Docs/APIs/Emoji Lookup

Emoji Lookup

Get and convert emoji data

OperationalCredits 2 per callp50 692msData LookupStar

Overview

Submit a raw emoji character, descriptive tag, or one of ten supported categories such as food or animals. The service queries matching records and returns matching characters with their official descriptions and category groupings. Paid plans add Unicode standard versions, iOS release compatibility, code points, aliases, and associated tags.

Live Test Emoji Lookup API

Endpoint

One host, one path per API. The block below shows this call in four languages; every one of them is the same HTTP request. Making requests covers the timeouts, retries and parameter rules that apply to all of them. The SDKs wrap the same call in a typed client.

GEThttps://api.apiverve.com/v1/emoji
curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/emoji?emoji=%F0%9F%A5%B3" \
  -H "x-api-key: your_api_key_here"

Replace your_api_key_here with the key from your dashboard. When the inputs arrive as a list rather than one at a time, batch requests run up to 200 of them through this same API in a single call.

Authentication

Send your key in the x-api-key header. That is the only auth step — there is no token exchange and no per-endpoint scope to configure. Authentication covers creating, rotating and revoking keys.

401 is the only auth verdict

A 401 means the key is missing, invalid or expired. A 403 means the key is valid but not permitted here — blocked by a key restriction or an IP allow-list. Running out of credits is a 429.

Parameters

Sent in the query string. Premium parameters are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.

ParameterTypeDescription
emojiRequiredstringThe emoji for which you want to get the text representation (e.g., 🥳)

Response

Every API returns the same three top-level keys, so one response handler covers your whole integration: status, error and data. Only data changes shape. Response format covers the envelope, the other output formats and how premium fields are withheld.

Sample response
{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "count": 1,
    "emojisFound": [
      {
        "emoji": "🥳",
        "description": "partying face",
        "category": "Smileys & Emotion",
        "aliases": [
          "partying_face"
        ],
        "tags": [
          "celebration",
          "birthday"
        ],
        "unicode_version": "11.0",
        "ios_version": "12.1",
        "codePoint": "1f973"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Response fields

Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.

FieldTypeExampleDescription
countnumber1Number of emoji results found in response
emojisFoundarray[1]Array of emoji objects with detailed information
emojistring"🥳"The emoji character symbol
descriptionstring"partying face"Human-readable description of the emoji
categorystring"Smileys & Emotion"Emoji category classification for organization
aliasesPremiumarray[partying_face]Alternative names for the emoji
tagsPremiumarray[celebration, ...]Tags describing emoji meaning and usage
unicode_versionPremiumstring"11.0"Unicode standard version where emoji was introduced
ios_versionPremiumstring"12.1"iOS version when emoji was first supported
codePointPremiumstring"1f973"Hexadecimal Unicode code point value. Emoji made of several code points - flags, ZWJ sequences, skin-tone variants - list all of them separated by spaces, e.g. "1f1fa 1f1f8" for the US flag

Errors

Read the HTTP status first, then error for the specific reason. The body names the parameter that has to change. Error handling covers the full status list and which of them are worth retrying.

StatusMeaningWhat to do
400Input was rejectedRead error; it names the parameter.
401Key missing or invalidCheck the header name and the key value.
403Key valid, but not permittedA key restriction or IP allow-list; see key scoping.
429Rate limited, or out of creditsRead error to tell them apart; see rate limits.

Use cases

Screen Reader Alt Text
To generate accessible image labels, content systems map raw emoji to their official descriptions so screen readers pronounce every character accurately.
Emoji Autocomplete Menus
Chat applications search emoji tags and categories to populate keyboard suggestions and picker dropdowns while users type messages.
Social Feedback Triage
When evaluating incoming comments, sentiment pipelines convert raw emoji symbols into text descriptions before running rule-based classifiers.
Topic Icon Categorization
Before displaying user-submitted topic icons, community forums look up category classifications to sort discussion badges into matching sections.

Other ways to use Emoji Lookup

Set up Emoji Lookup on APIVerve, or reach the same source a different way. Your APIVerve account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.

Give it to an AI agentConnect over MCP and your agent calls it as a native tool — Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT.VerveKitReference →
Google Sheets or ExcelA =VERVE() formula fills a column — no script, no export, recalculates in place.VerveSheetsReference →
Ground an agent on itA cited, machine-checkable fact your model can't produce on its own.VerveContextReference →

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