Text faces
Kaomoji — Japanese text faces
A kaomoji is read straight on, not sideways: (◕‿◕) rather than :-). It is built from ordinary characters, so it looks identical on every device and never gets swapped for someone else’s artwork the way an emoji does.
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Overview
Every face here is several characters standing side by side, which is why it looks the same on every device. A single decorative character — ★ ♥ → ✧ — is a different thing entirely, and those live on text symbols.
The most copied face of all, ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°), has its own page with 30 Lenny face variants and a breakdown of which character does what. For multi-line drawings rather than single faces, see text art and ASCII pictures.
01 — Happy
Happy kaomoji
The default set — curved eyes, raised arms, and the ヽ(・∀・)ﾉ shape that reads as cheerful anywhere.
02 — Sad and crying
Sad and crying kaomoji
Tears are drawn as ; or ╥ in place of an eye. The more punctuation, the harder the crying.
03 — Angry
Angry kaomoji
Anger is drawn with 益 or ಠ as eyes, and often with a table involved.
04 — Love
Love kaomoji
Hearts replace the eyes or float alongside. The ♡ is part of the face, not decoration.
05 — Cute
Cute kaomoji
The bear ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ and the bunny (｡･ω･｡) are the two most copied faces on the internet.
06 — Shrug and confused
Shrug and confused kaomoji
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ is the single most-pasted text face on the internet — the “I don’t know” of chat.
07 — Lenny and friends
Lenny and friends kaomoji
The Lenny face started on Finnish forums in 2012 and has meant “you know what I mean” ever since.
All 30 Lenny variants →08 — Surprised
Surprised kaomoji
Wide round eyes and a small mouth. The Japanese set draws shock as ロ or Д.
09 — Sleepy and tired
Sleepy and tired kaomoji
Closed eyes as ─ or ｡ and the zzZ trail. Used far more for “done with today” than for actual sleep.
10 — Cool and smug
Cool and smug kaomoji
Sunglasses drawn as ▀ or ■, and the flex arm ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ.
11 — Animals
Animals kaomoji
Bears, cats, rabbits and the occasional squid — built from brackets and Japanese kana.
12 — Waving and greeting
Waving and greeting kaomoji
The raised arm ノ and the ヾ wave — the standard way to open or close a message.
13 — Table flip
Table flip kaomoji
Flipping and putting back the table — a whole two-act genre of text face.
14 — Hugs and giving
Hugs and giving kaomoji
The (っ◕‿◕)っ shape means offering something — a hug, a gift, or the thing being discussed.
15 — Dancing and celebrating
Dancing and celebrating kaomoji
Arms out, legs implied. The ヾ(⌐■_■)ノ♪ is the standard “it’s friday” face.
FAQ