Ever seen a text face like (^_^) or ( T_T )? That’s a kaomoji: a Japanese style emoticon built from text characters. Kaomoji are expressive, remixable, and work almost anywhere you can paste text.
What does “kaomoji” mean?
The word combines kao (顔, “face”) and moji (文字, “characters”). In other words: a “face made of characters”.
Where did kaomoji come from?
Kaomoji grew with Japanese internet and mobile culture. Unlike sideways Western emoticons like :-), kaomoji are usually upright, which makes them readable at a glance and allows more detail (arms, tears, accessories, actions).
Kaomoji vs. Western emoticons
- Orientation: kaomoji are upright; Western emoticons often rotate sideways.
- Detail: kaomoji frequently include hands, motion, and “props”.
- Character set: kaomoji use a wider set of Unicode symbols.
Kaomoji vs. emoji
Emoji are standardized pictographs in Unicode; kaomoji are free-form text art. Emoji vary by platform design, while kaomoji keep their shape as text (with small font-dependent differences).
If you want a quick overview, see emoji vs. kaomoji basics.
Anatomy of a kaomoji
- Eyes: ^, •, T, ;, ﾟ, etc.
- Mouth: _, ω, ▽, 口, etc.
- Arms/actions: ノ, づ, ╯, つ, etc.
- Extras: stars, sweat drops, hearts, tables, and more.
Examples for every mood
Happy
Sad
Angry / dramatic
Love
How to find more
Browse our curated collections and copy with one click:
FAQ
Do kaomoji work everywhere?
Mostly yes. They’re plain text. Rare characters may render differently on older fonts, so copy/paste is the safest method.
Are kaomoji copyrighted?
Individual text faces are generally treated as short text, but usage can depend on how they’re distributed. When in doubt, use curated sources and avoid copying from sites with restrictive terms.