Is There an Eiffel Tower Emoji?

• There is no Unicode-official Eiffel Tower emoji, although many emoji users claim to remember there being one in the past.
• The ???? (Tokyo Tower) emoji is often confused for the Eiffel Tower and may contribute to the collective memory glitch about the Eiffel Tower emoji’s existence.
• In place of an emoji, create a custom Eiffel Tower sticker on your phone or download a sticker pack with the Eiffel Tower from the App Store or Google Play.

Is there an Eiffel Tower emoji?

Currently, there is no Unicode-approved Eiffel Tower emoji. If you’re pre-planning your Instagram captions for your trip to Paris, you’ll probably be disappointed to learn there’s no official Eiffel Tower emoji. This is despite the general feeling from emoji users that there “should be one” because it’s such an iconic landmark. Many emoji users swear there used to be an Eiffel Tower emoji, with some saying it used to be depicted inside of a square (like the ???? (bridge at night) emoji). People may misremember the Eiffel Tower emoji’s existence because of the similar looking ???? (Tokyo Tower) emoji and generic city emojis like ???? (cityscape at dusk).

The ???? (Tokyo Tower) is often confused for an Eiffel Tower emoji. The Tokyo Tower is the second-tallest structure in Japan and its design was inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Because of the similar structure and small size of emojis, many users mistake the Tokyo Tower for an Eiffel Tower emoji (even though it is colored orange). The Tokyo Tower emoji was included in Unicode 6.0 in 2010 and Emoji 1.0 in August 2015, possibly tricking users into thinking it was the Eiffel Tower for over a decade. The Tokyo Tower comes from the original set of Japanese emojis. In fact, “emoji” comes from the Japanese “e” (meaning “picture”) and “moji” (meaning “character”).

Creating an Eiffel Tower Sticker

Use or create an Eiffel Tower sticker in place of an actual emoji. While you can’t add an actual Eiffel Tower emoji to your keyboard, there are other ways to celebrate la France with tiny images. Try creating a custom Eiffel Tower sticker based on your favorite image of the iconic landmark (note that it will appear as a small image in texts and not an in-line emoji): iPhone: Save a photo of the Eiffel Tower to your camera roll. Then, open the photo, tap and hold the subject (the Tower), and hit “Add Sticker.” Your Eiffel Tower sticker will then be available to use in iMessage. Android (custom stickers can be added to photos, but not to text messages): Open a picture to add a sticker to in your Gallery. Tap the “Edit” icon, then the “Decorations” icon, then “Stickers,” then the “Gallery” icon. Tap “Create Sticker” and select a saved image of the Eiffel Tower. Tap “Free-form” and trace the outline of the sticker with your finger and hit “Snap to shape.” Drag the sticker onto your image and save. Alternatively, purchase or download a sticker pack containing an Eiffel Tower image from the App Store or Google Play.

Using an Eiffel Tower Sticker

The Eiffel Tower symbolizes Paris, French culture, and iconic architecture. Send an Eiffel Tower sticker or use it in a photo caption to express your love of all things French, talk about your trip to Paris, or admire fine architecture anywhere in the world. If you don’t have a sticker handy, use the ???? (Tokyo Tower) or ???????? (French flag) as a substitute. “I can’t wait to go back to Paris! ????” “I just love French architecture ????????????❤️”

An Eiffel Tower may also refer to the slang term for a sex position. In pop culture, “Eiffel Tower” is slang for a sex position involving 3 people (we’ll leave it there). If you see an image of the Eiffel Tower (or it’s emoji doppelganger, the Tokyo Tower) in a sexual context, there’s a good chance the person isn’t talking about architecture.

Other French Emojis

Try a ???????? (French flag) or ???? (croissant) in place of the Eiffel Tower. If you’re bummed about Unicode’s lack of Eiffel Tower, never fear! There are plenty of other emojis reminiscent of France (sometimes literally, like ????????, or sometimes stereotypically, like ???? (baguette)). Here are some to try: ???????? (French flag) ???? (croissant) ???? (baguette) ???? (wine) ???? (champagne) ????‍???? (artist wearing a beret) ????️ (framed picture or painting, like the Mona Lisa at the Louvre)

How do emojis get chosen?

New emojis are voted on by the Unicode Consortium. The Unicode Consortium is a nonprofit organization that standardizes how basic symbols and characters appear on screens regardless of device or language by assigning each character a unique number. This includes emojis, and members of the Consortium from various tech companies (like Google and Apple) vote on which new emojis to roll out as they update the Unicode.

Propose a new emoji yourself by submitting a Unicode emoji proposal. If you’re dying to see a real Eiffel Tower emoji, submit an official Unicode emoji proposal that meets Unicode’s proposal guidelines. There are a variety of criteria an emoji must meet to be selected; for the highest chance of success, explain clearly how frequent the emoji will be used and submit a design that is clearly and quickly recognizable and distinct.