Can You Guess the Anime with Just Emojis?

Ely Bulnes • Writer and Editor

Mar 31, 2025 5:00 PM EDT

Have you ever tried to learn Japanese? I did a few rounds on Duolingo once, but I never got too far because it was pretty complex. Considering I have no intention to live in Japan and know no Japanese with people with which to practice, it seemed like a bit of a pointless task. Still, it was interesting to learn about the language. Japanese has three different writing systems – hiragana, katakana, and kanji. Hiragana and katakana use symbols to represent sounds – a bit like English!

Kanji are symbols that originate in China, and each symbol stands for a different meaning rather than a sound. For example, the Japanese word for fish is represented by one specific symbol rather than different symbols used to represent the sounds that make up the pronunciation. Many of these Kanji are pictographic – meaning that they kind of look like the thing that they represent. They are a bit like Emojis in this way!

If you'd like to test how good you are at garnering meaning from symbols, scroll down below to guess which anime are represented by the emojis. Answers at the end.

01

via u/miltankhater2009
02

via u/MythicalShelly
03

via u/Creepy-Supermarket70
04

via u/RaydenPearce
05

via u/PineapplePossible99
06

via u/Ill-Cold8049
07

via u/Different_Shine_644
08

via u/Abject-Visit-7761
09

via u/Ill_Lion6427
10

via u/Select_Sweet_2993
11

via u/justthatguy12345678
12

via u/Ok-_-_Computer
13

via u/hambone764
14

via u/Xiny0
15

via u/FairyTailfan120
16

via u/Calm_Damage_332
17

via u/badspler
It's interesting that some clues refer to the title of the anime, while others rely on iconic motifs from the show.
18

via u/badspler
19

via u/badspler
20

via u/badspler
21

via u/badspler
22

via u/badspler
23

via u/badspler
24

via gans15
25

via u/Atemu12
26

via u/koeniedoenie
27

via Reddit
28

via Reddit
29

via u/justinotherpeterson
30

via u/thefryingpanner24
31

via Toei Animation
1. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, 2. Naruto, 3. Dea** Note, 4. Dandadan, 5. Dr. Stone, 6. Spy x Family, 7. Fullmetal Alchemist, 8. One Punch Man, 9. Fruits Basket, 10. Solo Leveling, 11. Hunter x Hunter, 12. Vinland Saga, 13. Cowboy Bebop, 14. Demon Slayer, 15. Fairy Tail, 16. Devilman Crybaby, 17. No Game, No Life, 18. Toradora, 19. Spirited Away, 20. Sword Art Online, 21. Sailor Moon, 22. Steins;Gate, 23. Cardcaptor Sakura, 24. Bleach, 25. Dragon Ball, 26. Wolf Children, 27. Your Name, 28. Ghost in the Shell, 29. Kakegurui, 30. One Piece