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List of emoticons
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This is a list of emoticons or textual portrayals of a writer's moods or facial expressions in the form of icons. Originally, these icons consisted of ASCII art, and later, Shift JIS art and Unicode art. In recent times, graphical icons, both static and animated, have joined the traditional text-based emoticons; these are commonly known as emoji.[1]
Emoticons can generally be divided into three groups: Western (mainly from United States and Europe) or horizontal (though not all are in that orientation); Eastern or vertical (mainly from East Asia); and 2channel style (originally used on 2channel and other Japanese message boards). The most common explanation for these different styles is that in the East, the eyes play the primary role in facial expressions, while in the West, the whole face tends to be used.[2][better source needed]
Western
[edit]Western style emoticons are mostly written from left to right as though the head is rotated counter-clockwise 90 degrees. One will most commonly see the eyes on the left, followed by the nose (often omitted) and then the mouth. Typically, a colon is used for the eyes of a face, unless winking, in which case a semicolon is used. However, an equals sign, a number 8, a capital letter B or a capital letter X are also used to indicate normal eyes, widened eyes, those with glasses or those with crinkled eyes, respectively. Symbols for the mouth vary, e.g., ")" for a smiley face or "(" for a sad face. One can also add a "}" after the mouth character to indicate a beard.[citation needed]
| Icon | Emoji | Meaning | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| :‑) :) |
:-] :] |
:-> :> |
8-) 8) |
:-} :} |
:^) | =] | =) | ☺️🙂😊😀😁 | Smiley, happy face[3][4][5][6] | ||
| :‑D :D |
8‑D 8D |
=D | =3 | B^D | c: | C: | 😃😄😎 | Laughing,[3] big grin,[4][5] grinning with glasses[7] | |||
| x‑D xD |
X‑D XD |
😆😂 | Laughing[8][9][10] | ||||||||
| :-))
:)) |
Very happy or double chin[7] | ||||||||||
| :‑( :( |
:‑c :c |
:‑< :< |
:‑[ :[ |
:-|| | :{ | :@ | :( | ;( | ☹️🙁😞😟😣😖 | Frown,[3][4][5] sad,[11] pouting | |
| :'‑( :'( |
:=( | 😢😭 | Crying[11] | ||||||||
| :'‑) :') |
:"D | 🥲🥹😂 | Tears of happiness[11] | ||||||||
| >:( | >:[ | 😠😡 | Angry[12] | ||||||||
| D‑': | D:< | D: | D8 | D; | D= | DX | 😨😧😦😱😫😩 | Horror, disgust, sadness, great dismay[4][5] (right to left) | |||
| :‑O :O |
:‑o :o |
:-0 :0 |
8‑0 | >:O | =O =o |
=0 | 😮😯😲 | Surprise,[4] shock | |||
| :-3 :3 |
=3 | x3 X3 |
😺😸🐱 | Cat face, curled mouth, cutesy,[13][14][15] playful, mischievous[16] | |||||||
| >:3 | 😼 | Lion smile,[16] evil cat, playfulness | |||||||||
| :-* :* |
:x |
😗😙😚😘😍 | Kiss[3] | ||||||||
| ;‑) ;) |
*-) *) |
;‑] ;] |
;^)
;> |
:‑, | ;D | ;3 | 😉😜😘 | Wink,[3][4][5] smirk[17][3] | |||
| :‑P :P |
X‑P XP |
x‑p xp |
:‑p :p |
:‑Þ :Þ |
:‑þ :þ |
:‑b :b |
d: | =p | >:b | 😛😝😜🤑 | Tongue sticking out, cheeky/playful,[3] blowing a raspberry |
| :-/ :/ |
',:^I | >:\ | >:/ | :\ | =/ | =\ | :L | =L | :S | 🫤🤔😕😟 | Skeptical, annoyed, undecided, uneasy, hesitant[3] |
| :‑| :| |
😐😑 | Straight face[4] no expression, indecision[11] | |||||||||
| :$ | ://) ://3 |
😳😞😖 | Embarrassed,[5] blushing[7] | ||||||||
| :‑X :X |
:‑# :# |
:‑& :& |
🤐😶 | Sealed lips, wearing braces,[3] tongue-tied[11] | |||||||
| O:‑) O:) |
0:‑3 0:3 |
0:‑) 0:) |
0;^) | 😇👼 | Angel,[3][4][17] halo, saint,[11] innocent | ||||||
| >:‑) >:) |
}:‑) }:) |
3:‑) 3:) |
>;‑) >;) |
>:3 >;3 |
😈 | Evil,[4] devilish[11] | |||||
