Iconic – The Universal Emoji Language

Symbol: Emoji Globe

Language Guide

This guide shows you around the language so that you can approach the material and create your own sentences. There are a few practice questions, which you can think of as little puzzles to solve at your leisure. Also, don’t worry too much about remembering all the words – the important thing is the structure.

If you wish, you can follow the guide with the Online Converter on Lingojam or the AutoHotkey Script. Feel free to experiment and to create your own expressions!

Iconic is based on structures that can be found in virtually all languages. This allows various ways of expression without being overly complicated. As a result, it probably works a bit different than languages you are used to, but worry not, there is a solution for (almost) every problem 😉

1. Icons

  1. The symbols of Iconic are based on Unicode 12. This means they are compatible with most modern platforms – be it PC, smartphone or console. In addition, for special expressions like names any Unicode character may be used, though not all characters are supported everywhere. Iconic is designed to also work perfectly well in black and white.

  2. Most icons simply show the object they refer to as pictograms. The Rebus Principle, for instance writing 👁 eye for the first person “I”, is deliberately avoided. This is one of the biggest differences to traditional writings systems based on pictures.

    Examples:

    ☀ sun
    🐈 cat
    🏠 house
    ⛰ mountain

    Questions:

    🌙, 🐶, 🌊, 🍌

    🌙 moon
    🐶 dog
    🌊 wave
    🍌 banana

  3. Some icons are ideograms with a predefined abstract meaning.

    Examples:

    ❀ love
    🧒 person
    🕒 time
    💧 water

    Questions:

    🎵, 🎹, 👍, 👎, 📝

    🎵 music
    🎹 piano
    👍 good
    👎 bad
    📝 text/document

  4. If an ideogram is used in a more literal sense, it is followed by the 👌 literal suffix.

    Examples:

    🧒 person 🧒👌 head
    🕒 time 🕒👌 clock
    💧 water 💧👌 drop

    Questions:

    🎵👌, 🎹👌, 📝👌

    🎵 music 🎵👌 note
    🎹 piano 🎹👌 keyboard
    📝 text 📝👌 sheet

  5. By contrast, the ⭐ * suffix indicates abstract interpretation.

    Examples:

    🕊 dove 🕊⭐ peace
    🔚 hammer 🔚⭐ method
    🧱 bricks 🧱⭐ material
    🎚 palette 🎚⭐ color

    Questions:

    ⚔⭐, 💀⭐, 🧙⭐, ⚖⭐

    ⚔ sword(s) ⚔⭐ war, fight
    💀 skull 💀⭐ death
    🧙 mage 🧙⭐ magic
    ⚖ scales ⚖⭐ justice

  6. The 〰 ~ suffix means as much “for example” and indicates a category of physical things.

    Examples:

    🍎 apple 🍎〰 fruit
    👚 blouse 👚〰 clothes
    🐒 monkey 🐒〰 animal
    🌌 flower 🌌〰 plant

    Questions:

    🥕〰 , 🚗〰, 🎹〰, 🍭〰

    🥕 carrot 🥕〰 vegetable
    🚗 car 🚗〰 vehicle
    🎹 piano 🎹〰 instrument
    🍭 lollipop 🍭〰 candy

  7. Note how 〰 ~ is a physical object while ⭐ * is more abstract.

    Examples:

    🔚 hammer
    🔚〰 tool
    🔚⭐ method
    🏠 house
    🏠〰 building
    🏠⭐ structure, order
    💎 diamond
    💎〰 jewelry
    💎⭐ treasure

    Questions:

    🌍, 🌍〰, 🌍⭐
    🎮, 🎮〰, 🎮⭐
    ⚔, ⚔〰, ⚔⭐

    🌍 earth
    🌍〰 planet
    🌍⭐ world
    🎮 gamepad
    🎮〰 controller
    🎮⭐ game
    ⚔ sword(s)
    ⚔〰 weapon
    ⚔⭐ war, fight

2. Attributes

  1. Most adjectives use the 🀲 like suffix.

    Examples:

    🐘 elephant 🐘🀲 big
    💪 arm 💪🀲 strong
    🍭 lollipop 🍭🀲 sweet
    ♚ hotbath ♚🀲 hot

    Questions:

    🐭🀲, 🐢🀲, ❄🀲, ☀🀲

    🐭 mouse 🐭🀲 small
    🐢 turtle 🐢🀲 slow
    ❄ snowflake ❄🀲 cold
    ☀ sun ☀🀲 bright

  2. Changing 🀲 like to ⭐ * indicates a property.

    Examples:

