Emoji meanings Before there were 😂 or 🥺, there was (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ and (✿◕‿◕). Meet Kaomoji—Japan’s adorable, creative answer to expressing emotions through keyboard characters. These intricate text-based faces aren’t just random symbols; they’re a cultural art form with hidden meanings, history, and even regional dialects. Let’s decode the whimsical world of Kaomoji and why they’re more than just sideways smileys.
What Is Kaomoji? Japan’s Pre-Emoji Emotional Revolution
Kaomoji (顔文字) translates to “face characters” (kao = face, moji = character). Born in 1980s Japan, these emoticons evolved from ASCII art and early internet culture. Unlike Western emoticons like 🙂 or :(, Kaomoji are complex, often vertical, and designed to convey nuanced feelings—from joy to existential despair—using Japanese punctuation and symbols.
Example Classics:
- Basic joy: (^_^)
- Sparkling happiness: (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
- Ugly crying: (Ｔ▽Ｔ)
- Flipping tables in rage: (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
Why Japanese Kaomoji Are Different (And Better?)
Kaomoji aren’t just cute—they’re engineered. Japanese keyboards gave users access to a wider range of symbols (〜, ♪, ・, ﾉ, etc.), allowing for more creativity. But there’s also a cultural twist:
- Emphasis on Eyes: In Japan, eyes are considered the window to the soul. Notice how Kaomoji focus on eye marks like ´∀｀ or ＞﹏＜.
- Ambiguity: Japanese communication values subtlety. A kaomoji like (￣ー￣) could mean smugness, boredom, or quiet confidence—depending on context.
- Storytelling: Some Kaomoji depict full scenes:
- A bear covering its face: ʕっ•ᴥ•ʔっ
- A cat waving: (=^･ｪ･^=)∫
Popular Kaomoji Categories & Their Hidden Meanings
Happy & Playful
- Classic smile: (＾▽＾)
- Blushing: (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)
- Dancing: ヽ(♡‿♡)ノ
Sad & Melancholic
- Tears: (；ω；)
- Raincloud mood: ～(>_<～)
- Existential sigh: (´-ω-`)
Angry & Frustrated
- Steam blowing: （｀Δ´）！
- Silent rage: ヽ(｀⌒´メ)ノ
Animals & Creatures
- Cat: (=^･ｪ･^=)
- Bear: ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ
- Rabbit: (\／=ω=)\／
Love & Romance
- Heart eyes: (♥ω♥ )
- Shy confession: („• ֊ •„)
How to Use Kaomoji Like a Pro
- Match the Tone: Use (⌒_⌒;) for awkwardness, not (^_^), which is more neutral.
- Add Movement: Tildes (~) or stars () imply motion, like waving (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ:･ﾟ✧.
- Stack Symbols: Combine characters for layered emotions:
- Shock + tears: (⊙_⊙;)!!!
- Joy + sparkles: ✧｡٩(ˊᗜˋ)و✧*｡
Why Kaomoji Still Matter in the Emoji Era
Emojis are universal, but Kaomoji offer something unique: personality. They’re customizable, nostalgic, and beloved in niches like gaming, anime forums, and X (Twitter) communities. Plus, they work everywhere—no need for fancy emoji support.
Fun Fact: The infamous “shrug” ¯_(ツ)_/¯ is a hybrid of Western and Japanese Kaomoji styles!
FAQs About Kaomoji
Q: What does “Kaomoji” mean?
A: It combines the Japanese words for “face” (kao) and “character” (moji). They’re intricate text emoticons born in 1980s Japan.
Q: How is Kaomoji different from Western emoticons?
A: Kaomoji are often vertical, use diverse symbols (e.g., ﾉ, ♪, ￣), and focus on eyes to convey nuance. Western emoticons like 🙂 are simpler and horizontal.
Q: Are Kaomoji still popular?
A: Yes! They thrive in anime communities, gaming chats, and among fans of retro internet culture.
Q: Can I create my own Kaomoji?
A: Absolutely! Mix symbols like ^, ´, ﾉ, and ～ to craft unique faces.
Q: Why do some Kaomoji include katakana (e.g., ツ)?
A: The katakana ツ (tsu) resembles a smiling face, making it a staple in kaomoji like (ツ)_/¯.
Ready to Level Up Your Text Game?
Next time you’re tired of 😭 or 😤, toss a (╥﹏╥) or （｀Δ´）! into your message. Kaomoji aren’t just relics—they’re proof that creativity thrives within keyboard limits. So go ahead, paste a ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ in your group chat and watch the confusion (then admiration) roll in.
Kaomoji Categories
☆☆☆ Japanese emoticons for Android ☆☆☆
Kaomoji collection is periodically updated. Stay tuned!
Attention! All emoticons here use Japanese fonts. If some of them are not displayed correctly, adjust Asian language support in your operating system.
Japanese Emoticons: Positive Emotions
Joy
If you want to create joyful, happy or laughing Japanese emoticons use high up eyes. For example, you can use these characters: ^, ￣, ´ and `. Mouths are important too. Japanese girls often use character ω (omega) for mouths of their emoticons, thinking that such kaomoji are cute, or, as they say, kawaii. You can also use ∀, ▽ and other characters resembling a smile. And Japanese also like to add different effects to kaomoji (stars, tears of joy, and so on) for better emphasis.