| |;‑) | |‑O | B-) | 😎😪 | Cool,[11] bored, yawning[17] | |||||||
| :‑J | 😏😒 | Tongue-in-cheek[18] | |||||||||
| #‑) | 🥴 | Partied all night[11] | |||||||||
| %‑) %) |
😵😵💫😕🤕 | Drunk,[11] confused | |||||||||
| :‑###.. :###.. |
🤒😷🤢 | Being sick[11] | |||||||||
| <:‑| | Dumb, dunce-like[17] | ||||||||||
| ',:-| | ',:-l | 🤨 | Scepticism, disbelief, disapproval[19][20] | ||||||||
| :E | 😬 | Grimacing, nervous, awkward[21] | |||||||||
| 8-X | 8=X | x-3 | x=3 | ☠️💀🏴☠️ | Skull and crossbones[22] | ||||||
| ~:> | 🐔🐓 | Chicken[23] | |||||||||
| Icon | Emoji | Meaning | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| @};- | @}->-- | @}‑;‑'‑‑‑ | @>‑‑>‑‑ | 🌹 | Rose[3][17] | ||
| 8====D | 8===D | 8=D | 3=D | 8=> | 8===D~~~ | 🍆🍌🌭 | Penis,[24] Ejaculation[25] |
| *<|:‑) | 🎅 | Santa Claus[26] | |||||
| </3 | <\3 | 💔 | Broken heart[27] | ||||
| <3 | s2 | ❤️ | Heart[27][23] | ||||
| Icon | Emoji | Meaning | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ><> | <>< | <*)))‑{ | ><(((*> | 🐟🐠 | Fish, something's fishy,[17] Ichthys[7][23] | |
| o/ \o |
👋 | Waving hello, or half of high-five [28] | ||||
| \o/ | 🍻 | Cheer "Yay, yay."[7] | ||||
| *\0/* | Cheerleader[7] | |||||
| o7 | 🫡 | Salute[29] | ||||
| v.v | ._. | ._.; | 😔 | Sadness, great dismay, disgust[4][5][23] | ||
| ;-; | T_T
T-T |
🥺😭😢 | Crying[30] | |||
| X_X
x_x |
+_+ | X_x
x_X |
😵☠️ | Dead person,[31][32][33][34][35] fainted[36] | ||
| <_< | >_> | <.< | >.> | Sideways look, devious or guilty[citation needed] | ||
| O_O
o_o |
O-O
o‑o |
O_o | o_O | 😳 | Surprise,[2] shock,[3][17] yawn[3] | |
| >.< | >_< | 😣 | Skeptical, annoyed, undecided, uneasy, hesitant[3] | |||
| ^5 | o/\o | >_>^ ^<_< | 🙏 | High five[3] | ||
| V.v.V | V=(° °)=V | 🦀🦞 | Crab,[24] lobster | |||
| (^^^) | 🦈 | Shark[37] | ||||
| (::[]::) | 🩹🤕❤️🩹 | Bandage[23] | ||||
| (o)(o) ( • )( • ) (. Y .) | Breasts[38][39][40][41] | |||||
| Icon | Emoji | Meaning | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ӽd̲̅a̲̅r̲̅w̲̅i̲̅ɳ̲̅ᕗ | Ӽd̲̅a̲̅r̲̅w̲̅i̲̅ɳ̲̅ᕗ | ӽe̲̅v̲̅o̲̅l̲̅u̲̅t̲̅i̲̅o̲̅ɳ̲̅ᕗ | Ӽe̲̅v̲̅o̲̅l̲̅u̲̅t̲̅i̲̅o̲̅ɳ̲̅ᕗ | 🐟🐠 | Darwin fish, evolution fish[42] |
| [̲̅$̲̅(̲̅1̲̅)̲̅$̲̅] | [̲̅$̲̅(̲̅5̲̅)̲̅$̲̅] | [̲̅$̲̅(̲̅1̲̅0̲̅)̲̅$̲̅] | [̲̅$̲̅(̲̅ιοο̲̅)̲̅$̲̅] | 💵💸 | Dollar notes[22][43] |
| ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) | 😏 | The "Lenny Face", named and popularized on 4chan.[44] Used mostly to suggest mischief, imply sexual innuendo or a second hidden meaning behind a sentence, or is pasted over and over to spam online discussions.[45] | |||
| ヽ༼ຈل͜ຈ༽ﾉ | "Raise Your Dongers", a meme originated from Twitch, unclear meaning[46] | ||||
| ಠ_ಠ | ಠ__ಠ | ಠ益ಠ | 😐😑🤨 | "Look of Disapproval"[47][48] | |
| ⎛⎝(•ⱅ•)⎠⎞ | ◥▅◤ | ◢▅◣ | 🦇 | Bat[49][22] | |
| (๑ˇεˇ๑) | 😘 | Kiss[50][51] | |||
| (◕‿◕✿) | 🙂🌸 | "Flower Girl", a person with a flower attached to their head[52][53] | |||
| ( ༎ຶ ༎ຶ ) | 😭 | Crying[52] | |||
| (=ʘᆽʘ=)∫ | ฅ(^•ﻌ•^ฅ) | 🐱 | Cat[54] | ||
| ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ | ʕ ·(エ)· ʔ | ʕ – ㉨ – ʔ | ⊂(￣(ｴ)￣)⊃ | 🐻🧸🐻❄️🐼 | Bear[52] |
Eastern
[edit]Eastern emoticons generally are not rotated sideways, and may include non-Latin characters to allow for additional complexity. These emoticons first arose in Japan, where they are referred to as kaomoji (literally "face characters"). The base form consists of a sequence of an opening round parenthesis, a character for the left eye, a character for the mouth or nose, a character for the right eye and a closing round parenthesis. The parentheses are often omitted for well-known kaomoji. The mouth/nose part may also be omitted if the eyes are much more important.