    🐘🀲 big 🐘⭐ size
    💪🀲 strong 💪⭐ strength
    🍭🀲 sweet 🍭⭐ sweetness
    ♚🀲 hot ♚⭐ heat

    Questions:

    🐭⭐, 🐢⭐, ❄⭐, ☀⭐

    🐭⭐ smallness
    🐢⭐ slowness
    ❄⭐ coldness
    ☀⭐ brightness, light

  3. The ⚡ but suffix indicates the opposite.

    Examples:

    💪🀲 strong
    💪⚡🀲 weak
    🕊🀲 peaceful
    🕊⚡🀲 agitated
    💪⚡⭐ weakness
    🕊⚡⭐ agitation

    Questions:

    🍭⚡🀲, ☀⚡🀲, 🍭⚡⭐, ☀⚡⭐

    🍭🀲 sweet
    🍭⚡🀲 bitter
    ☀🀲 bright
    ☀⚡🀲 dark
    🍭⚡⭐ bitterness
    ☀⚡⭐ darkness

  4. Words can be combined into groups where the base word comes last. Adjectives are used in the same way.

    Examples:

    ☀🕒 sun time = day
    ☁⚓ cloud place = sky
    👪👚 family man = father
    🌊🎚 wave palette = blue
    🐘🀲🧒 big person = giant

    Questions:

    🌙🕒, 🌊⚓, 👪👩, ❀🎚, 🐭🀲🧒

    🌙🕒 moon time = night
    🌊⚓ wave place = ocean
    👪👩 family woman = mother
    ❀🎚 love palette = red
    🐭🀲🧒 small person = dwarf

  5. Group components can be separated with ◻ ; in order to clarify relations.

    Examples:

    🐘🀲👪👩
    big mother

    🐘🀲👪👪👩
    big family mother (ambiguous)

    🐘🀲👪◻👪👩
    mother of a big family

    👪◻🐘🀲👪👩
    big mother of a family

    Questions:

    🐘🀲🌊
    🐘🀲🌊⚓🌊
    🐘🀲🌊⚓◻🌊
    🌊⚓◻🐘🀲🌊

    🐘🀲🌊
    big wave

    🐘🀲🌊⚓🌊
    big ocean wave (ambiguous)

    🐘🀲🌊⚓◻🌊
    wave of a big ocean

    🌊⚓◻🐘🀲🌊
    big wave of an ocean

3. Numbers & Pronouns

  1. Repeating a single icon indicates the plural for nouns and intensity for adjectives.

    Examples:

    🐈 cat 🐈🐈 cats
    🐘🀲 big 🐘🐘🀲 giant

    The following two icons have an additional collective plural:

    🏠 house 🧒 person
    🏠🏠 houses 🧒🧒 people
    🏘 city 👥 group

    Questions:

    🐶🐶, 🐭🐭🀲, 👍👍, 👎👎

    🐶 dog 🐶🐶 dogs
    🐭🀲 small 🐭🐭🀲 tiny
    👍 good 👍👍 great
    👎 bad 👎👎 awful

  2. For composite words the plural is indicated with the plural suffix ⏩ s. Numbers and certain adjectives also indicate the plural.

    Examples:

    ☀🕒 day ☀🕒⏩ days
    🔚〰 tool 🔚〰⏩ tools
    5🧙🏻 five wizards
    #5🧙🏻 the fifth wizard
    🧙🏻🧙🏻 wizards
    🧙🏻⏩ wizards

    Questions:

    🌙🕒, 🌙🕒⏩, 12🐒, #12🐒

    🌙🕒 night
    🌙🕒⏩ nights
    12🐒 twelve monkeys
    #12🐒 the twelfth monkey

  3. There are four basic demonstrative pronouns.

    👈 i, my
    👉 you, your
    👇 this
    👆 that

    Pronouns have a plural:

    👈👈 we, our
    👉👉 you all

    Examples:

    👈🏠 my house
    👇🐶 this dog
    👆🌳 that tree
    👆🐈🐈 those cats

    Questions:

    👈🐈, 👉🐶, 👈🐈🐈, 👈👈🐈

    👈🐈 my cat
    👉🐶 your dog
    👈🐈🐈 my cats
    👈👈🐈 our cat

  4. Other pronouns are built via composition.

    Examples:

    👆🧒 that person = they (Sg.)
    👆👥 that group = they (Pl.)
    👆👚 that man = he

    ❓🧒 what person = who
    ❗🧒 some person = someone
    ❓⚓ what place = where

    Questions:

    👆👩, ❓🕒, ❗🕒, ❗⚓

    👆👩 that woman = she
    ❓🕒 what time = when
    ❗🕒 some time = sometime
    ❗⚓ some place = somewhere

