ð beaming face with smiling eyesA circle. Two arcs for eyes, then a wide grin filled with teeth: rule one line across the middle of it.
ð face with tears of joyA circle. Two arcs for shut eyes, a wide open grin and one big tear at the outer corner of each eye.
ð grinning faceA circle. Two oval eyes, then a wide open grin: a half circle with its flat side on top.
ð grinning face with big eyesA circle. Two tall oval eyes. Below them an open mouth, flat on top and round underneath.
ð grinning face with smiling eyesA circle. Two upward arcs for eyes, like tiny bridges, over a wide open half-circle grin.
ð grinning face with sweatDraw a grinning face with arc eyes, then add one blue drop high on one side of the forehead.
ð grinning squinting faceA circle. Each eye is a sideways V pointing inward, like > and <. An open half-circle grin below.
ðĨģ partying faceA cone hat tipped to one side, a party blower curling out of the mouth and confetti dots around the head.
ðĪĢ rolling on the floor laughingTilt the whole face to one side. Squinting eyes, a huge open grin and a tear flying off each eye.
ð slightly smiling faceThe plainest of all. A circle, two small ovals for eyes and one shallow curve for the mouth.
ð smiling face with smiling eyesA circle. Two arcs for eyes, a closed curved smile and a soft pink oval on each cheek.
ð smiling face with sunglassesA circle and a closed smile. Two dark lenses joined by a bar, with an arm running off each side.
Show all 72 emojis (60 more)
Other faces 12
ðĨķ cold faceColor the face blue. Wide eyes, gritted teeth in a wobbly mouth, and icicles or snow at the edges.
ðĒ crying faceEyebrows tilted up in the middle, a small downturned mouth and a single tear under one eye.
ðą face screaming in fearBlank white eyes, a tall open mouth and a hand flat on each cheek. Many devices shade the forehead blue.
ðŪ face with open mouthA circle, two round dot eyes and one oval mouth standing upright. Nothing else.
ð loudly crying faceShut eyes as arcs, a wide wailing mouth and two streams of tears running down to the chin.
ðĪ nerd faceGlasses as two circles joined by a bar. A grin with two front teeth showing below the top lip.
ð neutral faceA circle, two dot eyes and one straight line for a mouth. Keep the line level.
ðī sleeping faceTwo downward arcs for shut eyes, a small oval mouth and three letter Zs rising, each bigger than the last.
ðĪĐ star-struckA wide open grin and a five-pointed star in place of each eye. Draw the stars first so they match.
ðĪ thinking faceOne eyebrow up and one down, the mouth pulled to the side. A thumb and finger rest on the chin.
ð upside-down faceDraw a slightly smiling face, then turn the paper around: eyes at the bottom, smile on top.
ðĪŠ zany faceOne eye big and one small, both wide open. A grin with the tongue sticking out to one side.
Hearts, stars and sparkles 12
ð blue heartFold-and-mirror trick: draw half a heart against a faint center line, then copy it on the other side.
ð growing heartA small heart with two bigger heart outlines around it, like ripples moving outward.
âĢïļ heart exclamationAn exclamation mark whose long stroke is a small heart. Put a round dot directly under its point.
ð heart with ribbonA heart wrapped like a gift: a band across it and a bow of two loops and two tails near the top.
ð party popperA striped cone lying on its side, with streamers, dots and curls of confetti bursting from the open end.
âĪïļ red heartTwo bumps and a point. Draw a V, then loop each arm up, over and in to meet at the dip. Fill it red.
âïļ sparkleA burst with eight points, four long and four short. Many devices set it inside a rounded square.
âĻ sparklesThree four-pointed stars, one large and two small. Each is a plus sign with its sides pinched inward.
ð sparkling heartA pink heart with two or three four-pointed sparkles on and around it, one larger than the rest.
â starFive points. Dot five spots in a ring, then join every second dot without lifting the pencil.
ð two heartsOne heart, then a smaller one above and to the side, tucked slightly behind the first.
ð yellow heartThe same shape in yellow. Leave a small white curve near the top of one bump for the shine.
Animal faces 12
ðą cat faceA wide circle with two triangle ears on top. A small triangle nose, a W for the mouth, three whiskers a side.
ð chickenA round white head with a red comb of three bumps on top, a small yellow beak and a red wattle below it.
ðŪ cow faceA long face with a wide pink muzzle and two oval nostrils. Ears stick out sideways under two short horns.
ðķ dog faceA round head with a floppy ear hanging down each side. A big oval nose and a tongue under the mouth.
ðē dragon faceA green head with horns, a long snout with wide nostrils, and whiskers or spikes along the jaw.
ðī horse faceA long head, on most devices seen from the side. A mane down the neck, one pointed ear, a wide nostril.
ðĩ monkey faceA brown head with a lighter heart-shaped face inside it. A round ear halfway down each side.
ð mouse faceA circle with two big round ears set high and wide. Small dot eyes, a round nose and fine whiskers.
ð· pig faceA pink circle with two folded triangle ears. The snout is an oval in the middle with two upright slots.
ð° rabbit faceA circle with two tall ears standing straight up, a pink strip inside each. Two front teeth under the nose.
ðŊ tiger faceAn orange cat-shaped head with round ears. Short black stripes on the forehead and on each cheek.
ðš wolfA gray head with tall pointed ears. Cheek fur in jagged points, a long pale muzzle and a dark nose.
