Emoji Search API - Find Emojis by Keyword
Matches the query as a substring against both the emoji name and its keyword list. Returns the emoji glyph, canonical name, Unicode code points (U+XXXX notation), and keywords. Supports up to 100 results per call.
Code examples
curl -X POST https://api.botoi.com/v1/emoji/search \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"query":"happy","limit":3}'When to use this API
Server-side emoji picker
Power a chat-app emoji picker without shipping a multi-megabyte JSON bundle to every client. The client sends the query, the server returns matches.
Auto-suggest emojis in compose boxes
When a user types ":smile", query this endpoint and show ranked results. Works well with debounced input and a 20-result cap.
Enrich sentiment analysis with emoji hints
When analyzing chat or reviews, match words to related emojis to strengthen sentiment signals. "Loved it" gets boosted when accompanied by heart-eye emoji matches.
Frequently asked questions
How many emojis are in the database?
A curated ~200 common emojis covering faces, hands, animals, food, weather, tech, symbols, flags, activities, travel, and nature. Aimed at covering the 95% of picker usage without a full Unicode dump.
Is the match fuzzy?
No. The query is substring-matched against name and each keyword. "happy" matches "happy" in the keyword list but "hapy" (typo) does not. For fuzzy matching, apply it client-side on top of the results.
What does unicode field contain?
Space-separated U+XXXX code points for each glyph. Multi-codepoint emojis (e.g., flag emoji with regional indicators, ZWJ sequences) expand into their components.
Can I filter by category?
Not via a dedicated filter param. Query a category keyword ("face", "animal", "food") to narrow results. Upcoming versions may add a category field.
Are skin-tone variants returned?
No. Only the base emoji is included. For skin-tone modifiers, append the Fitzpatrick modifier code points client-side.
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