This article focuses on the use of emojis by young Danes. We argue that emojis have at least three functions: as a form of guidance to understand posts and avoid misunderstandings (markers of modality and mood), as a form of guidance to help navigation (interactional markers), and as a form of embellishment expressing a sense of fun and feelings (an expressive and aesthetic function). Based on a survey (710 participants including both adolescents (N=297) and adults) and qualitative analyses of naturally occurring emojis on Facebook and Instagram, we found that young Danes aged between 10 and 19 regard emojis as belonging to the domestic/intimate sphere, promoting important features of communication such as emotions, mutual understanding, atmosphere, aesthetics and entertainment. Compared to the answers given by the adults, the young informants perceive emojis as a natural way of showing and expressing their mood, while the adults regard emojis as a secondary language, as compensation for the lack of nonverbal features in written online interaction. 86% of all the informants report that they use emojis at least once a day.