| (* ^ ω ^) | (´ ∀ ` *) | ٩(◕‿◕｡)۶ | ☆*:.｡.o(≧▽≦)o.｡.:*☆ |
| (o^▽^o) | (⌒▽⌒)☆ | <(￣︶￣)> | 。.:☆*:･'(*⌒―⌒*))) |
| ヽ(・∀・)ﾉ | (´｡• ω •｡`) | (￣ω￣) | ｀;:゛;｀;･(°ε° ) |
| (o･ω･o) | (＠＾◡＾) | ヽ(*・ω・)ﾉ | (o_ _)ﾉ彡☆ |
| (^人^) | (o´▽`o) | (*´▽`*) | ｡ﾟ( ﾟ^∀^ﾟ)ﾟ｡ |
| ( ´ ω ` ) | (((o(*°▽°*)o))) | (≧◡≦) | (o´∀`o) |
| (´• ω •`) | (＾▽＾) | (⌒ω⌒) | ∑d(°∀°d) |
| ╰(▔∀▔)╯ | (─‿‿─) | (*^‿^*) | ヽ(o^ ^o)ﾉ |
| (✯◡✯) | (◕‿◕) | (*≧ω≦*) | (☆▽☆) |
| (⌒‿⌒) | ＼(≧▽≦)／ | ヽ(o＾▽＾o)ノ | ☆ ～(‘▽^人) |
| (*°▽°*) | ٩(｡•́‿•̀｡)۶ | (✧ω✧) | ヽ(*⌒▽⌒*)ﾉ |
| (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) | ( ´ ▽ ` ) | (￣▽￣) | ╰(*´︶`*)╯ |
| ヽ(>∀<☆)ノ | o(≧▽≦)o | (☆ω☆) | (っ˘ω˘ς ) |
| ＼(￣▽￣)／ | (*¯︶¯*) | ＼(＾▽＾)／ | ٩(◕‿◕)۶ |
| (o˘◡˘o) | \(★ω★)/ | \(^ヮ^)/ | (〃＾▽＾〃) |
| (╯✧▽✧)╯ | o(>ω<)o | o( ❛ᴗ❛ )o | ｡ﾟ(TヮT)ﾟ｡ |
| ( ‾́ ◡ ‾́ ) | (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ | (b ᵔ▽ᵔ)b | (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ |
| (๑˘︶˘๑) | ( ˙꒳˙ ) | (*꒦ິ꒳꒦ີ) | °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖° |
| (´･ᴗ･ ` ) | (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ | („• ֊ •„) | (.❛ ᴗ ❛.) |
| (⁀ᗢ⁀) | (￢‿￢ ) | (¬‿¬ ) | (*￣▽￣)b |
| ( ˙▿˙ ) | (¯▿¯) | ( ◕▿◕ ) | ＼(٥⁀▽⁀ )／ |
| („• ᴗ •„) | (ᵔ◡ᵔ) | ( ´ ▿ ` ) | (๑>◡<๑) |
| ( = ⩊ = ) | ( ´ ꒳ ` ) | ⸜( ´ ꒳ ` )⸝ | ⸜(⸝⸝⸝´꒳`⸝⸝⸝)⸝ |
| ⸜(*ˊᗜˋ*)⸝ | ⸜( *ˊᵕˋ* )⸝ | (>⩊<) | (ᗒ⩊ᗕ) |
| (ᵔ⩊ᵔ) | ( ᵔ ⩊ ᵔ ) | (•⩊•) | ( • ⩊ • ) |
Love
Love and kissing Japanese emoji often use character ♡ (heart) or its combination, for example, ノ～ ♡ (air kiss). You can also use a set of characters “chu” for a kiss (in Japan it means a sound of a kiss). Another interesting love emoticons feature is an active presence of such characters as * or o, which mean “rousy cheeks” and are often used in combination with /, \, ノ, ﾉ and ヽ. This emoticons are trying to hide their faces in embarrassment. You can also use character ε (bow lips), which indicates the desire to hug and kiss. Japanese girls often joke saying that such kaomoji look like perverts!
| (ﾉ´ з `)ノ | (♡μ_μ) | (*^^*)♡ | ☆⌒ヽ(*’､^*)chu |
| (♡-_-♡) | (￣ε￣＠) | ヽ(♡‿♡)ノ | ( ´ ∀ `)ノ～ ♡ |
| (─‿‿─)♡ | (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡ | (*♡∀♡) | (｡・//ε//・｡) |
| (´ ω `♡) | ♡( ◡‿◡ ) | (◕‿◕)♡ | (/▽＼*)｡o○♡ |
| (ღ˘⌣˘ღ) | (♡°▽°♡) | ♡(｡- ω -) | ♡ ～(‘▽^人) |
| (´• ω •`) ♡ | (´ ε ` )♡ | (´｡• ω •｡`) ♡ | ( ´ ▽ ` ).｡ｏ♡ |
| ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡ | (*˘︶˘*).｡.:*♡ | (♡˙︶˙♡) | ♡＼(￣▽￣)／♡ |
| (≧◡≦) ♡ | (⌒▽⌒)♡ | (*¯ ³¯*)♡ | (っ˘з(˘⌣˘ ) ♡ |
| ♡ (˘▽˘>ԅ( ˘⌣˘) | ( ˘⌣˘)♡(˘⌣˘ ) | (/^-^(^ ^*)/ ♡ | ٩(♡ε♡)۶ |
| σ(≧ε≦σ) ♡ | ♡ (⇀ 3 ↼) | ♡ (￣З￣) | (❤ω❤) |
| (˘∀˘)/(μ‿μ) ❤ | ❤ (ɔˆз(ˆ⌣ˆc) | (´♡‿♡`) | (°◡°♡) |
| Σ>―(〃°ω°〃)♡→ | (´,,•ω•,,)♡ | (´꒳`)♡ | ♡(>ᴗ•) |
| (❤⩊❤)[=_=](☆ε☆) | ( ´ ꒳ ` ) ♡ | (˘˘ ♡) |
Embarrassment
To depict embarrassment, you can use ; character (something like a drop of sweat on a face), or characters for blush (*, o). In addition, you can try to make your emoticon cover its face by its hands in embarrassment.