Most East Asian characters are usually inscribed in an invisible square with a fixed width. Although there is also a history of half-width characters, many Japanese, Korean and Chinese fonts include full-width forms for the letters of the basic roman alphabet and also include digits and punctuation as found in US ASCII. These fixed-width forms are also available in Unicode. Mostly depending on the input mode available, kaomoji may use these Eastern forms of Western characters, but hardly ever rely on any particular width to be discernible.
| Icon | Emoji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| (>_<)(>_<)>(>w<) | 😣😖 | Troubled[55][56] |
| (';') | 👶 | Baby[55] |
| (^^ゞ(^_^;)(-_-;)(~_~;) (・.・;)(・_・;)(・・;) ^^;^_^;(#^.^#)(^^;) |
😅😳😓😥 | Nervous, embarrassed,[55] troubled, shy,[56] sweat drop[7] |
| (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄) | 😳 | Embarrassed, flushed[52] |
| (^.^)y-.o○(-.-)y-°°° | 🚬 | Smoking[55] |
| (-_-)zzz | 😴💤 | Sleeping[55] |
| (^_-)(^_-)-☆ | 😉😜 | Wink[55] |
| ((+_+))(+o+)(°°)(°-°) (°.°)(°_°)(°_°>)(°レ°) |
😕😶😵🙄 | Confused[55] |
| (o|o) | Ultraman[55] | |
| <(｀^´)> | N/a[55] | |
| ^_^(°o°)(^_^)/(^O^)／(^o^)／(^^)/ (≧∇≦)/(/◕ヮ◕)/(^o^)丿∩(·ω·)∩(·ω·)^ω^ |
😀😅😆😃😄🙌 | Joyful[55][56][57] |
| (__)_(._.)__(_^_)_<(_ _)> <m(__)m>m(__)mm(_ _)m |
🙇 | Kowtow as a sign of respect, or dogeza for apology[55][56] |
| (凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 | 🖕 | Middle fingers[52] |
| ＼(°ロ＼)(／ロ°)／ | 🤔 | Questioning[55] |
| ('_')(/_;)(T_T)(;_;(;_;)(;_:)(:_;)(;O;)(ToT)(Ｔ▽Ｔ) ;_;;-;;n;;; Q.QT.TTnTQQQ_Q |
😭😢 | Sad, crying[17][55][56][52] |
| (ー_ー)!!(-.-)(-_-)(一一)(；一_一) | 😒😩😑😞😔 | Shame[55] |
| (=_=) | 😫😩😪 | Tired[55] |
| (=^・^=)(=^・・^=)=^_^= | 😺😸😹😻😼😽🙀😿😾🐱 | Cat[55][57] |
| (..)(._.) | 🙍😔 | Looking down[55] in sadness or boredom |
| ^m^ | 🤭 | Giggling with hand covering mouth[55] |
| (・・?(?_?) | 😕😵 | Confusion[55] |
| (－‸ლ) | 🤦 | Facepalm[58] |
| >^_^<<^!^>^/^（*^_^*）§^.^§(^<^) (^.^)(^ム^)(^·^)(^.^)(^_^.)(^_^)(^^) (^J^)(*^.^*)^_^(#^.^#)（^—^） |
😃😄☺️😁😀😍 | Normal laugh[55] |
| (^^)/~~~(^_^)/~(;_;)/~~~(^.^)/~~~(-_-)/~~~ ($··)/~~~(@^^)/~~~(T_T)/~~~(ToT)/~~~ |
👋 | Waving[55] |
| ＼(~o~)／＼(^o^)／＼(-o-)／ ヽ(^。^)ノヽ(^o^)丿(*^0^*) |
😍😀🙌💃 | Excited[55] |
| (*_*)(*_*;(+_+) (@_@)(@_@。(＠_＠;)＼(◎o◎)／！ |
😍 | Amazed[55] |
| !(^^)! | N/a[55] | |
| (*^^)v(^^)v(^_^)v（’-’*) (＾ｖ＾)(＾▽＾)(・∀・)(´∀`)(⌒▽⌒） |
😂✌️ | Laughing, cheerful[55][56] |
| ＼(^o^)／\(^o^)/ | Hopeless[59][60] | |
| (~o~)(~_~) | 😔😒😏 | N/a[55] |
| (^^ゞ | 😙😚 | N/a[55] |
| ˊ＿>ˋ | Calmness[61] | |
| (p_-)(-_q) | 🧐 | N/a[55] |
| ((d[-_-]b)) | 🎧 | Headphones, listening to music[55] |
| (-"-)(ーー゛)(^_^メ)(-_-メ)(~_~メ)(－－〆) (・へ・)(｀´)<`～´><`ヘ´>(ーー;) |
😟😓😬 | Worried[55][56] |
| (^0_0^) | 🤓😎 | Eyeglasses[55] |
| ( ..)φφ(..) | ✍️📝 | Jotting note[55] |
| (●＾o＾●)(＾ｖ＾)(＾ｕ＾)(＾◇＾) ( ^)o(^ )(^O^)(^o^)(^○^))^o^( (*^▽^*)(✿◠‿◠) |
😀😁😆😅😃😄 | Happy[55][56] |
| (￣ー￣) | 😁 | Grinning[56] |
| (￣□￣;)°o°°O°:Oo_Oo_0o.O(o.o)oO | 😲😮😯 | Surprised[2][56] |
| (*´▽｀*)(*°∀°)=3 | Infatuation[56] | |
| ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ | 💃🕺 | Dancing, swinging arms back and forth, "Happy Gary"[62] |
| （ ﾟ Дﾟ)(°◇°) | 😨😱😮😲 | Shocked, surprised[56] |
| (*￣m￣) | 😬😠😡 | Dissatisfied[56] |
