Structure

Every clause in the emoji language follows the strict "Subject - Verb - Object/Destination" structure. Each part must be one emoji and all must be present for clause to be complete. Within a message, the same emoji refers to the same object/event; use identifiers to have multiple similar objects/events.

Example: I know you = "👈🧠👉".

You can also have exclamations, which are just a single emoji indicating the exclamation.

Example: It's raining = "🌧️".

Emoji Descriptors

Every emoji can have a description phrase associated with it. These phrases are placed after the emoji they describe and start with a single, special emoji indicating what kind descriptor it is.

• ▶ (... ◀): Adjective phrase. This phrase contains a list of adjective-type emojis, followed by a ◀ to indicate the end of the adjective phrase. If you only have one adjective-type emoji, ◀ does not need to be specified.
  • Example: My dog ate a big round chicken = "🐕▶👈🍴🐔▶🆙⚪◀".
• ⏩: Descriptive clause. Begins a new subject-verb-object clause which specifically describes the affected emoji.
  • Example: The dog, which I bought, makes me happy = "🐕⏩👈💳🐕😊👈"
• 🚫: Negator. Negates emoji immediately following. This does not have any emojis in its descriptor phrase. "Not".
• 0️⃣1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣4️⃣5️⃣6️⃣7️⃣8️⃣9️⃣🔟: Identifiers. Since emojis tend to refer to the same object/event, you can use identifiers to differentiate between similar objects/events.

The Substantive Emoji

The 🔼 emoji introduces a new subject-verb-object clause which itself acts where the 🔼 is placed.

• Example: I wonder if fish swim like to sailboats (I'm thinking about whether fish swim similarly to boats) = "👈🤔🔼🏊▶🐟↔️❓🏊▶⛵"

Verb Modifiers

Verbs in particular can have modifiers. These modifiers are placed after the verb they affect, just like emoji descriptors.

• ❓: Interrogator. Marks the verb-clause as a true-false question.
  • Example: "👉"
• Tense Modifiers: These indicate the tense of the verb. If unspecified, then verbs are roughly present tense.
  • 🕘: Past. Something which did occur and has now finished.
    • Example: I used to want a meal = "👈🙏🕘🍽️"
  • 🕛: Present. Something which recently began occurring and is still occurring and will continue occurring.
    • Example: I currently want a meal = "👈🙏🕛🍽️"
  • 🕒: Future. Something which has not yet occurred but will later.
    • Example: I will want a meal = "👈🙏🕒🍽️"

Conjunctions

Conjunctions introduce new subject-verb-object clauses with a specific relation to the previous one.

• ➕: Additional. The following clause exists in addition to the previous one. "And" or "But".
• ➖: Optional. Either the following clause or the preceding clause are true, but not both. "Or" or "Either... Or".
• ✖️: Causal. The following clause caused or motivated the earlier clause. "Because" or "Since".
• ➗: Concessional. The following clause occurred in spite of the earlier one, explaining a reason the earlier one shouldn't have happened, can not follow a descriptive clause. "Although".

Vocabulary

Pronouns

• 👈: 1st person.
• 👉: 2nd person.
• 👐: 3rd person.
• 👇: Demonstrative pronoun (often followed by a descriptive clause), essentially can be used like a placeholder for a noun. This is essentially an unspecified object/event.

Common Vocabulary

• ➡️: to be.
• 🙏: to want/need/hope for; prayer.
• ✊: to own/have; fist.
• ✴️: to happen/occur; explosion.
• 🗣️: to say/write/communicate; speaking/speech.
• 🧠: to know/remember; knowledge/memory.

Changelog

• 2022-04-05:
  • Changed ❓ from a clause modifier to a verb modifier. Removed clause modifier section.
  • Changed 👐 to from 1st person plural to 3rd person.
  • Add substantive emoji 🔼.
  • Change adjective phrase emoji from ➰ and ➿ to ▶️ and ◀️.
  • Change descriptive phrase emoji from 〰️ to ⏩.
• 2021-12-26:
  • Changed descriptive clause emoji from 🔎 to 〰️.
  • Add adjective phrase ➰ (... ➿).
  • Classify descriptive clause emoji as emoji descriptor instead of a conjunction.
  • Remove integrator 🔗.
  • Add more examples and explain overall grammar more.
• 2017: Initial version. History has since been lost since it was a Google Keep note on my phone for ~4 years.