  5. Names may use any writing system and are followed by a word acting as a classifier. Emoji names use quotation marks.

    Examples:

    Roma🏘
    Rome (City)

    東京🏘
    Tokyo (City)

    Tiemo🧒
    Tiemo (Person)

    “🀏❀🎚🧢”👧
    Little Red Riding Hood (Girl)

    🀏❀🎚🧢 little red cap

    Questions:

    Sokrates🧒
    Kleopatra👑👩
    Nintendo👥
    “❀🎚🧢”🔧👚

    Sokrates🧒
    Sokrates (Person)

    Kleopatra👑👩
    Kleopatra (Queen)

    Nintendo👥
    Nintendo (Group)

    “❀🎚🧢”🔧👚
    Mario (Plumber)

4. Sentences

  1. Sentences use grammatical symbols called relations, which always come after what they refer to. The 📊 be relation indicates existence and the combination “X📊” creates a verb meaning “to be X” (like putting something in a box).

    In a sentence, the main verb is the last word, ▫ separates words and ▪ marks the end. The articles “the” and “a” are often clear from context, but can also be expressed via 👇 this/the and ❗ some/a.

    By using suffixes like 👌 literal, any relation can be used as a normal icon, for example 📊👌 box.

    Examples:

    🐈📊
    To be a cat.

    👈▫🐈📊▪
    I am a cat.

    👇▫🍌📊▪
    This is a banana.

    👆▫❓📊▪
    What is that?

    🍌▫🍓〰📊▪
    A banana is a berry.

    👇🐈▫❀🎚📊▪
    This cat is red.

    👍📊▪
    It’s fine.

    Questions:

    🧙🏻📊
    👉▫🧙🏻📊▪
    👈▫❓🧒📊▪
    👆▫🍌🍌📊▪
    👇▫👈🐈📊▪
    🐶🐶▫👍👍📊▪
    👎📊▪

    🧙🏻📊
    To be a wizard.

    👉▫🧙🏻📊▪
    You are a wizard.

    👈▫❓🧒📊▪
    Who am I?

    👆▫🍌🍌📊▪
    Those are bananas.

    👇▫👈🐈📊▪
    This is my cat.

    🐶🐶▫👍👍📊▪
    Dogs are great.

    👎📊▪
    It’s bad.

  2. All other verbs end in the 🎬 do relation (think “action” like in a movie).

    Examples:

    💬🎬 to speak
    🚶🎬 to go
    👜🎬 to have
    🍜🎬 to eat
    ❀🎬 to love
    😃🎬 to enjoy/be happy
    🐟🎬 to swim

    Questions:

    💭🎬, 🏃🎬, 🍹🎬, ☠🎬, 😢🎬, 🐊🎬

    💭🎬 to think
    🏃🎬 to run
    🍹🎬 to drink
    ☠🎬 to die
    😢🎬 to be sad
    🐊🎬 to fly

  3. The direct object is marked by the 🔍 object relation. (In a simple English sentence like “I love you” the direct object is “you” and comes after the verb “love”.)

    Examples:

    👈▫🐈🔍▫👜🎬▪
    I have a cat.

    🐈▫❓🎬▪
    What is the cat doing?

    🐈▫🍜🎬▪
    The cat eats.

    🐈▫❓🔍▫🍜🎬▪
    What does the cat eat?

    🐈▫🐭🔍▫🍜🎬▪
    The cat eats a mouse.

    Questions:

    👉▫🐶🐶🔍▫👜🎬▪
    🐶🐶▫❓🎬▪
    🐶🐶▫🏃🎬▪
    🐶🐶▫❓🔍▫🍜🎬▪
    🐶🐶▫🧀🔍▫🍜🎬▪

    👉▫🐶🐶🔍▫👜🎬▪
    You have dogs.

    🐶🐶▫❓🎬▪
    What are the dogs doing?

    🐶🐶▫🏃🎬▪
    The dogs run.

    🐶🐶▫❓🔍▫🍜🎬▪
    What do the dogs eat?

    🐶🐶▫🧀🔍▫🍜🎬▪
    The dogs eat cheese.

  4. Here are some other relations. The complete list is on the Cheat Sheet.

    Examples:

    🎁 for (Purpose)
    💡 because (Reason)
    📬 to (Destination)
    🔚 by (Method)

    👈▫👈🐈🎁▫🍳🎬▪
    I cook for my cat.

    👈▫🐈💡▫😃🎬▪
    I am happy because of my cat.

    👈▫🏘📬▫🚶🎬▪
    I go to the city.

    👈▫🏘📬▫🚗🔚▫🚶🎬▪
    I go to the city by car.

