How to Add Custom Emojis to Pronoun.cc
Pronoun.cc has become a popular tool for people who want to share their pronouns, titles, and identity labels in a clean, shareable format. One of its more expressive features is the ability to attach emojis to your pronoun entries — and beyond the standard emoji keyboard, the platform supports custom emojis that let you display unique icons not found in any default set.
Here's a clear breakdown of how that system works, what variables affect it, and what you'll need to think through for your own setup.
What Are Custom Emojis on Pronoun.cc?
On Pronoun.cc, each pronoun set you create can have an associated emoji or icon displayed alongside it. By default, you can pick from standard Unicode emojis — the same ones you'd find on any phone or keyboard. But the platform also allows users to upload or reference custom image-based emojis, which function similarly to how Discord or Slack handle custom server emojis.
These custom emojis are small image files (typically PNG or GIF format) that appear inline with your pronoun labels. They're useful for displaying pride flags, custom symbols, or any visual shorthand that standard Unicode doesn't include.
How the Custom Emoji System Works
Pronoun.cc is an open-source platform, and its emoji functionality is tied to how the site handles user-uploaded assets and its internal emoji database. Here's the general mechanism:
- Standard emoji fields accept any Unicode character or emoji directly — you paste or type it into the emoji field when creating or editing a pronoun entry.
- Custom emojis are referenced using a shortcode syntax, typically formatted as
:emoji_name:— similar to how Slack or Discord handle custom emoji references. - The platform maintains a set of pre-loaded custom emojis (including many pride flag variants and identity-related symbols) that users can reference by their shortcodes without uploading anything themselves.
- For self-hosted instances of Pronoun.cc, administrators can add entirely new custom emojis by placing image files into the appropriate directory and registering them in the emoji configuration.
Adding Emojis on the Hosted Version (pronoun.cc)
If you're using the publicly hosted version at pronoun.cc, the process is straightforward:
- When editing a pronoun entry, locate the emoji input field.
- Type a colon (
:) to trigger the emoji picker, which surfaces both Unicode emojis and any available custom shortcodes. - Browse or search the available custom emojis by name — for example, typing
:transmight surface transgender flag variants. - Select the one you want, and it will be embedded in your pronoun display. 🎨
The range of custom emojis available to you on the hosted version depends entirely on what the Pronoun.cc maintainers have added to the platform's central emoji set. Standard users on the hosted instance cannot upload their own custom emoji files — that capability is reserved for self-hosted deployments.
Adding Custom Emojis on a Self-Hosted Instance
If you or your community is running a self-hosted fork of Pronoun.cc, the process opens up significantly. Because the codebase is open source (hosted on GitHub), administrators have full control over the emoji library.
The general workflow for self-hosted instances:
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Prepare your emoji image (PNG recommended, typically 32×32 or 64×64 pixels) |
| 2 | Place the file in the designated emoji assets directory within the project structure |
| 3 | Register the emoji in the platform's emoji configuration file (usually a JSON or similar data file) |
| 4 | Assign it a shortcode name that users will reference with the :name: syntax |
| 5 | Restart or redeploy the instance so the new emoji is recognized |
The exact directory path and config file structure may vary depending on which version or fork of the codebase you're running, so consulting the repository's README or issues board is worthwhile before making changes.
Key Variables That Affect Your Approach
The right method depends heavily on a few factors:
Hosted vs. self-hosted is the biggest dividing line. On the public site, you work within the existing emoji library. On a self-hosted instance, you control the library entirely.
Technical skill level matters for self-hosted setups. Adding custom emojis requires comfort with file systems, basic JSON editing, and potentially redeploying a web application. It's not highly complex, but it's not a point-and-click process either.
Image format and sizing affects how cleanly emojis render. PNG files with transparent backgrounds scale well at small sizes. Animated GIFs are sometimes supported, but behavior varies by instance configuration and browser.
Shortcode naming conventions are worth thinking through carefully on self-hosted instances — especially if multiple admins are managing the emoji library. Clear, consistent naming prevents conflicts and makes emojis easier for users to discover.
Instance version also plays a role. The Pronoun.cc codebase has been updated over time, and the emoji handling in older forks may differ from more recent versions.
The Spectrum of Use Cases
Someone using the public hosted site who just wants a pride flag emoji next to their pronouns has a very simple path — browse the picker, select a shortcode, done.
Someone running a community instance for a specific group might want a full set of custom emojis representing their community's specific flags, symbols, or inside references. That requires more setup but is fully supported by the open-source architecture.
A developer contributing to or forking the codebase might go further — modifying how the emoji picker itself renders, adding upload functionality for end users, or integrating an external emoji set entirely. 🛠️
Each of these scenarios involves the same underlying system, but the effort, access level, and technical requirements differ substantially. What's trivial for one user is a multi-step project for another — and which category you fall into shapes everything about how you'll approach this.