| ヽ(´ー｀)┌¯\_(ツ)_/¯¯\(°_o)/¯ | 🤷 | Mellow, shrug[56][63] |
| (´･ω･`)(‘A`) | Snubbed or deflated[56] | |
| (づ￣ ³￣)づ | 🫂😙 | Hugging/reaching and kissing[52] |
| (*^3^)/~☆ | 😘😚😙😗 | Blowing a kiss[64] |
| .....φ(・∀・＊) | Studying[64] | |
| (-_-) zzz(︶｡︶✽) | 😴💤 | Sleeping[65] |
| uwuUwU | 😌 | Joy[66] or Cute[67] |
| OWOOwO | Associated with the response, "what's this?".[67] Could also be used to denote cute, inquisitive or perplexed, sometimes associated with the furry fandom.[68] | |
| 囧 | 😩😫 | Distress.[69] Jiong, a Chinese character meaning a "patterned window", now repurposed as an ideographic emoticon. |
| Icon | Emoji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| .o○○o. | 🫧 | Bubbles[55] |
| ( ^^)_U~~( ^^)_旦~~ | 🍵☕️ | Cup of tea[55] |
| ☆彡☆ミᯓ✦ | 🌠☄️💫🌟 | Shooting star[55] |
| >°)))彡(Q))><ヨヨ(°))<<>°))))彡<°)))彡>°))彡 <+))><<<*))>=< | 🐠🐟🐡🦈🐬🐳🐋 | Fish[55] |
| <コ:彡 Ｃ:.ミ | 🦑🐙 | Squid, octopus[55] |
| ~>°)～～～ | 🐍 | Snake[55] |
| ～°·_·°～ | 🦇 | Bat[55] |
| (°°)～ | Tadpole[55] | |
| ●～* | 💣🧨 | Bomb[55] |
| ￣|○STOOTZOTLorz囧rz | Despair. The "O"s represent head on the ground, "T" or "r" forms the torso, and "S" or "z" the legs.[56][69] | |
| (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻┬──┬ ¯\_(ツ) ┻━┻︵ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ︵ ┻━┻┬─┬ノ( º _ ºノ) (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻ |
Table flip[70] | |
| |:3ミ | N/a[55] |
2channel emoticons
[edit]A number of Eastern emoticons were originally developed on the Japanese discussion site 2channel. Some of these are wider (made up of more characters) than usual kaomoji, or extend over multiple lines of text. Many use characters from other character sets besides Japanese and Latin.
| Icon | Meaning |
|---|---|
| m(_ _)m | Kowtow as a sign of respect, or dogeza for apology[56] |
| (´･ω･`) | Snubbed or deflated[56] |
| (`･ω･´) | Feel perky[71] |
| (｀-´)> | Salute[71] |
| (´；ω；`) | Terribly sad[71] |
| ヽ(´ー｀)ﾉ | Peace of mind[71] |
| ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ | Be irritable[71] |
| (＃ﾟДﾟ) | Angry[71] |
| （ ´Д｀） | Yelling, or panting[71] |
| （ ﾟДﾟ） | Surprised, or loudmouthed[71] |
| ┐('～`；)┌ | Don't know the answer[71] |
| （´∀｀） | Carefree[71] |
| （ ´_ゝ`） | Indifferent[71] |
| Σ(゜д゜;) | Shocked[71] |
| ( ﾟヮﾟ) | Happy, upbeat[71] |
| ⊂二二二（＾ω＾）二⊃ | "Bu-n", being carefree and above, with arms stretched out while running/soaring[71] |
| (((( ；ﾟДﾟ))) | Spook[71] |
| Σ(ﾟДﾟ) | Huge surprise[71] |
| ( ´∀｀)σ)∀`) | Jog (poke) someone's cheek[71] |
| ( ﾟдﾟ) | Amazed[71] |
| (´ー`)y-~~ | Smoking[71] |
| （ ^_^）o自自o（^_^ ） | Toast "Cheers"[71] |
| m9(・∀・) | Flash of intuition[71] |
| ヽ(´ー`)人(´∇｀)人(`Д´)ノ | Friendly[71] |
| ('A`) | Lonely[71] |
| （ ´,_ゝ`) | Depressed, unsatisfied (based on indifferent)[71] |
| （´-`）.｡oO( ... ) | Thinking[71] |
| (ﾟДﾟ;≡;ﾟДﾟ) | Impatience[71] |
| ( ´д)ﾋｿ(´Д｀)ﾋｿ(Д｀) | Whispers[71] |
| （･∀･)つ⑩ | Carrying money[71] |
| ⊂（ﾟДﾟ⊂⌒｀つ≡≡≡(´⌒;;;≡≡≡ | Sliding on belly, "whooaaa!!!"[71] |
| (ﾟдﾟ) | Unforeseen[71] |
| (ﾟ⊿ﾟ) | "I don't need it"[71] |
| щ(ﾟДﾟщ) (屮ﾟДﾟ)屮 | Come on[71] |
| （・∀・） | Mocking, "good"[71] |
| （・Ａ・） | "That's bad"[71] |
| (ﾟ∀ﾟ) | Discharged drug-in-brain, goofing around, "A-HYA!"[71] |