    Questions:

    👉▫👉🐶🐶🎁▫🍳🎬▪
    👉▫❓💡▫😃🎬▪
    👉🐶🐶▫❓📬▫🚶🎬▪
    👉▫👈📬▫🚲🔚▫🚶🎬▪

    👉▫👉🐶🐶🎁▫🍳🎬▪
    You cook for your dogs.

    👉▫❓💡▫😃🎬▪
    Why are you happy?

    👉🐶🐶▫❓📬▫🚶🎬▪
    Where are your dogs going?

    👉▫👈📬▫🚲🔚▫🚶🎬▪
    You go to me by bike.

  5. Relations followed by ◻ also create attributes.

    Examples:

    🀎🏻🎁◻✉
    letter for the king

    ❀💡◻😥
    sadness because of love

    👿⚓📬◻🚶⚓
    road to hell

    🍫🔚◻❀
    love through chocolate

    👿⚓ devil place = hell
    🚶⚓ go place = road

    Questions:

    🐈🎁◻🍜⭐
    ❀💡◻😃
    👌⚓📬◻🚶⚓
    😃🔚◻💬🎬

    🐈🎁◻🍜⭐
    food for the cat

    ❀💡◻😃
    happiness because of love

    👌⚓📬◻🚶⚓
    road to heaven

    😃🔚◻💬🎬
    to speak through joy

  6. After a verb, a command is expressed with ❗ and a question with ❓.

    Examples:

    🚶🎬❗▪
    Go!

    🐈📊❗▪
    Be a cat!

    👈👈▫🚶🎬❗▪
    Let us go!

    👇🐈▫🀎🏻📊❗▪
    The cat shall be king!

    👉▫🚶🎬❓▪
    Do you go?

    👇▫🍌📊❓▪
    Is this a banana?

    Questions:

    🍫🔍▫🍜🎬❗▪
    🀎🏻📊❗▪
    👈👈▫🏘📬▫🚶🎬❗▪
    🐶🐶▫🧀🔍▫🍜🎬❓▪

    🍫🔍▫🍜🎬❗▪
    Eat chocolate!

    🀎🏻📊❗▪
    Be a king!

    👈👈▫🏘📬▫🚶🎬❗▪
    Let’s go to the city!

    🐶🐶▫🧀🔍▫🍜🎬❓▪
    Do dogs eat cheese?

  7. There are also other sentence moods.

    ❗❗ (Exclamation)
    ❗❓ (Affirmative Question)
    ❓❓ (Rhetorical Question)

    Examples:

    👍👍📊❗❗
    This is great!

    🙂🀲📊❗❓
    Easy, isn’t it?

    👈▫🐒📊❓❓
    Am I a monkey?

    Questions:

    👇🐟▫🐈🔍▫🍜🎬❗❗
    🐟🐟▫🐭🀲📊❗❓
    👇▫🊈📊❓❓

    👇🐟▫🐈🔍▫🍜🎬❗❗
    This fish eats a cat!

    🐟🐟▫🐭🀲📊❗❓
    Aren’t fish small?

    👇▫🊈📊❓❓
    Is this a shark?

5. Dependent Clauses

  1. A sentence followed by a word is a relative clause. In a relative clause ▫ becomes ◻. The word that follows – the base word – may have any function in the relative clause depending on the context. There are no relative pronouns.

    Examples:

    👈◻❀🎬🧒
    The person I love

    👈🔍◻❀🎬🧒
    The person that loves me

    👆🐈◻🏃🎬🏠👒
    The roof on which that cat runs

    👈◻🚶🎬🚲
    The bike by which I go

    👈◻🚶🎬🏠
    The house to which I go

    🏃🎬🧒 run person = runner
    🍳🎬🧒 cook person = cook
    💬🎬🧒 say person = speaker

    Questions:

    👈◻🐈🎁◻🍳🎬🍜⭐
    👉◻🚶🎬🏘
    👈🐈🔍◻❀🎬🧒🧒
    💭🎬🧒

    👈◻🐈🎁◻🍳🎬🍜⭐
    The food I cook for my cat

    👉◻🚶🎬🏘
    The city you go to

    👈🐈🔍◻❀🎬🧒🧒
    People who love my cat

    💭🎬🧒 think person = thinker

  2. A sentence followed by a relation creates a dependent clause. Dependent clauses come before the main clause.

    🎁 for (Purpose)
    💡 because (Reason)
    📬 to (Destination)
    🔚 by (Method)
    🔍 object (Direct Object)

    Examples:

    👉🔍▫👀🎬🎁▫👈▫🚶🎬▪
    I go in order to see you.