| (⌒_⌒;) | (o^ ^o) | (*/ω＼) | (*/。＼) |
| (*/_＼) | (*ﾉωﾉ) | (o-_-o) | (*μ_μ) |
| ( ◡‿◡ *) | (ᵔ.ᵔ) | (*ﾉ∀`*) | (//▽//) |
| (//ω//) | (ノ*°▽°*) | (*^.^*) | (*ﾉ▽ﾉ) |
| (￣▽￣*)ゞ | (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄) | (*/▽＼*) | (⁄ ⁄>⁄ ▽ ⁄<⁄ ⁄) |
| („ಡωಡ„) | (ง ื▿ ื)ว | ( 〃▽〃) | (/▿＼ ) |
| (///￣ ￣///) |
Sympathy
The expression of sympathy or compassion requires at least two Japanese emoticons: one of them will be upset about something, and the other will calm him down. You can use kaomoji from “sadness” category for the first type. A key element for the second one will be “a calming hand” (ノ”, ノ’or ヾ) or “shoulder of support” (see examples).
| (ノ_<。)ヾ(´ ▽ ` ) | ｡･ﾟ･(ﾉД`)ヽ(￣ω￣ ) | ρ(- ω -、)ヾ(￣ω￣; ) |
| ヽ(￣ω￣(。。 )ゝ | (*´ I `)ﾉﾟ(ﾉД｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡ | ヽ(~_~(・_・ )ゝ |
| (ﾉ_；)ヾ(´ ∀ ` ) | (; ω ; )ヾ(´∀`* ) | (*´ー)ﾉ(ノд`) |
| (´-ω-`( _ _ ) | (っ´ω`)ﾉ(╥ω╥) | (ｏ・_・)ノ”(ノ_<、) |
Japanese Emoticons: Negative Emotions
Dissatisfaction
Dissatisfaction can be easily expressed by kaomoji’s facial wrinkling. You can use ＞＜ characters for dissatisfied or displeased Japanese emoticons. Additional wrinkles can be added by # character. You can also express dissatisfaction with eyes like ¬ ¬ or ¯ ¯ and with a well-chosen mouth. Such techniques are quite common in anime and manga.
| (＃＞＜) | (；⌣̀_⌣́) | ☆ｏ(＞＜；)○ | (￣ ￣|||) |
| (；￣Д￣) | (￣□￣」) | (＃￣0￣) | (＃￣ω￣) |
| (￢_￢;) | (＞ｍ＜) | (」°ロ°)」 | (〃＞＿＜;〃) |
| (＾＾＃) | (︶︹︺) | (￣ヘ￣) | <(￣ ﹌ ￣)> |
| (￣︿￣) | (＞﹏＜) | (–_–) | 凸(￣ヘ￣) |
| ヾ( ￣O￣)ツ | (⇀‸↼‶) | o(>< )o | (」＞＜)」 |
| (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞ | (눈_눈) |
Anger
The secret of angry or evil emoticons is in their eyes. Use ` and ´ or ｀ and ´. Just don’t change the characters’ order, otherwise your angry emoticon will become friendly and kind (compare: ` ´ – evil eyes, ´ ` – kind eyes). In addition, you can add “wrinkles” ＃ and their stronger forms: メ or ╬; and 凸 (middle finger) and ψ (claws) as an arm. You can also use “snarl” 皿 or 益.
| (＃`Д´) | (`皿´＃) | ( ` ω ´ ) | ヽ( `д´*)ノ |
| (・`ω´・) | (`ー´) | ヽ(`⌒´メ)ノ | 凸(`△´＃) |
| ( `ε´ ) | ψ( ` ∇ ´ )ψ | ヾ(`ヘ´)ﾉﾞ | ヽ(‵﹏´)ノ |
| (ﾒ` ﾛ ´) | (╬`益´) | ┌∩┐(◣_◢)┌∩┐ | 凸( ` ﾛ ´ )凸 |
| Σ(▼□▼メ) | (°ㅂ°╬) | ψ(▼へ▼メ)～→ | (ノ°益°)ノ |
| (҂ `з´ ) | (‡▼益▼) | (҂` ﾛ ´)凸 | ((╬◣﹏◢)) |
| ٩(╬ʘ益ʘ╬)۶ | (╬ Ò﹏Ó) | ＼＼٩(๑`^´๑)۶／／ | (凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 |
| ↑_(ΦwΦ)Ψ | ←~(Ψ▼ｰ▼)∈ | ୧((#Φ益Φ#))୨ | ٩(ఠ益ఠ)۶ |
| (ﾉಥ益ಥ)ﾉ | (≖､≖╬) |
Sadness
Sad or crying emoticons are quite easy to create. Use Т Т, ; ;, > < and other characters for crying eyes. You can also use / \ or ノ ヽ to cover your face.
| (ノ_<。) | (-_-) | (´-ω-`) | .･ﾟﾟ･(／ω＼)･ﾟﾟ･. |
| (μ_μ) | (ﾉД`) | (-ω-、) | 。゜゜(´Ｏ`) ゜゜。 |
| o(TヘTo) | ( ; ω ; ) | (｡╯︵╰｡) | ｡･ﾟﾟ*(>д<)*ﾟﾟ･｡ |
| ( ﾟ，_ゝ｀) | (个_个) | (╯︵╰,) | ｡･ﾟ(ﾟ><ﾟ)ﾟ･｡ |
| ( ╥ω╥ ) | (╯_╰) | (╥_╥) | .｡･ﾟﾟ･(＞_＜)･ﾟﾟ･｡. |
| (／ˍ・、) | (ノ_<、) | (╥﹏╥) | ｡ﾟ(｡ﾉωヽ｡)ﾟ｡ |
| (つω`｡) | (｡T ω T｡) | (ﾉω･､) | ･ﾟ･(｡>ω<｡)･ﾟ･ |
| (T_T) | (>_<) | (っ˘̩╭╮˘̩)っ | ｡ﾟ･ (>﹏<) ･ﾟ｡ |
| o(〒﹏〒)o | (｡•́︿•̀｡) | (ಥ﹏ಥ) | (ಡ‸ಡ) |
Pain
Use characters > < combined with special effects like ⌒☆ to depict pain. You can also use eyes of “x” type for “stunned” emoticons. Of course, there are also many other ways.
