diff --git a/doc/dox/whatsnew.dox b/doc/dox/whatsnew.dox
index 06131a38bb..3e52467834 100644
--- a/doc/dox/whatsnew.dox
+++ b/doc/dox/whatsnew.dox
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ Changes, compared to  \ref page_whatsnew_V4_0_0 "v4.0.0" include:
     <li>NEW: added \c \\acute{X}, \c \\grave{X}, \c \\acute{X}</li>
     <li>NEW: added functions to set the font-size in pixels (as alternative to the existing functions that set them in points), implements request <a href="https://github.com/jkriege2/JKQtPlotter/issues/76">#76</a> from <a href="https://github.com/igormironchik">user:igormironchik</a> </li>
     <li>NEW: added \c \\userfont{SystemFontName}{Text} instruction</li>
-    <li>NEW: added \c \\unicode{HEX} instruction to draw unicide characters by code</li>
+    <li>NEW: added \c \\unicode{HEX} and \c \\utfeight{HEX} instruction to draw unicide characters by code</li>
   </ul></li>
 </ul>
 
diff --git a/doc/images/jkqtmathtext/jkqtmathtext_unicode.png b/doc/images/jkqtmathtext/jkqtmathtext_unicode.png
index fe4cb185a0..5a8ecef507 100644
Binary files a/doc/images/jkqtmathtext/jkqtmathtext_unicode.png and b/doc/images/jkqtmathtext/jkqtmathtext_unicode.png differ
diff --git a/examples/jkqtmathtext_test/testform.cpp b/examples/jkqtmathtext_test/testform.cpp
index f860d83ccf..7280cc7fe5 100644
--- a/examples/jkqtmathtext_test/testform.cpp
+++ b/examples/jkqtmathtext_test/testform.cpp
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ TestForm::TestForm(QWidget *parent) :
     ui->cmbTestset->addItem("text (bold)", "text \\mathbf{bold}");
     ui->cmbTestset->addItem("textcolor", "text \\mathbf{bold}\\textcolor{red}{RED}");
     ui->cmbTestset->addItem("userfont", "text, \\userfont{Arial}{Arial}, \\userfont{Comic Sans MS}{Comic Sans MS}");
-    ui->cmbTestset->addItem("unicode", "star: \\unicode{2605}, circonflex: \\unicode{109}");
+    ui->cmbTestset->addItem("unicode", "star: \\unicode{2605}, circonflex: \\unicode{109} emoticons on UTF-8: \\utfeight{F09F9881} \\utfeight{f09f98bb}");
     const auto mathDecoExample=[](const QString& deco)->QString { return "\\"+deco+"{x}\\"+deco+"{i}\\"+deco+"{X}\\"+deco+"{\\psi}\\"+deco+"{abc}"; };
     ui->cmbTestset->addItem("decoration: math", "$"+mathDecoExample("vec")+" -- "+mathDecoExample("grave")+" -- "+mathDecoExample("acute")+" -- "+mathDecoExample("dot")+" -- "+mathDecoExample("ddot")+" -- "+mathDecoExample("ocirc")+" -- "+mathDecoExample("overline")+" -- "+mathDecoExample("underline")+" -- "+mathDecoExample("hat")+" -- "+mathDecoExample("widehat")+" -- "+mathDecoExample("check")+" -- "+mathDecoExample("widecheck")+" -- "+mathDecoExample("breve")+" -- "+mathDecoExample("tilde")+" -- "+mathDecoExample("widetilde")+" -- "+mathDecoExample("uul")+" -- "+mathDecoExample("ool")+" -- "+mathDecoExample("bar")+" -- "+mathDecoExample("arrow")+" -- "+mathDecoExample("cancel")+" -- "+mathDecoExample("bcancel")+" -- "+mathDecoExample("xcancel")+" -- "+mathDecoExample("sout")+"$");
     ui->cmbTestset->addItem("decoration: text", "Text \\ul{underlined Text Equator} -- \\ol{overlined Text Equator} -- \\sout{striked out Text Equator} -- \\cancel{canceled out Text Equator} -- \\bcancel{b-canceled out Text Equator} -- \\xcancel{x-canceled out Text Equator}");
diff --git a/lib/jkqtmathtext/jkqtmathtext.h b/lib/jkqtmathtext/jkqtmathtext.h
index 41b5cc7e58..550ce704dc 100644
--- a/lib/jkqtmathtext/jkqtmathtext.h
+++ b/lib/jkqtmathtext/jkqtmathtext.h
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ class JKQTMathTextNode; // forward
       - \c \\fcolorbox{bordercolor}{backgroundcolor}{...} : draw a colored, filled box \image html jkqtmathtext/jkqtmathtext_fcolorbox.png
       - \c \\colorbox{color}{...} : draw a colored box around text \image html jkqtmathtext/jkqtmathtext_colorbox.png
       - \c \\alpha ... : display the according greek letter \image html jkqtmathtext/jkqtmathtext_greek.png
-      - \c \\unicode{HEX} : draws a unicode character \image html jkqtmathtext/jkqtmathtext_unicode.png (generated by <code>star: \\unicode{2605}, circonflex: \\unicode{109}</code>)
+      - \c \\unicode{HEX} and \\utfeight{HEX} : draws a unicode character \image html jkqtmathtext/jkqtmathtext_unicode.png (generated by <code>star: \\unicode{2605}, circonflex: \\unicode{109} emoticons on UTF-8: \\utfeight{F09F9881} \\utfeight{f09f98bb}</code>)
       - \c ^{...} \c _{...} : display the contents of braces in superscript/subscript \image html jkqtmathtext/jkqtmathtext_supersub.png
         <br>Special subscript/superscript typesetting applies, when the sub/super follows \c \\sum \c \\Prod ...: \image html jkqtmathtext/jkqtmathtext_specialsubsuper.png
       - \c \\{ / \\} : display opening/closing brace
diff --git a/lib/jkqtmathtext/nodes/jkqtmathtextinstructionnode.cpp b/lib/jkqtmathtext/nodes/jkqtmathtextinstructionnode.cpp
index 1e25d5f2b6..9b28a9f623 100644
--- a/lib/jkqtmathtext/nodes/jkqtmathtextinstructionnode.cpp
+++ b/lib/jkqtmathtext/nodes/jkqtmathtextinstructionnode.cpp
@@ -90,7 +90,6 @@ double JKQTMathTextSimpleInstructionNode::draw(QPainter &painter, double x, doub
 
