Google unveils new emojis to celebrate World Emoji Day
I must admit, emojis are my go-to in almost every digital chat—they add that extra spark to my messages. Yesterday, on World Emoji Day, Google gave us more reasons to love these tiny icons by unveiling a delightful set of new emojis. Alongside these playful additions, Google also teased a new Emoji Kitchen Effect for YouTube Shorts, set to launch soon. As we celebrate the global language of emojis, let’s dive into what Google revealed and some fascinating facts about these beloved digital expressions.
As part of the upcoming Unicode 16.0 release, seven new emojis are set to debut: a fingerprint, leafless tree, harp, splat, face with bags under eyes, shovel, and root vegetable. For those who are unaware, Unicode is an international encoding standard that digitises languages worldwide.
These new emoji will be available as a web font in both colour and monochrome this September, on Android phones by March 2025 and in your Google products in early 2025.
Also read: Google Search lets you combine and create new emojis: Here’s how
Alongside the new emojis, Google also announced that in a few weeks, a new Emoji Kitchen Effect will be available on YouTube Shorts.
Google explained that the journey from an emoji concept to its appearance on your keyboard typically spans one to two years. Once an emoji joins the Unicode Standard, it remains there permanently—reflecting a rigorous selection process. The Emoji Subcommittee collaborates with global experts to capture our diverse ways of expression, drawing inspiration from literature, film, media, and pop culture. This approach has resulted in the inclusion of creatively expressive emojis
Also read: Google announces second edition of GNI Indian Languages Program: What is it?
While emojis look like tiny pictures, they are technically a font. Google’s emoji font is called Noto. Noto stands for “No Tofu.” Tofu is what Google calls those weird boxes that sometimes appear in messages instead of emoji or text.
In 2020, Emoji Kitchen made its debut on Android through Gboard, introducing thousands of hand-drawn stickers that creatively merged two emojis. The aim was to offer users richer and more nuanced ways to convey their emotions. These combinations serve to fill those subtle emotional gaps—like moments when you feel both joy and sorrow, or when you resonate with the energy of a triumphant clown. Today, Emoji Kitchen has expanded to include over 100,000 unique drawings, catering to a wide spectrum of expressive vibes.