Food 12
ð bananaTwo long curves that meet in a point at one end and at a short stem at the other. One line down the middle.
ð birthday cakeTwo layers, the top one smaller. Wavy icing along each top edge and a row of candles with flames.
ð§ cheese wedgeA triangle on its side with a thick back edge. Holes are circles on the face and half circles on the edges.
ðĨ eggAn oval that is wider at the bottom than at the top. One small curve near the top for the shine.
ð french friesA red box, wider at the top than the bottom, with long yellow sticks standing out of it at different heights.
ð grapesA triangle of small circles, point down: four across the top, then three, two and one. A stalk and leaf above.
ð hamburgerA stack: a domed bun, a wavy line of lettuce, a dark patty and a flat bottom bun. Seeds on the dome.
ð lollipopA circle on a straight stick. Inside the circle, a spiral from the middle out to the edge.
ð red appleA circle with a dip at the top. A short stalk in the dip and a single leaf to one side.
ðĶ soft ice creamA cone with crossed lines, then three swirled layers on top, each one smaller, ending in a curled tip.
ðŪ tacoA half circle, flat side up, for the shell. Along the flat edge, wavy lettuce and small squares of filling.
ð tangerineAn orange circle, slightly flattened. A small green dot on top with one leaf beside it.
Things and weather 12
ðŧ ghostA tall arch with a wavy bottom edge. Two oval eyes, an open mouth and two small stub arms.
ð houseA square with a triangle roof. A door in the middle, one window beside it and a chimney on the roof.
ð jack-o-lanternAn orange pumpkin with a stalk. Triangle eyes and nose and a jagged grin, all colored yellow as if lit.
ðĩ musical noteAn oval tilted to one side, a stem straight up from its edge and a flag curling off the top of the stem.
âïļ pencilA long thin rectangle on a slant. A triangle tip with a dark point at one end, an eraser band at the other.
ð rainbowArches, one inside the next. Red is the outside band; work inward through orange, yellow, green and blue.
ðĪ robotA square head. Two round eyes, a grid for a mouth, an antenna on top and a bolt at each side.
ð rocketA long pointed oval tilted upward. One round window, a fin on each side and flames from the tail.
âïļ snowmanSnowballs stacked with the biggest at the bottom, a hat, stick arms and falling snowflakes around it.
â― soccer ballA circle with one black pentagon in the middle. A line runs from each corner to a part-pentagon at the rim.
ð sun with faceA yellow circle with a smiling face, then a ring of triangle rays all the way around the edge.
â umbrella with rain dropsA dome with a scalloped lower edge, a straight pole and a hooked handle. Drops fall around it.
How this list was compiled: Emoji, short names and versions are from the Unicode Consortium's data file emoji-test.txt, version 18.0, dated 2026-04-30 (https://unicode.org/Public/emoji/latest/emoji-test.txt), downloaded and checked on 2026-10-02. Every entry is a fully-qualified emoji of Emoji 13.0 or older, printed with the file's own short name so that it reads where the picture cannot be drawn. No skin-tone variant, flag, keycap, hand gesture, alcohol, tobacco, weapon, or religious or national symbol. The pictures come from the font on your device, so no company's artwork is copied here, and a detail can differ from one device to the next. The choice of 72 emoji, the six kinds, the three levels and the strokes in each hint are our own work. The color order of a rainbow (red on the outside) was checked on 2026-10-02 against the English Wikipedia article Rainbow (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow), the pentagon panels of a soccer ball against the article Association football ball (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_football_ball), and that the shape of an emoji can vary from one maker's font to the next against Unicode Technical Standard 51 (https://www.unicode.org/reports/tr51/). Licence: Unicode data files, free to use under the Unicode License v3 (https://www.unicode.org/license.txt); selection and strokes are own work
How it works
Seventy-two emojis to draw, each shown by your own device beside Unicode's name for it, with the strokes in order. The faces are a circle and three or four marks. The page opens on the 34 easy ones.
Read the full guide
Every face starts as the same circle
Draw the circle once, lightly, and the eyes and mouth decide which emoji it is. ð slightly smiling face is two small ovals and a shallow curve. Swap the curve for a level line and it becomes ð neutral face.
Emojis that are not faces
Forty-eight on the list are not round yellow faces: hearts, stars and sparkles, animal faces, food, and things and weather. â star is five dots joined without lifting the pencil, and ð lollipop is a circle, a stick and a spiral. Choose Any level under the button for all 72.
Draw around a coin or a bottle cap for the circle.
Color the yellow first and add the dark lines on top once it is dry.
Questions and answers
What are the easiest emojis to draw?
ð slightly smiling face, ð neutral face and ðŪ face with open mouth: each is a circle, two eyes and one mouth shape. âĪïļ red heart and â star are the easiest that are not faces. Easy holds 34.
What are some cute emojis to draw?
The Animal faces kind: ðķ dog face, ðą cat face, ð° rabbit face and ð· pig face are each a round head, two ears and a small nose. ð two hearts and ð lollipop are quick ones too.
Which emojis are hard to draw?
The 12 marked Hard add a prop or a second shape. ðĨģ partying face has a hat, a blower and confetti, â― soccer ball is pentagons inside a circle, and ðē dragon face has horns and whiskers.
Why does an emoji look different on another phone?
Unicode sets each emoji's name and code, and every maker draws its own picture for it, so the shape can vary. The strokes here follow the name, and the names are the same everywhere.