Speech balloon

The "speech balloon" emoji, also known as the "speech bubble" emoji, is one of the widely recognized symbols used in digital communication. It represents a rounded shape with a tail-like extension, resembling a cartoon-style balloon or bubble. This emoji is primarily used to convey the idea of speech, dialogue, or communication in various forms. It can be employed in different contexts, such as expressing thoughts, conversations, quotes, or even representing sound effects in comic strips or graphic novels.

This iconic emoji has been a part of the Unicode Standard since its introduction in 2010 as part of Unicode 6.0. Its creation was inspired by the prevalent usage of speech balloons in the world of comic books, where they are employed as a graphical device to depict dialogues or thoughts of characters. By bringing the concept of speech balloons into the realm of digital communication, this emoji has become a popular means to represent the act of speaking or expressing oneself visually, covering a wide range of messages, from simple statements to complex conversations.

Did you know?

Did you know that the speech balloon emoji also has variations to cater to different orientations? There are six directional versions of the speech balloon emoji, known as "left speech bubble," "right speech bubble," "upwards speech bubble," "downwards speech bubble," "combining left speech bubble," and "combining right speech bubble." These variations allow for more specific use cases, enabling users to indicate the direction of speech or the direction of the conversation visually.