| （つ Д ｀） | Sad[71] |
| エェェ(´д｀)ェェエ | Not convincing[71] |
| (￣ー￣) | Simper, Snorlax[71] |
| [ﾟдﾟ] | Deflagged[71] |
| ♪┏(・o･)┛♪┗ ( ･o･) ┓ | Happy expressions, dancing to the music[71] |
| d(*⌒▽⌒*)b | Happy expression[71] |
| ＿￣ | Given up.[71] Despair. The "O"s represent head on the ground, "T" or "r" forms the torso, and "S" or "z" the legs.[56] |
| STO | |
| OTZ | |
| OTL | |
| (╬ ಠ益ಠ) | Extreme Distaste, meant to appear as an exaggerated grimace[71] |
| (≧ロ≦) | Shouting[71] |
| (ΘεΘ;) | Pretending not to notice, asleep because of boredom[71] |
| ＼ ￣ヘ￣ | Kick[71] |
| ┌(；`～,)┐ | Discombobulated[71] |
| ε=ε=ε=┌(;*´Д`)ﾉ | Running[71] |
| ヽ(´▽`)/ | Happy[71] |
| ^ㅂ^ | Happy[71] |
| (l'o'l) | Shocked[71] |
| ヽ(o`皿′o)ﾉ | Really angry[71] |
| (☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞ | "Do it"[71] |
| ☜(ﾟヮﾟ☜) | |
| ☜(⌒▽⌒)☞ | Angel[71] |
| Icon | Meaning |
|---|---|
| キタ━━━(゜∀゜)━━━!!!!! | "It's here", Kitaa!, excitement that something has appeared or happened or "I came".[56] |
| ｷﾀﾜァ*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･゜(n‘∀‘)ηﾟ･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*!!!!! | Girlish version of "It's here".[71] |
| (*´Д`)ﾊｧﾊｧ | Erotic stirring, haa haa[71] |
| ( ´Д｀)ﾉ(´･ω･`) ﾅﾃﾞﾅﾃﾞ | Patting, nade nade[71] |
| (*ﾟﾉOﾟ)<ｵｵｵｵｫｫｫｫｫｫｫｰｰｰｰｰｲ! | Calling out, "Ooooi!"[71] |
| ( ﾟ∀ﾟ)ｱﾊﾊ八八ﾉヽﾉヽﾉヽﾉ ＼ / ＼/ ＼ | Evil laugh (literally ahahaHAHA...)[71] |
| （・∀・ ）ヾ(- -；)コラコラ | Blaming "now now"[71] |
| お(^o^)や(^O^)す(^｡^)みぃ(^-^)ﾉﾞ | Kana reading "O ya su mi" meaning "Good night" or "Night"[71] |
Unicode characters
[edit]Many emoticons are included as characters in the Unicode standard, in the Miscellaneous Symbols block, the Emoticons block, and the Supplemental Symbols and Pictographs block.
| Miscellaneous Symbols (partial)[1][2][3] Official Unicode Consortium code chart (PDF) | ||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | A | B | C | D | E | F | |
| U+263x | ☹ | ☺ | ☻ | |||||||||||||
Notes
| ||||||||||||||||
| Emoticons[1] Official Unicode Consortium code chart (PDF) | ||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | A | B | C | D | E | F | |
| U+1F60x | 😀 | 😁 | 😂 | 😃 | 😄 | 😅 | 😆 | 😇 | 😈 | 😉 | 😊 | 😋 | 😌 | 😍 | 😎 | 😏 |
| U+1F61x | 😐 | 😑 | 😒 | 😓 | 😔 | 😕 | 😖 | 😗 | 😘 | 😙 | 😚 | 😛 | 😜 | 😝 | 😞 | 😟 |
| U+1F62x | 😠 | 😡 | 😢 | 😣 | 😤 | 😥 | 😦 | 😧 | 😨 | 😩 | 😪 | 😫 | 😬 | 😭 | 😮 | 😯 |
| U+1F63x | 😰 | 😱 | 😲 | 😳 | 😴 | 😵 | 😶 | 😷 | 😸 | 😹 | 😺 | 😻 | 😼 | 😽 | 😾 | 😿 |
| U+1F64x | 🙀 | 🙁 | 🙂 | 🙃 | 🙄 | 🙅 | 🙆 | 🙇 | 🙈 | 🙉 | 🙊 | 🙋 | 🙌 | 🙍 | 🙎 | 🙏 |
Notes
| ||||||||||||||||
| Supplemental Symbols and Pictographs (partial)[1] Official Unicode Consortium code chart (PDF) | ||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | A | B | C | D | E | F | |
| U+1F91x | 🤐
|
🤑
|
🤒
|
🤓
|
🤔
|
🤕
|
🤖
|
🤗
|
🤘
|
🤙
|
🤚
|
🤛
|
🤜
|
🤝
|
🤞
|
🤟
|
| U+1F92x | 🤠
|
🤡
|
🤢
|
🤣
|
🤤
|
🤥
|
🤦
|
🤧
|
🤨
|
🤩
|
🤪
|
🤫
|
🤬
|
🤭
|
🤮
|
🤯
|
| U+1F93x | 🤰
|
🤱
|
🤲
|
🤳
|
🤴
|
🤵
|
🤶
|
🤷
|
🤸
|
🤹
|
🤺
|
🤻
|
🤼
|
🤽
|
🤾
|
🤿
|
Notes
| ||||||||||||||||
References
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- ^ "Look of Disapproval". ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Emoticon Central. Retrieved 2021-11-26.
