What it actually means: The girl’s hand is positioned to express helpfulness, as if she were asking, “How may I help you?"—exactly as an information desk person would. What it actually means: As its name suggests, this monkey is covering its eyes to “see no evil,” as as in the “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” proverb. That’s why this one has two other cohorts: one covering its ears and another covering its mouth. What it actually means: The women-with-bunny-ears emoji is actually the Japanese version of what Americans call Playboy bunnies: very attractive women with bunny ears. The Google and Microsoft versions of this emoji has just one woman’s face with bunny ears. What it actually means: The Astonished Face emoji actually has nothing to do with death—but if you want to express shock and astonishment, use it. On the other hand, if you’re dizzy, use the nearly identical Dizzy Face emoji. It might not make a whole lot of sense, but that’s how they were intended to be used. What it actually means: Believe it or not, this is not a shooting star. Rather, it’s meant to convey dizziness. Think back to the cartoons you used to watch in which stars spun around a character’s head after he was hit with an anvil or something weighty. What it actually means: It’s just a woman’s hand painting her nails pink with polish. Nothing more, nothing less. There’s no deep meaning behind it. What it actually means: As jazzy as they look, these hands are meant to express openness, as if someone were inviting you to hug. What it actually means: In Japan, a folded hand gesture says “please” and “thank you,” so it’s not at all far off from what most people think it means. Some speculate that this emoji was originally a high-five, and some people use it for that. What it actually means: It’s actually a roasted sweet potato. Harvested during fall in Japan, they sometimes have purple skin, as seen in this emoji. What it means: It’s a name badge—the kind on which you write your name and fasten to your shirt. In Western culture, this iOS emoji is considered weirdly shaped for a name badge—but not in Japan, where kindergarteners wear them.