| ~(>_<~) | ☆⌒(> _ <) | ☆⌒(>。<) | (☆_@) |
| (×_×) | (x_x) | (×_×)⌒☆ | (x_x)⌒☆ |
| (×﹏×) | ☆(＃××) | (＋_＋) | [ ± _ ± ] |
| ٩(× ×)۶ | _:(´ཀ`」 ∠):_ | (ﾒ﹏ﾒ) |
Fear
For scared or frightened Japanese emoji use forward and backward slashes and similar characters depicting that they hide their faces in fear. You can also try to depict screaming, waving their arms and so on.
| (ノωヽ) | (／。＼) | (ﾉ_ヽ) | ..・ヾ(。＞＜)シ |
| (″ロ゛) | (;;;*_*) | (・人・) | ＼(〇_ｏ)／ |
| (/ω＼) | (/_＼) | 〜(＞＜)〜 | Σ(°△°|||)︴ |
| (((＞＜))) | {{ (>_<) }} | ＼(º □ º l|l)/ | 〣( ºΔº )〣 |
| ▓▒░(°◡°)░▒▓ |
Japanese Emoticons: Neutral Emotions
Indifference
You can make indifferent / whatever emoticons by adding special characters for arms (┐ ┌ or ╮ ╭, and various combinations with forward and backward slashes and related characters). You can use ー ー or ˇ ˇ for indifferent eyes.
| ヽ(ー_ー )ノ | ヽ(´ー` )┌ | ┐(‘～` )┌ | ヽ( ￣д￣)ノ |
| ┐(￣ヘ￣)┌ | ヽ(￣～￣ )ノ | ╮(￣_￣)╭ | ヽ(ˇヘˇ)ノ |
| ┐(￣～￣)┌ | ┐(︶▽︶)┌ | ╮(￣～￣)╭ | ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ |
| ┐( ´ д ` )┌ | ╮(︶︿︶)╭ | ┐(￣∀￣)┌ | ┐( ˘ ､ ˘ )┌ |
| ╮(︶▽︶)╭ | ╮( ˘ ､ ˘ )╭ | ┐( ˘_˘ )┌ | ╮( ˘_˘ )╭ |
| ┐(￣ヮ￣)┌ | ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ | ┐(シ)┌ |
Confusion
Use “blank eyes” ・ ・. You can add ; or 〃 to strengthen the effect. The eyes like ￣ ￣ would be suitable too. Finally, you can add such effects as thinking (・・・), raising hands (┐ ┌ or ╮ ╭) and propping the head with an arm ( ゞ).
| (￣ω￣;) | σ(￣、￣〃) | (￣～￣;) | (-_-;)・・・ |
| ┐(‘～`;)┌ | (・_・ヾ | (〃￣ω￣〃ゞ | ┐(￣ヘ￣;)┌ |
| (・_・;) | (￣_￣)・・・ | ╮(￣ω￣;)╭ | (¯ . ¯;) |
| (＠_＠) | (・・;)ゞ | Σ(￣。￣ﾉ) | (・・ ) ? |
| (•ิ_•ิ)? | (◎ ◎)ゞ | (ーー;) | ლ(ಠ_ಠ ლ) |
| ლ(¯ロ¯”ლ) | (¯ . ¯٥) | (¯ ¯٥) |
Doubt
For doubt Japanese emoticons use ￢ ￢, ¬ ¬ or arrows. This will create the impression that their eyes look toward as if they hear a lie.
| (￢_￢) | (→_→) | (￢ ￢) | (￢‿￢ ) |
| (¬_¬ ) | (←_←) | (¬ ¬ ) | (¬‿¬ ) |
| (↼_↼) | (⇀_⇀) | (ᓀ ᓀ) | („¬ᴗ¬„) |
Surprise
For shocked and surprised emoticons use mouth wide open (ｏ, 〇, ロ), surprised eyes (O O, ⊙ ⊙) and raised hands. You can also add character Σ (sharp jerk) or some cofusion (character ;). Furthermore, you can try to use big eyes in combination with small mouth (for contrast).
| w(°ｏ°)w | ヽ(°〇°)ﾉ | Σ(O_O) | Σ(°ロ°) |
| (⊙_⊙) | (o_O) | (O_O;) | (O.O) |
| (°ロ°) ! | (o_O) ! | (□_□) | Σ(□_□) |
| ∑(O_O;) | ( : ౦ ‸ ౦ : ) |
Japanese Emoticons: Various Actions
Greeting
For greeting (and farewell) Japanese emoticons you can use forward and backward slashes as a standard. However, there are a few more interesting options, such as ﾉ or ノ. And if you want your emoticon to wave its hand, try to use ヾ, ﾉﾞ and their various combinations with the “tilde”.