    🐶🐶▫🀒🌡🀲📊💡▫👉▫😥🎬▪
    Because the dogs are sick, you are sad.

    👉▫🙂🎬📬▫👈▫💬🎬▪
    I talk until you smile.

    👉▫😃🎬🔍▫👉▫💬🎬▪
    You say that you are happy.

    💬🎬🔚▫👈👈▫😃🎬▪
    By talking we are happy.

    Questions:

    💬🎬🎁▫👉▫👈📬▫🚶🎬▪
    👉🐶🐶▫👍📊🔍▫👉▫💬🎬▪
    👉▫❓🎬🔍▫👈▫💬🎬▪
    👉▫🩺🧒🔍▫☎🎬💡▫👍📊▪
    👇💡▫🐶🐶▫😃🎬▪

    💬🎬🎁▫👉▫👈📬▫🚶🎬▪
    You come to me in order to talk.

    👉🐶🐶▫👍📊🔍▫👉▫💬🎬▪
    You say that your dogs are fine.

    👉▫❓🎬🔍▫👈▫💬🎬▪
    I ask what you are doing.

    👉▫🩺🧒🔍▫☎🎬💡▫👍📊▪
    It’s fine because you called a doctor.

    👇💡▫🐶🐶▫😃🎬▪
    Because of this the dogs are happy.

  3. Places use the ⚓ place relation as well as prepositions. The 📊 be relation without a word in front of it means “to exist” or “there is/are”.

    Examples:

    👇⚓ this place = here
    ⬆⚓ up place = above, over
    🎯⚓ dart place = center, between

    ⏺ in, inside
    ⏺⚡ outside

    👈🐈▫🌳⬆⚓▫📊▪
    My cat is on a tree.

    🌊⚓⏺▫🐟🐟▫📊▪
    There are fish in the ocean.

    👈🐈▫🐶⬆⚓▫🊘🎬▪
    My cat jumps over a dog.

    👇🐈▫2🐶🎯⚓▫📊▪
    The cat is between two dogs.

    👈🐈▫👉🏠⚓▫📊▪
    My cat is at your house.

    Questions:

    👆⚓, ⬇⚓, ➡⚓, 🏘⏺⚡

    👈🐈▫🏠⬆⚓▫📊❗❗▪
    👉🐶🐶▫❓⚓▫📊▪
    🐶🐶▫👈🐈⚓▫📊❓▪
    👈🏠⬇⚓▫🐭🐭▫📊▪

    👆⚓ that place = there
    ⬇⚓ down place = under
    ➡⚓ right place = right of
    🏘⏺⚡ city outside =
    outside of town

    👈🐈▫🏠⬆⚓▫📊❗❗▪
    My cat is on the house!

    👉🐶🐶▫❓⚓▫📊▪
    Where are your dogs?

    🐶🐶▫👈🐈⚓▫📊❓▪
    Are the dogs at my cat?

    👈🏠⬇⚓▫🐭🐭▫📊▪
    There are mice under my house.

  4. Time uses the 🕒 time relation. Once a time frame like past or future is established, it does not have to be repeated in every sentence.

    Examples:

    👇🕒 this time = now
    ➡🕒 after time = future, after
    ⬅🕒 before time = past, before
    ⌛ timespan
    ☀⌛ year

    🧛🧛▫☀🕒▫💀🎬▪
    Vampires sleep during the day.

    👉▫👈🐈🔍▫⬅🕒▫👀🎬❓▪
    Have you seen my cat?

    👇☀🕒▫🐈▫👉🏠📬▫🏃🎬▪
    Today the cat runs to your house.

    👈🐈🔍▫👀🎬🕒▫👈▫😃🎬▪
    I am happy when I see my cat.

    👈👈▫🍳🎬➡🕒▫👈👈▫🍜🎬▪
    We eat after we cook.

    Questions:

    👆🕒, ⬅☀🕒, 🌙⌛, 🧒⌛

    ❓🧒▫🌙🕒▫💀🎬❓▪
    👉▫👈🐶🐶🔍▫⬅🕒▫👀🎬❓▪
    ➡☀🕒▫👈👈▫🩺🧒📬▫🚶🎬▪
    🐶🐶▫➡🕒▫👈📬▫🏃🎬❗❓▪
    👈▫💀🎬⬅🕒▫👈▫🊷🧹🎬▪

    👆🕒 that time = back then
    ⬅☀🕒 before day = yesterday
    🌙⌛ moon timespan = month
    🧒⌛ person timespan = human life

    ❓🧒▫🌙🕒▫💀🎬❓▪
    Who sleeps at night?

    👉▫👈🐶🐶🔍▫⬅🕒▫👀🎬❓▪
    Have you seen my dogs?