- ^ "Lenny face". lennyfaces.tumblr.com. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
- ^ "Lenny Face". lennyfacepapa.me. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
- ^ "Lenny Face ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)". lennyface.pro. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
- ^ a b c d e f g Feldman, Brian (2015-11-13). "The Next ¯\_(ツ)_/¯: 10 Emoticons To Add To Your Repertoire". Intelligencer. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
- ^ "Kawaii Flower Girl Emoticons / Emoji (✿◕‿◕)(ʘ‿ʘ✿) - Cute Kaomoji ❀". Archived from the original on 2021-12-03. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
- ^ "(=ʘᆽʘ=)∫ Lennyfaces". lennyfac.es. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq "List of emoticons". Microsoft. Archived from the original on 2011-09-05. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "List of emoticons commonly used in e-mail". goo.ne.jp. 2006-06-21. Archived from the original on 2012-01-01. Retrieved 2011-12-24. or Y-N, Ken (2006-08-14). "Top thirty Japanese emoticons". WhatJapanThinks.com. Retrieved 2011-02-07.
- ^ a b Conroy, Jade (2012-07-02). "Emoticon Yourself". HuffPost. Retrieved 2012-10-30.
- ^ "Face Palm". Emojicons.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-04. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
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- ^ "Text faces". textfaces.tumblr.com. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
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List of emoticons
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Overview
History
The earliest precursors to emoticons appeared in print media during the 19th century, where punctuation marks were arranged to convey emotional expressions. In the March 30, 1881, issue of Puck magazine, a satirical American publication, an article titled "Typographical Art" featured four such faces made from typographical symbols to represent joy (;-)), melancholy (:-[), indifference (:-0), and astonishment (:-#). This marked the first documented use of punctuation-based emotional indicators in print.[5] Further developments in the early 20th century included proposals for specialized punctuation to denote sarcasm or amusement. In 1887, writer Ambrose Bierce suggested the "snigger point" (‿), a curved line resembling a smiling mouth, to punctuate ironic or humorous sentences in his essay "For Brevity and Clarity". By 1969, author Vladimir Nabokov expressed a wish for a typographical symbol to indicate a smile, describing it as "a supine round bracket" in a New York Times interview, highlighting the ongoing desire for visual emotional cues in text.[6][7] The modern emoticon was invented on September 19, 1982, by computer scientist Scott Fahlman at Carnegie Mellon University. In a posting on the university's online bulletin board system, Fahlman proposed using :-) for jokes and *:-( * for serious topics to distinguish tone amid confusing discussions, thereby creating the sideways smiley face that became the foundational Western emoticon. This innovation quickly spread within academic networks, reaching ARPANET and Usenet by early 1983, where it facilitated clearer communication in text-only environments.[8][9] During the late 1980s and 1990s, emoticons gained widespread adoption across early internet platforms, evolving from simple faces to more elaborate ASCII art. They became common on Usenet newsgroups for threading humorous posts, in IRC chats for real-time interactions, and in email to soften messages, with variations like ;-) (wink) and :D (grin) emerging organically among users. In Japan, kaomoji—horizontal, multi-character emoticons—first appeared in 1986 on the ASCII NET bulletin board system, when professor Yasushi Wakabayashi posted *^_^ * to express happiness, drawing on the country's larger character sets and kawaii aesthetic.[10] Emoticons proliferated globally in the 1990s with the rise of instant messaging services, integrating into clients like ICQ (launched 1996) and AOL Instant Messenger (1997), where they were rendered as graphical icons alongside text versions to enhance user expression. By the 2000s, they influenced mobile texting on platforms like SMS, adapting to limited character spaces and paving the way for visual symbols. A key milestone came in 1999, when designer Shigetaka Kurita created the first set of 176 graphical emojis for NTT DoCoMo's i-mode mobile internet service, blending emoticon-like faces with pictograms to enrich early cellular communication.[11][12] Standardization efforts accelerated in the 2010s, with Unicode 6.0 (released October 2010) introducing the Emoticons block (U+1F600–U+1F64F), encoding 80 characters like grinning face (😀) and winking face (😉) for cross-platform compatibility with existing emoticon usage. This laid the foundation for broader adoption of emoticon-derived symbols in digital text worldwide.[13]Types and Terminology