| (*・ω・)ﾉ | (￣▽￣)ノ | (°▽°)/ | ( ´ ∀ ` )ﾉ |
| (^-^*)/ | (＠´ー`)ﾉﾞ | (´• ω •`)ﾉ | ( ° ∀ ° )ﾉﾞ |
| ヾ(*’▽’*) | ＼(⌒▽⌒) | ヾ(☆▽☆) | ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ |
| (^０^)ノ | ~ヾ(・ω・) | (・∀・)ノ | ヾ(・ω・*) |
| (*°ｰ°)ﾉ | (・_・)ノ | (o´ω`o)ﾉ | ( ´ ▽ ` )/ |
| (￣ω￣)/ | ( ´ ω ` )ノﾞ | (⌒ω⌒)ﾉ | (o^ ^o)/ |
| (≧▽≦)/ | (✧∀✧)/ | (o´▽`o)ﾉ | (￣▽￣)/ |
Hugging
For hugging emoticons use respective outstretched arm characters.
| (づ￣ ³￣)づ | (つ≧▽≦)つ | (つ✧ω✧)つ | (づ ◕‿◕ )づ |
| (⊃｡•́‿•̀｡)⊃ | (つ . •́ _ʖ •̀ .)つ | (っಠ‿ಠ)っ | (づ◡﹏◡)づ |
| ⊂(´• ω •`⊂) | ⊂(･ω･*⊂) | ⊂(￣▽￣)⊃ | ⊂( ´ ▽ ` )⊃ |
| ( ~*-*)~ | (ノ= ⩊ = )ノ | (っ ᵔ◡ᵔ)っ | (っ╹ᆺ╹)っ |
Winking
Winking Japanese emoticons look cute and they are quite easy to be made. Just use different characters for left and right eye.
| (^_~) | ( ﾟｏ⌒) | (^_-)≡☆ | (^ω~) |
| (>ω^) | (~人^) | (^_-) | ( -_・) |
| (^_<)〜☆ | (^人<)〜☆ | ☆⌒(≧▽° ) | ☆⌒(ゝ。∂) |
| (^_<) | (^_−)☆ | (･ω<)☆ | (^.~)☆ |
| (^.~) | (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧ | (>ᴗ•) | ☆(>ᴗ•) |
Apologizing
In Japan, when expressing apology, it is common to perform a traditional bow. Therefore, apologizing Japanese emoticons are created this way. Use lowered eyes (_ _ or . .). If the bow is performed from a sitting position, you can use m m for the eyes. Otherwise, use characters < > for shoulders.
| m(_ _)m | (シ_ _)シ | m(. .)m | <(_ _)> |
| 人(_ _*) | (*_ _)人 | m(_ _;m) | (m;_ _)m |
| (シ. .)シ |
Nosebleeding
If you want to depict nosebleeding / nosebleeds like in anime and manga use the following characters: i, ﾊ, ;, 〃.
| (*￣ii￣) | (￣ﾊ￣*) | \(￣ﾊ￣) | (＾་།＾) |
| (＾〃＾) | (￣ ¨ヽ￣) | (￣ ;￣) | (￣ ;;￣) |
Hiding
Using character | for hiding emoticons makes them look like if they are peeping from behind the wall hiding from somebody.
| |･ω･) | ﾍ(･_| | |ω･)ﾉ | ヾ(･| |
| |д･) | |_￣)) | |▽//) | ┬┴┬┴┤(･_├┬┴┬┴ |
| ┬┴┬┴┤･ω･)ﾉ | ┬┴┬┴┤( ͡° ͜ʖ├┬┴┬┴ | ┬┴┬┴┤(･_├┬┴┬┴ | |_・) |
| |･д･)ﾉ | |ʘ‿ʘ)╯ |
Writing
Character φ looks good as a pen, if you want to make writing emoticons. You can also add a few underscores or dots to depict the process of writing itself.
| __φ(．．) | ( ￣ー￣)φ__ | __φ(。。) | __φ(．．;) |
| ヾ( `ー´)シφ__ | __〆(￣ー￣ ) | ….φ(・∀・*) | ___〆(・∀・) |
| ( ^▽^)ψ__ | ….φ(︶▽︶)φ…. | ( . .)φ__ | __φ(◎◎ヘ) |
Running
You can create running Japanese emoji by adding special motion effects. Among available charactrers are ε, =, ミ and C.
| ☆ﾐ(o*･ω･)ﾉ | C= C= C= C= C=┌(;・ω・)┘ | ─=≡Σ((( つ＞＜)つ |
| ε=ε=ε=ε=┌(;￣▽￣)┘ | ε=ε=┌( >_<)┘ | C= C= C= C=┌( `ー´)┘ |
| ε===(っ≧ω≦)っ | ヽ(￣д￣;)ノ=3=3=3 | 。。。ミヽ(。＞＜)ノ |
Sleeping
Use zzZ for snoring. You can also put your sleeping emoticon on a pillow [ ]. Simple as that!
| [(－－)]..zzZ | (－_－) zzZ | (∪｡∪)｡｡｡zzZ | (－ω－) zzZ |
| (￣o￣) zzZZzzZZ | (( _ _ ))..zzzZZ | (￣ρ￣)..zzZZ | (－.－)…zzz |
| (＿ ＿*) Z z z | (x . x) ~~zzZ |
Japanese Emoticons: Animals
Cat
Japanese believe that cats are insanely cute creatures. This explains a variety of anime and manga fetishes: cat ears and tail, saying “nyaa~” (nyaa – “meow” in Japanese) and other kawaii things. Therefore, it’s not a surprise that in kaomoji main animals are cats. So, if you want your emoticon to become a nice kitty, use = = for its mustache and ^ ^ for the ears.
| (=^･ω･^=) | (=^･ｪ･^=) | (=①ω①=) | ( =ω=)..nyaa |
| (= ; ｪ ; =) | (=`ω´=) | (=^‥^=) | ( =ノωヽ=) |
| (=⌒‿‿⌒=) | (=^ ◡ ^=) | (=^-ω-^=) | ヾ(=`ω´=)ノ” |
| (＾• ω •＾) | (/ =ω=)/ | ฅ(•ㅅ•❀)ฅ | ฅ(• ɪ •)ฅ |
| ଲ(ⓛ ω ⓛ)ଲ | (^=◕ᴥ◕=^) | ( =ω= ) | (^˵◕ω◕˵^) |
| (^◔ᴥ◔^) | (^◕ᴥ◕^) | ต(=ω=)ต | ( Φ ω Φ ) |
| ฅ(^◕ᴥ◕^)ฅ |
Bear
Japanese bear emoticons are easy to identify by their special snout (ｴ) or ears ʕ ʔ.