    ➡☀🕒▫👈👈▫🩺🧒📬▫🚶🎬▪
    Tomorrow we will go to the doctor.

    🐶🐶▫➡🕒▫👈📬▫🏃🎬❗❓▪
    The dogs will run to me, right?

    👈▫💀🎬⬅🕒▫👈▫🊷🧹🎬▪
    Before I sleep, I brush my teeth.

  5. If a time or place is used as a subject, it is followed by the ☝ subject relation. In other cases this marker is an optional emphasis. (In a simple English sentence like “I love you” the subject is “I” in front of the verb “love”.)

    Examples:

    🌙🕒☝▫👈🔍▫📣🎬▪
    The night calls me.

    🌙🕒▫👈🔍▫📣🎬❗▪
    Call me at night!

    🌊⚓☝▫🌊🎬▪
    The ocean flows.

    🌊⚓▫🌊🎬▪
    To flow in the ocean.

    👉☝▫🧙🏻📊▪
    It is you who is a wizard.

    Questions:

    👇⚓☝▫👍⚓📊▪
    👇⚓▫👍⚓☝▫📊▪
    ➡🕒☝▫👇🕒▫📊▪
    👈☝▫🀎🏻📊▪

    👇⚓☝▫👍⚓📊▪
    This here is a good place.

    👇⚓▫👍⚓☝▫📊▪
    A good place exists here.

    ➡🕒☝▫👇🕒▫📊▪
    The future is now.

    👈☝▫🀎🏻📊▪
    It is me who is king.

6. Modification

  1. Verb modifiers come before 🎬 do in a verb. Here are some examples, the complete list is on the Cheat Sheet. Emotions can also be used as verb modifiers.

    🔥 let/cause
    ✹ become/get to
    💪 can
    💖 want

    Examples:

    💡🎬 to know
    💡🔥🎬 to let know = to teach
    💡✚🎬 to get to know = to learn

    👈▫🐊🎬▪
    I fly.

    👈▫🐊💪🎬▪
    I can fly.

    👈▫🐊💖🎬▪
    I want to fly.

    👈▫🐊💪💖🎬▪
    I want to be able to fly.

    👈▫🐊❀🎬▪
    I love to fly.

    👈▫👈🐈🔍▫🍜🔥🎬▪
    I let my cat eat.

    👈▫👈🐈🔍▫🐭🔍▫🍜🔥🎬▪
    I let my cat eat a mouse.

    Questions:

    👜🎬, 👜✚🎬, ☠🎬, ☠🔥🎬

    👈▫🐊💪🎬🔍▫👈▫💭🎬▪
    👉🐶🐶▫🏃❀🎬▪
    👉▫🐶🐶🔍▫🏃🔥🎬▪
    👉▫🐶🐶🔍▫👈🏠📬▫🏃🔥🎬▪

    👜🎬 to have
    👜✚🎬 to get to have = to get
    ☠🎬 to die
    ☠🔥🎬 to let die = to kill

    👈▫🐊💪🎬🔍▫👈▫💭🎬▪
    I think I can fly.

    👉🐶🐶▫🏃❀🎬▪
    Your dogs love to run.

    👉▫🐶🐶🔍▫🏃🔥🎬▪
    You let the dogs run.

    👉▫🐶🐶🔍▫👈🏠📬▫🏃🔥🎬▪
    You let the dogs run to my house.

  2. Verb modifiers also work with 📊 be.

    Examples:

    👈▫🐈📊▪
    I am a cat.

    👈▫🐈📊💖🎬▪
    I want to be a cat.

    👈▫🐈📊😃🎬▪
    I am happy to be a cat.

    Questions:

    👈▫🀎🏻📊💖🎬▪
    🀎🏻📊💖🎬▫👎📊❗❓▪
    👈▫🐈📊✚🎬🕒▫👈▫🀎🏻📊▪

    👈▫🀎🏻📊💖🎬▪
    I want to be king.

    🀎🏻📊💖🎬▫👎📊❗❓▪
    Wanting to be a king is bad, isn’t it?

    👈▫🐈📊✚🎬🕒▫👈▫🀎🏻📊▪
    When I become a cat, I am a king.

  3. Prefixes come before an icon or icon group. The complete list is on the Cheat Sheet.

    ⛔ not
    ➕ and, also
    🌎 only

    Examples:

    🐈➕🐢
    Cat and turtle

    👈▫🐈🔍▫⛔👜🎬▪
    I don’t have a cat.

    ➕👉▫🐈🔍▫⛔👜🎬▪
    You also do not have a cat.

    👈▫🌎🐢🔍▫💖🎬▪
    I only want a turtle.

