IGWEBUIKE: African Journal of Arts and Humanities

This research investigates the pragmatic roles of emojis in cross-cultural communication on WhatsApp, particularly among participants from Nigeria, Japan, and Western countries. Employing a qualitative and descriptive methodology, it analyzes 20 carefully chosen excerpts that showcase extensive emoji usage from 40 naturally occurring conversations gathered between January and June 2025. The study utilizes Speech Act Theory and Politeness Theory to explore how emojis function as paralinguistic tools that influence the illocutionary force of messages, address face concerns, and facilitate intercultural understanding. The findings indicate that in high-context cultures like Nigeria and Japan, emojis frequently convey implicit relational meanings, softening commands and enhancing solidarity, whereas in low-context cultures, they tend to be employed more explicitly for emotional emphasis or clarification. This research contributes to the field of digital pragmatics by contextualizing emoji usage within both high- and low-context cultural environments, providing valuable insights for improving intercultural competence in online communications.

Open Full Text (PDF)