| ( ´(ｴ)ˋ ) | (*￣(ｴ)￣*) | ヽ(￣(ｴ)￣)ﾉ | (／￣(ｴ)￣)／ |
| (￣(ｴ)￣) | ヽ( ˋ(ｴ)´ )ﾉ | ⊂(￣(ｴ)￣)⊃ | (／(ｴ)＼) |
| ⊂(´(ェ)ˋ)⊃ | (/-(ｴ)-＼) | (/°(ｴ)°)/ | ʕ ᵔᴥᵔ ʔ |
| ʕ •ᴥ• ʔ | ʕ •̀ ω •́ ʔ | ʕ •̀ o •́ ʔ | ʕಠᴥಠʔ |
Dog
The secret of dog emoticons is in the ears ∪ ∪. Use these characters instead of brackets.
| ∪＾ェ＾∪ | ∪･ω･∪ | ∪￣-￣∪ | ∪･ｪ･∪ |
| Ｕ^皿^Ｕ | ＵＴｪＴＵ | U^ｪ^U | V●ᴥ●V |
| U・ᴥ・U |
Rabbit
It’s not a secret that rabbits are extremely cute animals. And emoticons are able to make them even cuter. You can use x for your rabbit’s face and slashes for its ears. You can also try other variants.
| ／(≧ x ≦)＼ | ／(･ × ･)＼ | ／(=´x`=)＼ | ／(^ x ^)＼ |
| ／(=･ x ･=)＼ | ／(^ × ^)＼ | ／(＞×＜)＼ | ／(˃ᆺ˂)＼ |
| ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა | ૮₍ ˶• ༝ •˶ ₎ა |
Pig
You can use (оо), (OO) or (ω) for a pig nose. Add it to your emoticon and you’ll get a funny cute pig.
| ( ´(00)ˋ ) | (￣(ω)￣) | ヽ( ˋ(00)´ )ノ | ( ´(oo)ˋ ) |
| ＼(￣(oo)￣)／ | ｡ﾟ(ﾟ´(00)`ﾟ)ﾟ｡ | (￣(00)￣) | (ˆ(oo)ˆ) |
Bird
For bird japanese emoticons and their mouths (beaks) you can use such characters as Θ or θ. This is the main idea.
| (￣Θ￣) | (`･Θ･´) | ( ˋ Θ ´ ) | (◉Θ◉) |
| ＼( ˋ Θ ´ )／ | (･θ･) | (・Θ・) | ヾ(￣◇￣)ノ〃 |
| (･Θ･) |
Fish
Fish and seafood is an inevitable part of Japanese life. That’s why fish and sea creatures emoticons are quite popular too. You can use << or 彡 for a tail, and )) for the gills.
| (°)#))<< | <・ )))><< | ζ°)))彡 | >°))))彡 |
| (°))<< | >^)))<～～ | ≧( ° ° )≦ |
Spider
For spider emoticons use characters /\╱\╮╭╲ for the legs and try to add a few pairs of eyes.
| /╲/\╭(ఠఠ益ఠఠ)╮/\╱\ | /╲/\╭(ರರ⌓ರರ)╮/\╱\ | /╲/\╭༼ ººل͟ºº ༽╮/\╱\ | /╲/\╭( ͡°͡° ͜ʖ ͡°͡°)╮/\╱\ |
| /╲/\╭[ ᴼᴼ ౪ ᴼᴼ]╮/\╱\ | /╲/\( •̀ ω •́ )/\╱\ | /╲/\╭[☉﹏☉]╮/\╱\ |
Japanese Emoticons: Other Types
Friends
If you want to describe friends and friendship, the best way is to make your Japanese emoticons holding each others hands. You can use 人, メ, 八 and 爻. Although, there are other suitable characters. You can try to find them.
| ヾ(・ω・)メ(・ω・)ノ | ヽ(∀° )人( °∀)ノ | ヽ( ⌒o⌒)人(⌒-⌒ )ﾉ |
| (*^ω^)八(⌒▽⌒)八(-‿‿- )ヽ | ＼(＾∀＾)メ(＾∀＾)ノ | ヾ(￣ー￣(≧ω≦*)ゝ |
| ヽ( ⌒ω⌒)人(=^‥^= )ﾉ | ヽ(≧◡≦)八(o^ ^o)ノ | (*・∀・)爻(・∀・*) |
| ｡*:☆(・ω・人・ω・)｡:゜☆｡ | o(^^o)(o^^o)(o^^o)(o^^)o | (((￣(￣(￣▽￣)￣)￣))) |
| (°(°ω(°ω°(☆ω☆)°ω°)ω°)°) | ヾ(・ω・`)ノヾ(´・ω・)ノ゛ | Ψ( `∀)(∀´ )Ψ |
| (っ˘▽˘)(˘▽˘)˘▽˘ς) | (((*°▽°*)八(*°▽°*))) | ☆ヾ(*´・∀・)ﾉヾ(・∀・`*)ﾉ☆ |
| (*＾ω＾)人(＾ω＾*) | ٩(๑･ิᴗ･ิ)۶٩(･ิᴗ･ิ๑)۶ | (☞°ヮ°)☞ ☜(°ヮ°☜) |
| ＼(▽￣ \ (￣▽￣) / ￣▽)／ | \( ˙▿˙ )/\( ˙▿˙ )/ |
Enemies
The concept of “enemy” here is used in a joking manner. Just try to describe how your emoticon kicks his opponent, or anything like that. You can use special effects like ☆, ﾐ, 彡 and Σ for emphasis. You can also use x x for the eyes of unconscious emoticons. All the rest is your creative approach.