    Questions:

    🊁➕🐢
    👉▫⛔🀎🏻📊▪
    ➕🊁▫⛔🀎🏻📊▪
    🌎👈🐢▫🀎🏻📊▪

    🊁➕🐢
    Lion and turtle

    👉▫⛔🀎🏻📊▪
    You are not a king.

    ➕🊁▫⛔🀎🏻📊▪
    The lion is also not king.

    🌎👈🐢▫🀎🏻📊▪
    Only my turtle is king.

7. Special Expressions

  1. Comparisons use prefixes, which also serve as relations.

    🔌 more
    🔜 less
    ⏫ most
    ⏬ least
    = same

    Examples:

    🐘🀲 big
    🔌🐘🀲 bigger
    ⏫🐘🀲 biggest
    =🐘🀲 equally big
    🐘⭐ size

    👉🐶▫👈🐈🔌▫🐘🀲📊▪
    Your dog is bigger than my cat.

    👈🐈▫👉🐶🔜▫🐘🀲📊▪
    My cat is smaller than your dog.

    ⚡▫👈🐘▫⏫🐘🀲📊▪
    But my elephant is biggest.

    ❀🔌▫🐘⭐
    Size over love

    👈👈▫=🐘🀲📊▪
    We are equally big.

    Questions:

    💪🀲, 🔌💪🀲, ⏫💪🀲, =💪🀲, 💪⭐

    👉▫👈🔌▫💪🀲📊▪
    👈▫👉🔜▫💪🀲📊▪
    ⚡▫👈❀▫⏫💪🀲📊▪
    💪⭐🔌▫❀
    👉👉▫=💪🀲📊▪

    💪🀲 strong
    🔌💪🀲 stronger
    ⏫💪🀲 strongest
    =💪🀲 equally strong
    💪⭐ strength

    👉▫👈🔌▫💪🀲📊▪
    You are stronger than me.

    👈▫👉🔜▫💪🀲📊▪
    I am weaker than you.

    ⚡▫👈❀▫⏫💪🀲📊▪
    But my love is strongest.

    💪⭐🔌▫❀
    Love over strength

    👉👉▫=💪🀲📊▪
    You are equally strong.

  2. Here are some more relations for special expressions.

    🎬🀲 done (Passive)
    ⛲ from (Origin)
    ➗ per (Correlation)
    ➡⭐ if (Conditional)

    Examples:

    🐭▫🐈⛲▫🍜🎬🀲▪
    The mouse is being eaten by a cat.

    👁➗👁▪
    An eye for an eye.

    🔌🧀➗▫🔌🕳
    The more cheese, the more holes

    ☀➡⭐▫👈👈▫😃🎬▪
    If there is sun, we are happy.

    ⬅🕒▫👉▫👆🐘🔍▫👀🎬➡⭐▫
    👉▫💡🎬❗❗▪
    If you had seen that elephant, you would know!

    Questions:

    🐈🐈▫❓⛲▫🍜🎬🀲▪
    🊷➗🊷
    🔌☀➗▫🔌😃▪
    👉➡⭐▫👍📊▪
    👉▫👇🔍▫📖🎬➡⭐▫
    👉▫👍👍📊❗❗▪

    🐈🐈▫❓⛲▫🍜🎬🀲▪
    What are cats eaten by?

    🊷➗🊷
    A tooth for a tooth

    🔌☀➗▫🔌😃▪
    The more sun, the more fun.

    👉➡⭐▫👍📊▪
    If it is you, it is alright.

    👉▫👇🔍▫📖🎬➡⭐▫
    👉▫👍👍📊❗❗▪
    If you read this, you are awesome!

  3. Expressing explicit similarity uses ❓🀲 how in contrast to the 🀲 like relation for adjectives and passive. 🔶 means “thing” in ❓🔶 “what thing”.

    Examples:

    👉▫🐘🀲📊▪
    You are big.

    👉▫🐘❓🀲📊▪
    You are like an elephant.

    👉▫❓🀲▫📊▪
    How are you?

    👉▫❓🔶🀲📊▪
    What thing are you similar to?

    👈▫💬🎬🀲▪
    I am being spoken to.

    👈▫💬🎬❓🀲▫👈▫🎬▪
    I act like I speak.

    👈▫💬🎬🀲❓🀲▫👈▫🎬▪
    I do as I am told.

    Questions:

    👈▫🐭🀲📊▪
    👈▫🐭❓🀲📊▪
    👉▫💭🎬🀲▪
    👉▫🎬❓🀲▫👉▫💭🎬🀲▪
    👉▫💭🎬🀲❓🀲▫👉▫🎬▪

    👈▫🐭🀲📊▪
    I am small.

