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english & technology:

What do the 10

most used emojis on WhatsApp mean?

by Jhessika Nascimento and Andrea Giordano | Oct 25, 2021

Emojipedia a Twitter: "WhatsApp now includes emoji flags for England,  Scotland and Wales… "

Fonte: Twitter

This image is from a July 30, 2016 Twitter story that reads: WhatsApp now includes emoji flags for England, Scotland and Wales.

WhatsApp is a popular messaging app nowadays. It is a platform that provides emojis, used as a way to express emotions and feelings in messages. However, it is very important to know the meanings of these icons to avoid misusing them. Below, we’ll introduce you to the most common emojis on WhatsApp for you to apply in your conversations.

The use of emojis in WhatsApp conversations, as well as in other social networks, has been very common. Proof of this is that, often, a text message is answered with just an emoji, like a happy or sad face, for example. There are also symbols, flags, and other image formats to express emotions. The main purpose of using emojis is to demonstrate what a person is thinking or feeling at that moment. However, it is important to remember that the meaning of some icons may not be clear to all users and therefore the interpretation may be different. Emojis for iPhone (iOS), Android and Windows Phone users are often different also.

When emojis are created and accepted by Unicode (The World Standard for Text and Emoji), which is the organization responsible for recognizing and standardizing these images, each one of them gets a name and a meaning. The language, culture and context have changed the use of these emojis, and in some cases the meaning changes completely.

10 Most Popular WhatsApp Emojis

Let’s take a look at the 10 most used emojis on WhatsApp that you may have misused one day. Share this article with your family and friends so that they too can learn about its meanings.

1) Upside down face emoji

Divertido, o emoji de cabeça para baixo éusado nos momentos de descontração (Foto: Reprodução/emojipedia)

Because it contains a smile, it can be an emoji understood as happiness, but it actually expresses irony, sarcasm or a joke.

2) Emoji smiling discreetly

Emoji sorrindo discretamente significa estar feliz, mas nem tanto (Foto: Reprodução/emojipedia)

This is an emoji that can be used to express satisfaction for something or an event, it expresses a subtle happiness.

3) Nerd emoji

O emoji nerd é bem divetido e pode ser usado nas situações nerds (Foto: Reprodução/emojipedia)A bespectacled emoji with little teeth, it can be used to say that someone is smart or dedicated to studies.

4) Disappointed emoji

Está decepcionado? Use o emoji carancudo (Foto: Reprodução/emojipedia)

More than expressing sadness, this emoji can show disappointment with something or someone or that it is also bad temper and annoyance.

5) Emoji “a little less” disappointed

Emoji carrancudo discreto siginfica esta um pouco triste ou decepcionado (Foto: Reprodução/emojipedia)

It can be used in situations where you were upset about something or someone, or even when you are unanswered for something.

6) Thoughtful emoji

Pensando ou analisando algo é o que representa o emoji pensativo (Foto: Reprodução/emojipedia)

With a single finger resting on your chin and looking up, the thoughtful emoji means you are thinking or reflecting on something. It can also be used sarcastically followed by the message “I’ll think about your case”.

7) Money emoji

Está com dinheiro? Use o emoji dinheiro! (Foto: Reprodução/emojipedia)

The face with two bills in the eyes and on the tongue is a famous emoji to talk about money in a silly way. It can be used to show that you have a lot of money or that payment is available. It’s also good for playing with someone by insinuating that he’s full of money.

8) Emoji rolling its eyes

Emoji revirando olhos mostra deprezo ou desdenho a alguém (Foto: Reprodução/emojipedia)

Rolling eyes and no smile, this emoji can be used to sneer, despise something or someone. It can also mean that you think something is boring or that you didn’t like a joke or joke.

9) Emoji with zipper mouth

Emoji com boca de zíper pode significar que não há o que comenta sobre algo (Foto: Reprodução/emojipedia)

This emoji can mean “I have nothing to say about it” in the sense that you don’t want to speak up or discuss an issue. It can also be used to show that you have a secret or to ask someone to stop talking about something.

10) Spy emoji

Emoji caracteizado de espião mostra estar investigando algo (Foto: Reprodução/emojipedia)

This emoji of an undercover investigator wearing a hat and a magnifying glass shows the intent to investigate something in depth. It can also be used to say you are watching someone.

Did I miss any emoji that you want to know the meaning? Comment below to request more tech-related acronyms or terms to be added to the list.

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More Study With Andrea Articles

We will have several articles dealing with the topic technology here on our website. So if you are interested in this subject, follow along with our articles, where we have a lot of relevant content to share with you. Click on the following links to read a couple other technology articles: 

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Jhessika Nascimento

Jhessika Nascimento

Director of International Partnerships

Jhessika Nascimento is the Director of International Partnerships for Study With Andrea and lives in Brasilia, Brazil.