| ヽ( ･∀･)ﾉ_θ彡☆Σ(ノ `Д´)ノ | (*´∇`)┌θ☆(ﾉ>_<)ﾉ | ( ￣ω￣)ノﾞ⌒☆ﾐ(o _ _)o |
| (*`0´)θ☆(メ°皿°)ﾉ | (o¬‿¬o )…☆ﾐ(*x_x) | (╬￣皿￣)=○＃(￣#)３￣) |
| (; -_-)――――――C<―_-) | ＜( ￣︿￣)︵θ︵θ︵☆(＞口＜－) | (￣ε(#￣)☆╰╮o(￣▽￣///) |
| ヽ(>_<ヽ) ―⊂|=0ヘ(^‿^ ) | ヘ(>_<ヘ) ￢o(￣‿￣ﾒ) | ,,((( ￣□)_／ ＼_(○￣ ))),, |
| (҂` ﾛ ´)︻デ═一 ＼(º □ º l|l)/ | (╯°Д°)╯︵ /(.□ . ＼) | (¬_¬”)ԅ(￣ε￣ԅ) |
| /( .□.)＼ ︵╰(°益°)╯︵ /(.□. /) | (ﾉ-.-)ﾉ….((((((((((((●~* ( >_<) | !!(ﾒ￣ ￣)_θ☆°0°)/ |
| (`⌒*)O-(`⌒´Q) | (((ง’ω’)و三 ง’ω’)ڡ≡ ☆⌒ﾐ((x_x) | (งಠ_ಠ)ง σ( •̀ ω •́ σ) |
| (っ•﹏•)っ ✴==≡눈٩(`皿´҂)ง | (｢• ω •)｢ (⌒ω⌒`) | ( °ᴗ°)~ð (/❛o❛\) |
Weapons
Rifle ︻デ═一, sniper rifle ︻┻┳══━一, shotgun ︻┳═一, minigun ✴==≡눈, gun ￢, laser ・・・——–☆, chain ○∞∞∞∞, bow D・・・・・—— →, bomb (((((((((●～*, syringe ―⊂|=0, pepper spray 占~~~~~, jo-jo ~~~~~~~~~~◎, boomerang (( く ((へ, spear ―――→, grabber ――――C, sword _／ or ¤=[]:::::>, boxing gloves QQ.
| ( ・∀・)・・・——–☆ | (/-_・)/D・・・・・—— → | (^ω^)ノﾞ(((((((((●～* |
| ( -ω-)／占~~~~~ | (/・・)ノ (( く ((へ | ―⊂|=0ヘ(^^ ) |
| ○∞∞∞∞ヽ(^ー^ ) | (; ・_・)――――C | (ಠ o ಠ)¤=[]:::::> |
| (*＾＾)/~~~~~~~~~~◎ | ￢o(￣-￣ﾒ) | ―(T_T)→ |
| ((( ￣□)_／ | (ﾒ` ﾛ ´)︻デ═一 | ( ´-ω･)︻┻┳══━一 |
| (ﾒ￣▽￣)︻┳═一 | ✴==≡눈٩(`皿´҂)ง | Q(`⌒´Q) |
Magic
Japanese emoticons can depict even magic in its all diversity.
| (ノ ˘_˘)ノ ζ|||ζ ζ|||ζ ζ|||ζ | (ﾉ≧∀≦)ﾉ ‥…━━━★ | (ﾉ>ω<)ﾉ :｡･:*:･ﾟ’★,｡･:*:･ﾟ’☆ |
| (ノ°∀°)ノ⌒･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*☆ | ╰( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )つ──☆*:・ﾟ | (＃￣□￣)o━∈・・━━━━☆ |
| (⊃｡•́‿•̀｡)⊃━✿✿✿✿✿✿ | (∩ᄑ_ᄑ)⊃━☆ﾟ*･｡*･:≡( ε:) | (/￣ー￣)/~~☆’.･.･:★’.･.･:☆ |
| (∩` ﾛ ´)⊃━炎炎炎炎炎 |
Food
Japanese like to drink very much! You can use 旦, 口, 且 and similar characters (for example, simply []) for this purpose. And for hot drinks (tea, coffee) just add ~~ (steam) characters. There is also a great variety of eating emoticons (see examples in the table below).
| (っ˘ڡ˘ς) | ( o˘◡˘o) ┌iii┐ | ( ’ω’)旦~~ |
| ( ˘▽˘)っ♨ | ♨o(>_<)o♨ | ( ・ω・)o-{{[〃]}} |
| ( ・ω・)⊃-[二二] | ( ・・)つ―{}@{}@{}- | ( ・・)つ-●●● |
| (*´ー`)旦 旦(￣ω￣*) | (*´з`)口ﾟ｡ﾟ口(・∀・ ) | ( o^ ^o)且 且(´ω`*) |
| ( ￣▽￣)[] [](≧▽≦ ) | ( *^^)o∀*∀o(^^* ) | ( ^^)_旦~~ ~~U_(^^ ) |
| (*￣▽￣)旦 且(´∀`*) | -●●●-ｃ(・・ ) | ( ・・)つ―●○◎- |
| (￣﹃￣) | (๑ᵔ⤙ᵔ๑) | (´ᵔ⤙ᵔ`) |
Music
Japanese emoticons can also describe musical aspects of life (singing, dancing, listening to music, etc.). You can just add ♪ character to your kaomoji or change its hands position (if you want to make it dance).
