What Are Kaomoji? The Complete Guide to Japanese Text Emoticons (ʘ‿ʘ)

Before emoji existed, Japanese internet users were already expressing complex emotions with just a keyboard. They called them kaomoji (顔文字) — literally "face characters" — text-art faces built from standard punctuation and Unicode symbols. Unlike Western emoticons that you tilt your head to read (like :-) ), kaomoji are designed to be read upright, and many are impressively expressive.

This guide covers what kaomoji are, where they come from, how to use them, and a full list of the most popular ones by mood.

What Are Kaomoji?

Kaomoji are text-based emoticons made from a combination of letters, numbers, punctuation marks, and Japanese/Unicode characters. The word breaks down as: kao (顔) = face, moji (文字) = character.

They originated in Japan in the early 1980s on ASCII bulletin board systems, where users needed a way to convey tone in text-only environments. The first documented kaomoji appeared in 1986 on a Japanese BBS, and the format evolved rapidly throughout the 1990s as internet use expanded.

Unlike emoji (which are standardised Unicode images), kaomoji are just plain text — they display identically on every device and platform, no rendering required.

Kaomoji vs Emoji vs Emoticons

Popular Kaomoji by Mood

Happy & Positive

• ( ^_^ ) — Classic happy face
• ( ＾◡＾ ) — Big smile
• (*^▽^*) — Excited and happy
• ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ — Cheerful wave
• ヽ(´▽`)/ — Hands up, joyful
• (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ — Magical excitement

Laughing

• www — Japanese lol (from warau/笑, "to laugh")
• (≧▽≦) — Laughing hard
• (*≧▽≦) — Grinning with tears
• ( ≧∇≦ ) — Burst of laughter

Sad & Crying

• (；＿；) — Crying
• ( T_T ) — Classic sad/crying
• (╥_╥) — Sobbing
• ( ；ω；) — Quietly sad
• ｡ﾟ(ﾟ´ω`ﾟ)ﾟ｡ — Full ugly cry

Surprised & Shocked

• (⊙_⊙) — Wide-eyed surprise
• Σ(°△°|||) — Complete shock
• (°o°) — Simple surprise
• (@_@) — Overwhelmed or dizzy

Embarrassed & Shy

• (〃￣ω￣〃) — Shy and blushing
• (＃￣ω￣) — Embarrassed
• (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄) — Very flustered
• (*ﾉωﾉ) — Hiding in embarrassment

Angry

• ( ｀o´ ) — Annoyed
• (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ — Table flip (the OG rage quit)
• ヽ( `д´*)ノ — Angry tantrum
• ( ＞﹏＜ ) — Upset and pouty

Cute & Adorable

• (=^･ω･^=) — Cat face
• (=^･ｪ･^=) — Curious cat
• (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ — Giving a hug
• (ˆ ω ˆ) — Sweet simple face
• ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ — Bear face

Shrug / Indifferent

• ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ — The legendary shrug
• (ーωー) — Unbothered
• ( ・_・) — Neutral, unimpressed

Love & Affection

• (♥_♥) — Heart eyes
• ( ˘ ³˘)♥ — Blowing a kiss
• ( ♡‿♡ ) — In love
• ♡(˃͈ ᵕ ˂͈ ) — Adoring

How to Type Kaomoji

The easiest ways to use kaomoji:

• Copy and paste — Browse bestemojis.com/kaomoji and tap any kaomoji to copy it instantly.
• iPhone shortcut — Go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement. Add a kaomoji as the phrase and a short code (like "shrug") as the shortcut. Type the shortcut and it auto-expands.
• Windows — The Windows emoji panel (Win + .) includes some kaomoji under the Symbols tab.
• Mac — The Character Viewer (Ctrl + Cmd + Space) has a kaomoji section.

Kaomoji in Modern Use

Despite emoji being ubiquitous, kaomoji are still widely used — especially in gaming communities, anime and manga fandoms, Twitter/X, and Tumblr-era nostalgic aesthetics. The shrug ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ has become one of the most recognisable internet symbols, and table flip (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ is a classic that never gets old.

They also have a practical advantage: because they're plain text, they work in every app, every device, and every era of technology — no font rendering, no missing-square issues, no version support required.

Browse the full collection of kaomoji sorted by category at bestemojis.com/kaomoji — over a hundred faces ready to copy with a single tap.