    👈▫🐭❓🀲📊▪
    I am like a mouse.

    👉▫💭🎬🀲▪
    You are being thought of.

    👉▫🎬❓🀲▫👉▫💭🎬🀲▪
    You are being thought of in the way you act.

    👉▫💭🎬🀲❓🀲▫👉▫🎬▪
    You act in the way you are being thought of.

👉🎁▫📖🎬🎁▫🙏🙏😃❗❗

Thank you for reading – try the Material next!

8. Cheat Sheet

8.1 Phrases

👋💬 hello
🚶💚👋💬 goodbye
👍🚶 welcome
🙏 please
🙏🙏 thank you
👍☘ good luck
👍🚶💚 bon voyage
🔄👀 see you (again)
✔ yes
🙅 no

8.2 Prefixes

⛔ not
🔀 another
🔀🔀 various, diverse
🌎 only
🌎🌎 few
❗ some, a
❗❗ (a) lot
❓ what, which
❗❓ whatever, any
♟ all
➕ also
➖ neither, not even
🀏 (a)little
🔌 more
🔜 less
⏫ most
⏬ least
= equally
⚪ about
🙂📏 enough
😧📏 notenough
🀯📏 toom(uch)

8.3 Suffixes

👌 lit(eral)
⭐ abstract, *
〰 example, ~
⏩ plural
❗ ! (Address)

8.4 Pronouns

👈 i
👉 you
👇 this
👆 that, pro(noun)
🔶 (some)thing, object
🧒 person
👥 group

8.5 Punctuation

◻ (Optional between attributes)
◻ (Between words in a relative clause)
▫ (Between words in a clause)
❗ (Command)
❓ (Question)
❗❗ (Exclamation)
❗❓ (Affirmative Question)
❓❓ (Rhetorical Question)
▪ (End of Sentence) (optional)
▪▫ (Between Sentences) (optional)
“” (Quotes and Direct Speech)

8.6 Relations

☝ sub(ject) (Subject)
🔍 ob(ject) (Object)
🎬 do (Action)
🎬🀲 done (Passive)
📊 be (Category)
⚓ place (Place)
🕒 time (Time)
🎁 for (Purpose)
✊ against (Antipurpose)
👜 have (Association)
(❓)🀲 like (Similarity)
🔚 by (Method)
🧱 made (Material)
📏 deg(ree) (Degree)
💊 part (Part)
⛲ from (Origin)
📬 to (Destination)
✹ bec(ome) (End State)
💡 because (Reason)
🔥 sothat (Consequence)
⚡ but, except (Contrast)
💭 about (Topic)
➕ and, with (Addition)
➖ without (Separation)
✖ or (Alternative)
➕✖ andor (Option)
➗ per (Ratio)
🔗 acc(ording) (Reference)
🔗⭐ dep(ending) (Dependence)
➡ then (Sequence)
➡⭐ if (Conditional)
🔀 inst(ead) (Substitute)
🔌 more (Comparison)
🔜 less (Comparison)
⏫ most (Comparison)
⏬ least (Comparison)
= equal (Comparison)

8.7 Verb Modifiers

💪 can (Possibility)
✔ may (Permission)
🙅 maynot (Prohibition)
⚠ must (Necessity)
☝ should (Suggestion)
👀⭐ try (Attempt)
⛲ start (Beginning)
👣 con(tinue) (Progression)
🏁 fin(ish) (Completion)
✹ bec(ome) (Transformation)
🛑 stop (Termination)
🙏 please (Request)
👋⭐ inv(ite) (Offer)
🎁 help (Assistance)
🀔 might (Speculation)
🀔🀔 should (Expectation)
🌟 seem (Appearance)
❀ love (Affection)
💢 hate (Dislike)
💖 want (Wish)
💔 notwant (Aversion)
🔥 let/cause (Causation)
🙃 oops (Accident)

8.8 Conventions

9. AutoHotkey Script

Download

The AutoHotkey script may be used to write emoji on Windows. On other platforms use the Online Converter on Lingojam.

9.1 Activation

After installing AutoHotkey, double click on the provided ‘Iconic.ahk’ file. A green icon with the letter H (as in Hotkey) should appear in the taskbar, meaning the script is active. Open any text editor, type a common English word and press space or enter. The word should be transformed into one or more emoji characters unless it is ambiguous (see Usage).

To pause or unpause the script, press Ctrl + Alt + A. The paused script is indicated by an S instead of the previous H. If the script is not paused, press Esc to close it or Ctrl + Alt + R to reload it after changes. If you want, you can edit the script for your personal use as you see fit!

9.2 Usage