| ヾ(´〇`)ﾉ♪♪♪ | ヘ(￣ω￣ヘ) | (〜￣▽￣)〜 | 〜(￣▽￣〜) |
| ヽ(o´∀`)ﾉ♪♬ | (ﾉ≧∀≦)ﾉ | ♪ヽ(^^ヽ)♪ | ♪(/_ _ )/♪ |
| ♪♬((d⌒ω⌒b))♬♪ | └(￣-￣└)) | ((┘￣ω￣)┘ | √(￣‥￣√) |
| └(＾＾)┐ | ┌(＾＾)┘ | ＼(￣▽￣)＼ | ／(￣▽￣)／ |
| (￣▽￣)/♫•*¨*•.¸¸♪ | (^_^♪) | (~˘▽˘)~ | ~(˘▽˘~) |
| ヾ(⌐■_■)ノ♪ | (〜￣△￣)〜 | (~‾▽‾)~ | ~(˘▽˘)~ |
| 乁( • ω •乁) | (｢• ω •)｢ | ⁽⁽◝( • ω • )◜⁾⁾ | ✺◟( • ω • )◞✺ |
| ♬♫♪◖(● o ●)◗♪♫♬ | ( ˘ ɜ˘) ♬♪♫ | ♪♪♪ ヽ(ˇ∀ˇ )ゞ | (ˇ▽ˇ)ノ♪♬♫ |
Games
Japanese can describe even games and sports through kaomoji. Here are a few examples: tennis, ping pong, volleyball, basketball, ball, boxing, kendo, fishing, bowling, playing video games. Try to find out what is what.
| ( ^^)p_____|_o____q(^^ ) | (／o^)/ °⊥ ＼(^o＼) | !(;ﾟoﾟ)o/￣￣￣￣￣￣￣~ >ﾟ))))彡 |
| ヽ(^o^)ρ┳┻┳°σ(^o^)ノ | (／_^)／ ● ＼(^_＼) | “( (≡|≡))_／ ＼_((≡|≡) )” |
| ( ノ-_-)ノﾞ_□ VS □_ヾ(^-^ヽ) | ヽ(；^ ^)ノﾞ ．．．…___〇 | (=O*_*)=O Q(*_*Q) |
| Ю ○三 ＼(￣^￣＼) | (˙ω˙)🎮(˙∀˙)🎮 |
Faces
These emoticons have human-like faces.
| ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) | ( ͡° ʖ̯ ͡°) | ( ͠° ͟ʖ ͡°) | ( ͡ᵔ ͜ʖ ͡ᵔ) |
| ( . •́ _ʖ •̀ .) | ( ఠ ͟ʖ ఠ) | ( ͡ಠ ʖ̯ ͡ಠ) | ( ಠ ʖ̯ ಠ) |
| ( ಠ ͜ʖ ಠ) | ( ಥ ʖ̯ ಥ) | ( ͡• ͜ʖ ͡• ) | ( ･ิ ͜ʖ ･ิ) |
| ( ͡ ͜ʖ ͡ ) | (≖ ͜ʖ≖) | (ʘ ʖ̯ ʘ) | (ʘ ͟ʖ ʘ) |
| (ʘ ͜ʖ ʘ) | (;´༎ຶٹ༎ຶ`) |
Special
No specific category emoticons are added here. So each of them has special description.
| ٩(ˊ〇ˋ*)و | waking up |
| (￣^￣)ゞ | military salutation |
| (－‸ლ) | facepalm |
| (╯°益°)╯彡┻━┻ | throwing table in anger |
| (╮°-°)╮┳━━┳ ( ╯°□°)╯ ┻━━┻ | taking table and going mad |
| ┬─┬ノ( º _ ºノ) | putting table back |
| (oT-T)尸 | surrender |
| ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) | meme / Lenny face |
| [̲̅$̲̅(̲̅ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°̲̅)̲̅$̲̅] | money |
| (ಠ_ಠ) | meme / look of disapproval |
| ౦０o ｡ (‾́。‾́ )y~~ | smoking |
| (x(x_(x_x(O_o)x_x)_x)x) | alive among zombies |
| ( ･ω･)☞ | pointing |
| (⌐■_■) | with glasses |
| (◕‿◕✿) | cute face |
| ( ￣.)o- 【 TV 】 | watching TV |
| ｀、ヽ｀ヽ｀、ヽ(ノ＞＜)ノ ｀、ヽ｀☂ヽ｀、ヽ | catching umbrella in the rain |
| ‿︵‿︵‿︵‿ヽ(°□° )ノ︵‿︵‿︵‿︵ | drowning |
| ( • )( • )ԅ(≖‿≖ԅ) | emm… try to figure out what he’s doing |
| ( ＾▽＾)っ✂╰⋃╯ | punishment for cheating |
| 〜〜(／￣▽)／ 〜ф | chasing a butterfly |
| ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ✩‧₊˚ | angel |
| ଘ(੭ˊ꒳ˋ)੭✧ | one more angel |
| _(:3 」∠)_ | popular lying emoticon |
| ∠( ᐛ 」∠)_ | another lying emoticon |
Japanese Emoticons for Android
Our official app for Android. Being a part of our project’s soul, it is easy to use, fully functional and unlimitedly kawaii! And it brings kaomoji communication to a brand new level! (☆▽☆)
Hope you’ll enjoy our app and we’ll be grateful for your ratings and reviews on Google Play, as by doing so you can help the app not only to compete and survive, but to tell the world about this kawaii collection of Japanese emoticons!
Download Japanese emoticons for Android
If you want to support the project, you can download a paid version of the app. It is ad-free. (￣▽￣)
Download Japanese emoticons for Android (paid version)
Got a favorite Kaomoji? Share it below—we’ll decode its hidden vibes!
