Unicode Consortium

Emoji Ecosystem

The non-profit organization that develops and maintains the Unicode Standard, including the process for adding new emoji.

Founded in 1991, the Unicode Consortium is responsible for the Unicode Standard and related specifications. Its members include major tech companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Meta, along with governments and academic institutions.

The Consortium manages the emoji proposal process, where anyone can submit a proposal for a new emoji. Proposals are reviewed by the Emoji Subcommittee (ESC), and approved emoji are included in the annual Unicode release.

The Consortium also maintains CLDR (Common Locale Data Repository) which provides emoji names and keywords in multiple languages.

Related Terms

CLDR (CLDR) CLDR (CLDR)
The Common Locale Data Repository, a Unicode project providing locale-specific data including emoji names and search keywords in 100+ languages. Emoji Annotation Emoji Annotation
Short keywords and descriptions associated with each emoji for search, text-to-speech, and accessibility purposes. Emoji Proposal Emoji Proposal
A formal submission to the Unicode Consortium requesting the addition of a new emoji, evaluated on criteria like expected usage and distinctiveness. Emoji Subcommittee (ESC) Emoji Subcommittee (ESC)
The Unicode working group responsible for reviewing emoji proposals, setting encoding guidelines, and recommending new emoji for approval. Emojipedia Emojipedia
The leading reference website for emoji meanings, designs, and platform comparisons, founded by Jeremy Burge in 2013. Unicode Standard Unicode Standard
The complete character encoding system maintained by the Unicode Consortium, defining characters, properties, algorithms, and encoding forms. Unicode Technical Standard #51 (UTS#51) Unicode Technical Standard #51 (UTS#51)
The Unicode specification that defines how emoji work — including emoji properties, sequences, presentation, and ordering. i-mode i-mode
NTT DoCoMo's mobile internet platform launched in 1999, where the first emoji were created to enhance text communication.

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📊 Emoji Stats Emoji Stats
Explore statistics about the Unicode emoji set — category distribution, version growth, type breakdown.

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