Emoticons are text-based pictorial representations of facial expressions or moods, constructed from punctuation marks, letters, and numbers, typically intended to be viewed sideways or vertically to convey emotions in digital communication.[1][14] They originated as typographic constructs in computer-mediated interactions, serving as nonverbal cues to indicate tone or sentiment.[2] The basic structure of an emoticon generally includes components for the eyes, nose, and mouth, formed by simple keyboard characters; for instance, the colon (:) or semicolon (;) often represents the eyes, a hyphen (-) or tilde (~) the nose, and a parenthesis ()) or similar the mouth.[15] Variations range from minimal three-character forms, such as :-) for a smile, to more complex multi-line arrangements resembling ASCII art, which served as an early precursor by enabling elaborate textual illustrations.[14][16] Emoticons are categorized into major types based on style and cultural conventions, including Western emoticons, which are horizontal and read from left to right (e.g., :D), and Eastern styles like kaomoji, which are vertical and employ full-width characters for a face-like appearance (e.g., (^_^)).[17] Kaomoji, literally meaning "face characters" in Japanese, represent a distinct vertical format originating in East Asian digital spaces.[18] More elaborate variants include 2channel emoticons, which extend kaomoji into multi-line ASCII art popular in Japanese online forums, alongside regional adaptations such as Korean forms using Hangul jamo for mouths and noses.[19] Terminology distinguishes "emoticon" as the broad term for any such textual face, while "smiley" specifically denotes positive expressions like :-) or :).[20] "Kaomoji" refers exclusively to the Japanese vertical style.[18] Emoticons differ from emojis in that they are platform-agnostic typographic sequences reliant on text rendering, whereas emojis are standardized graphical Unicode images with predefined visual designs across devices.[21] This typographic nature makes emoticons more flexible but dependent on user interpretation.[22] Cultural factors, particularly reading direction, shape emoticon styles: left-to-right (LTR) conventions in Western cultures favor horizontal layouts emphasizing the mouth, while vertical reading in East Asian traditions supports upright kaomoji focused on the eyes.[23][24] These differences reflect broader linguistic and perceptual norms in facial expression interpretation.[25]Western Emoticons
Standard Expressions
Standard Western emoticons consist of simple sequences of 2 to 5 ASCII characters arranged horizontally, intended to be read from left to right and interpreted by tilting one's head 90 degrees counterclockwise to resemble facial expressions. These designs mimic human facial cues using basic symbols like colons for eyes, parentheses or other punctuation for mouths, and optional hyphens for noses. The format emerged as a solution for conveying tone in plain-text digital communication, where nuances of sarcasm or humor could otherwise be lost.[8][26] Basic emoticons focus on core emotions with minimal characters, avoiding elaborate additions. For instance, the smile :-) or its noseless variant :) signifies joy or agreement, often used to soften statements or indicate positivity. The frown :( or :-( conveys sorrow or disagreement, while :D amplifies happiness into a wide grin. Surprise is typically shown with :-O or :O, an open-mouthed expression of shock or excitement. Other fundamentals include the winking ;- ) for flirtation or sarcasm, the tongue-out :P for playfulness or teasing, and the angry >:( with furrowed brows.[26][27] The following table presents common standard emoticons, their primary meanings, and example usage sentences, drawn from established conventions in early digital communication.[26][27][28]| Emoticon | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| :-) | Happiness or joke | That was hilarious! :-) |
| :) | Happiness (noseless variant) | I'm excited about the weekend :) |
| :D | Big grin or laughter | You won the game! :D |
| =) | Smiling agreement | Sounds good to me =) |
| :] | Slight smile | Not bad at all :] |
| :( | Sadness | I missed the bus :( |
| :-( | Frown or disappointment | The movie was terrible :-( |
| :'( | Crying | That story broke my heart :'( |
| :O | Surprise | You got the job? :O |
| :-O | Shock | The news came out of nowhere :-O |
| ;) | Wink (noseless) | See you later ;) |
| ;-) | Flirtation or sarcasm | Nice try, but no cigar ;-) |
| :P | Playful teasing (tongue out) | You're silly :P |
| :-P | Raspberry or mockery | I disagree completely :-P |
| >:( | Anger | That's so unfair >:( |
| :/ | Skepticism or annoyance | I'm not sure about that :/ |
| :\ | Disapproval | Really? :\ |
| :| | Neutral or indifferent | Whatever :| |
| O:) | Innocent or angelic | I didn't do anything wrong O:) |
| >:) | Mischievous grin | I've got a secret >:) |
| :* | Kiss | Goodnight :* |
| :-* | Blowing a kiss | Thinking of you :-* |
| 8-) | Cool or wearing glasses | Ready for the meeting 8-) |
| B-) | Sunglasses or relaxed | Beach day ahead B-) |
| :-T | Tight-lipped or keeping a secret | I can't tell you :-T |
| <3 | Love or affection | I heart you <3 |
| </3 | Heartbreak | That hurts </3 |
Variations and Extensions
Western emoticons extend beyond simple facial expressions by incorporating additional elements such as limbs or accessories to depict more dynamic scenarios while maintaining the sideways-tilted format. These emerged in early internet chat rooms and forums like IRC in the 1990s, enhancing expressiveness in text-based interactions; for example, action descriptors like /me hugs you\ originated in IRC role-play commands. In instant messaging platforms such as AIM and MSN Messenger during the 2000s, users added simple extensions for themes like animals or gestures, though many later adoptions borrowed from Eastern styles.[29][30] From the 2000s onward, compact symbols like <3 for love proliferated in SMS and texting. By the 2010s, usage declined with the rise of graphical emojis, but tilted variations persist in plain-text contexts like forums and code comments. Studies indicate emoticons modulated tone in computer-mediated communication, with Western styles influencing early emoji designs in the late 1990s (e.g., NTT DoCoMo's mobile symbols).[2][4] The following table presents representative Western-style variations, focusing on tilted or simple horizontal extensions; community innovations continue to evolve.[26][27]| Emoticon | Meaning | Contextual Note |
