Where can I find an explained list of emoji (emoticons) used in iOS?

Solution 1:

First, in System Preferences, under the Keyboard tab of the Keyboard Preference Pane, be sure Show Keyboard and Character Viewers in menu bar is checked.

Then, from the Keyboard menu in the menu bar, select Show Character Viewer. In the Character viewer pane, select Emoji. When you select an Emoji, on the right side of the pane, you get a large graphic of the Emoji and a text explanation of the shape.

Solution 2:

There's also a list on my web site, that I just made. The list is viewable using a browser with emoji font support; this includes Safari.

Solution 3:

When you're in iOS, you can also turn on VoiceOver and it'll read the names of the Emoji as you move around the keyboard.

Solution 4:

Wikipedia has a series of tables at w:Emoji. Additionally, they also organize it by what platform supports what character as well.