TEXTING teens have helped to make “emoji” the Oxford Dictionaries’ Word of the Year.

Instead of picking a traditional word, staff have this year chosen a pictograph – the ‘Face with Tears of Joy’ emoji – to reflect its increasing popularity in 2015.

Although emoji have been shared by teenagers for some time, their culture has “exploded into the global mainstream” over the past year, according to Oxford University Press.

OUP’s social media marketing manager Dan Parker, 26, from Oxford, said: “I have used the ‘tears of joy’ emoji lots of times. They are a light-hearted way to express a point and it’s quick and efficient when you are texting.”

Casper Grathwohl, President of Oxford Dictionaries, said emoji were “flexible and immediate’’.

He added: “As a result emoji are becoming an increasingly rich form of communication, one that transcends linguistic borders.

“When Andy Murray tweeted out his wedding itinerary entirely in emoji he shared a subtle mix of his feelings about the day directly with fans around the world. It was highly effective in expressing his emotions.”

This year OUP linked up with leading mobile technology business SwiftKey to look at statistics for some of the most popular emoji across the world and “Face with Tears of Joy” came out a clear winner as the most heavily used emoji globally.

The word emoji derived from the Japanese words e (picture) and moji (letter, character).

It is defined as “a small digital image or icon used to express an idea or emotion in electronic communication” and was used in English-language Japanese publications as early as 1997.

Another notable word of 2015 shortlisted by dictionaries staff is “Brexit”, a term for the potential departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union.

“Dark Web” – the part of the internet that is only accessible by means of special software – has also been shortlisted, along with “lumbersexual”, a young urban man who cultivates an appearance and style of dress, typified by a beard and checked shirt, suggesting a rugged outdoor lifestyle akin to a lumberjack.