     painter.setFont(f);
     painter.drawText(x,y,txt);
-
     return x+bb.width();
 }
 
@@ -134,7 +133,7 @@ void JKQTMathTextSimpleInstructionNode::getSizeInternal(QPainter &painter, JKQTM
     const QString txt=executeInstruction();
     const QRectF bb=fm.boundingRect(txt);
     width=bb.width();
-    baselineHeight=bb.height()+bb.y();
+    baselineHeight=-bb.y();
     overallHeight=bb.height();
     strikeoutPos=fm.strikeOutPos();
 }
@@ -146,18 +145,30 @@ void JKQTMathTextSimpleInstructionNode::fillInstructions()
     {
         InstructionProperties i([](const QStringList& parameters) -> QString {
             bool ok=false;
-            const int code=parameters.value(0, "0").toInt(&ok, 16);
+            qlonglong code=parameters.value(0, "0").toLongLong(&ok, 16);
             ok=ok&&(code>=0);
-            if (ok&&(code<=0xFFFF)) return QChar(code);
-            else if (ok&&(code>0xFFFF && code<0xFFFFFFFF)) {
-                const char16_t unicodeSmile[] = { char16_t((code&0xFFFF0000)>>16), char16_t(code&0xFFFF), 0 };
-                return QString::fromUtf16(unicodeSmile);
-            }
+            if (ok&&(code<=0xFFFF)) return QChar(static_cast<uint16_t>(code));
             return QChar(0);
         }, 1);
         instructions["unicode"]= i;
     }
-
+    {
+        InstructionProperties i([](const QStringList& parameters) -> QString {
+            bool ok=false;
+            qlonglong code=parameters.value(0, "0").toLongLong(&ok, 16);
+            ok=ok&&(code>=0);
+            if (ok) {
+                QByteArray bytes;
+                while (code!=0) {
+                    bytes.prepend(static_cast<char>(code&0xFF));
+                    code=code>>8;
+                }
+                return QString::fromUtf8(bytes);
+            }
+            return QChar(0);
+        }, 1);
+        instructions["utfeight"]= i;
+    }
 }
 
 QString JKQTMathTextSimpleInstructionNode::executeInstruction() const