Jhessika is a bilingual teacher of English and Portuguese, studying for a Master's Degree in Strategic Management in Information Technologies at the Universidad Internacional Iberoamericana.
Graduation in Letters - Portuguese and English.
Postgraduate in Teaching in Higher Education.
Postgraduate in Risk Management and Cybersecurity.
Postgraduate Executive MBA in Process Management BPM-CBOK.
Postgraduate in Translation and Proofreading of Texts in English.

e: jhessika@sacksonworldwide.com

The following is a TOEFL Reading practice test to help you prepare for the Reading section of the TOEFL test. 

Instructions: Read the sample passage below and then answer the questions that follow. 

TOEFL Reading Practice Passage

Gorillas are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forest of central Sub-Saharan Africa. The genus Gorilla is divided into two species: the eastern gorillas and the western gorillas (both critically endangered), and either four or five subspecies. They are the largest living primates. The DNA of gorillas is highly similar to that of humans, from 95 to 99% depending on what is included, and they are the next closest living relatives to humans after the chimpanzees and bonobos.

Gorillas' natural habitats cover tropical or subtropical forest in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although their range covers a small percentage of Sub-Saharan Africa, gorillas cover a wide range of elevations. The mountain gorilla inhabits the Albertine Rift montane cloud forests of the Virunga Volcanoes, ranging in altitude from 2,200 to 4,300 metres (7,200 to 14,100 ft). Lowland gorillas live in dense forests and lowland swamps and marshes as low as sea level, with western lowland gorillas living in Central West African countries and eastern lowland gorillas living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo near its border with Rwanda.

(#1) Gorillas move around by knuckle-walking, although they sometimes walk upright for short distances, typically while carrying food or in defensive situations. (#2) A 2018 study investigating the hand posture of 77 mountain gorillas at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (8% of the population) found that knuckle walking was done only 60% of the time, and they also supported their weight on their fists, the backs of their hands/feet, and on their palms/soles (with the digits flexed). (#3) Studies of gorilla handedness have yielded varying results, with some arguing for no preference for either hand, and others right-hand dominance for the general population. (#4)

The eastern gorilla is more darkly colored than the western gorilla, with the mountain gorilla being the darkest of all. The mountain gorilla also has the thickest hair. The western lowland gorilla can be brown or grayish with a reddish forehead. In addition, gorillas that live in lowland forest are more slender and agile than the more bulky mountain gorillas. The eastern gorilla also has a longer face and broader chest than the western gorilla. Like humans, gorillas have individual fingerprints. Their eye color is dark brown, framed by a black ring around the iris. Gorilla facial structure is described as mandibular prognathism, that is, the mandible protrudes farther out than the maxilla. Adult males also have a prominent sagittal crest.

A gorilla's lifespan is normally between 35 and 40 years, although zoo gorillas may live for 50 years or more. Colo, a female western gorilla at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, was the oldest known gorilla at 60 years of age when she died on 17 January 2017.

 

Questions

1. According to the passage, gorillas can live in

     a. a variety of altitudes.

     b. several different countries in Africa. 

     c. thick forests.

     d. lowland forests only. 

2. All of the following is true about gorillas EXCEPT

     a. they primarily eat smaller animals.

     b. they live in a forest habitat.

     c. their genetics are similar to humans.

     d. their diet consists of vegetation. 

3. Look at the word predominantly in paragraph 1. The word predominantly in this passage refers to

     a. impulsively

     b. unfortunately

     c. mainly

     d. lastly

4. Look at the word inhabits in paragraph 2. The word inhabits in this passage refers to

     a. lives in

     b. protects

     c. goes

     d. works

5. The author implies that

     a. most gorillas prefer using their left hand over their right.

     b. gorillas rarely walk on their knuckles.

     c. gorillas regularly walk upright for long distances.

     d. studies haven't solidly proven which hand gorillas prefer using. 

6. Why does the writer mention that the eastern gorilla also has a longer face and broader chest than the western gorilla?

     a. To validate the importance a broad chest in western gorillas

     b. To define the meaning of "broad"

     c. To highlight a physical difference between types of gorillas

     d. To demonstrate that most gorillas are identical in physical build

7. Which of the following statements is true for BOTH eastern and western gorillas. 

     a. Both eastern and western gorrilas are brown with red foreheads.

     b. Both eastern and western gorrilas have unique fingerprints.

     c. Both eastern and western gorrilas have thin hair.

     d. Both eastern and western gorrilas have light brown eyes.

8. In Paragraph 3, look at the four numbers (#1, #2, #3, #4) that indicate where the following sentence would be added to the passage. 

Such a range of hand postures was previously thought to have been used by only orangutans.

Where would the sentence best fit?

 

(View all the correct answers below.) 

 

Great job! If you're ready to take your TOEFL preparation to the next level, go to StudyWithAndrea.com/TOEFL

Answers: 1. d    2. a    3. c    4. a    5.  d   6. c    7. b    8.  #3  

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