, running, etc.
	Non-behavioral	Represent objects, symbols, animals etc.
Emotion	Positive	Express positive emotions such as happiness, joy, excitement, etc.
	Neutral	Express moderate emotions. Neither positive nor negative.
	Negative	Express negative emotions such as sadness, anger, being upset, etc.