|---|---|---|
| \o/ | Yay or wave | Gesture for excitement, from IRC/gaming chats, 1990s+ |
| /me hugs you\ | Action: hugging | Role-play command from IRC, 1990s |
| <3 | Love or heart | SMS shorthand for affection, 2000s+ |
| 8 | Rolling eyes | |
| :- |
Eastern Emoticons
Japanese Kaomoji
Japanese kaomoji, also known as face characters (顔文字, kao moji), originated in 1986 on Japanese bulletin board systems (BBS), where users sought to convey emotions in text-based communication lacking visual cues. The first documented kaomoji, (^_^), representing happiness, was created by Yasushi Wakabayashi, an administrator on the ASCII Net BBS, to express a smiling face in discussions among people with disabilities.[32] These emoticons quickly spread through early online communities, evolving from simple ASCII combinations to more expressive forms using Japanese characters. By the 1990s, kaomoji had become integral to Japanese digital culture, particularly among manga and anime enthusiasts who appreciated their ability to mimic exaggerated facial expressions common in those media.[33] Today, they remain popular in messaging apps like LINE, where users incorporate them into polite texting to soften statements or add playfulness, often alongside stickers inspired by similar cute (kawaii) aesthetics.[34] Unlike horizontal Western emoticons, kaomoji are oriented vertically and read from top to bottom, emphasizing a face-like structure that aligns with Japanese reading habits. The typical components include optional hair or ears at the top (e.g., using ^ or animal-like appendages), expressive eyes in the middle (the focal point for emotion, drawing from manga conventions where eyes convey subtle feelings), a mouth below the eyes, and an optional body or limbs at the bottom for added context or action.[18] This design relies heavily on full-width characters from the Shift JIS encoding standard and Unicode, such as ＾ for arched eyebrows, _ for a neutral mouth line, and ｡ for tears or sweat drops, ensuring visual balance when mixed with kanji or hiragana in Japanese text.[32] The emphasis on eyes reflects cultural nuances in Japan, where direct eye contact can imply intensity, making kaomoji a subtle tool for nuanced expression in polite or indirect communication styles. Basic emotions form the foundation of standard kaomoji, with simple designs like (^^) for happiness, (T_T) for sadness or crying, and (¬¬) for annoyance or suspicion. These are often expanded into categories for everyday use, such as joy, surprise, love, anger, and confusion, allowing users to select based on context—like adding sparkles for excitement in casual chats. In Japanese texting etiquette, kaomoji help maintain harmony by qualifying potentially blunt messages, a practice rooted in keigo (polite language) traditions.[18] The following table presents representative standard single-line kaomoji across common categories, focusing on everyday emotions. Each entry includes the kaomoji, its primary meaning, and brief Japanese context for usage, drawn from established collections. These use full-width characters for authenticity and are limited to vertical, non-elaborate designs suitable for mobile texting.| Category | Kaomoji | Meaning | Japanese Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joy/Happy | (^_^) | Happiness, smiling | Basic smile in greetings or positive replies, e.g., after good news. |
| Joy/Happy | (^_^) | Joyful, laughing | Used in excited responses, like celebrating a friend's success in LINE chats. |
| Joy/Happy | (≧▽≦) | Delighted, beaming | Expresses strong pleasure, common in anime fan discussions. |
| Joy/Happy | (灬º‿º灬)♡ | Blissful affection | Polite way to show warmth in personal messages. |
| Joy/Happy | ＼(＾▽＾)／ | Excited cheer | Celebratory, often after events like festivals. |
| Joy/Happy | (´▽｀) | Content smile | Relaxed happiness, used in casual daily updates. |
| Joy/Happy | (｡♥‿♥｡) | Loving joy | Adds cuteness to compliments in texting. |
| Joy/Happy | (^ω^) | Playful happy | Common in manga-inspired playful banter. |
| Joy/Happy | (≧ω≦) | Overjoyed | Intense delight, like reacting to cute anime scenes. |
| Joy/Happy | (*≧ω≦) | Ecstatic | High-energy response in group chats. |
| Sad | (T_T) | Crying, sad | Expresses sorrow, e.g., sympathy for bad news. |
| Sad | ( ; ω ; ) | Tearful sadness | Deeper emotion, used in comforting messages. |
| Sad | (｡•́︿•̀｡) | Upset, pouting | Mild disappointment in polite refusals. |
| Sad | (´；ω；`) | Sobbing | Strong grief, common in reflective posts. |
| Sad | (ノД`)・゜・。 | Despair | Overwhelmed sadness, like after a failure. |
| Sad | (´-ω-`) | Melancholy | Quiet sorrow, used in introspective contexts. |
| Sad | ｡ﾟ(ﾟ´Д｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡ | Heartbroken | Emotional pain, in romantic disappointments. |
| Sad | (ｯｰ` ) | Downcast | Subtle sadness in everyday complaints. |
| Surprise | (o_o) | Surprised | Sudden shock, e.g., unexpected info. |
| Surprise | (ﾟoﾟ;; | Astonished | Wide-eyed wonder, common in news reactions. |
| Surprise | (⊙_⊙) | Stunned | Disbelief, used in startling revelations. |
| Surprise | (ﾉﾟ0ﾟ)ﾉ～ | Amazed gasp | Exaggerated surprise in fun chats. |
| Surprise | (ﾟДﾟ;) | Shocked | Alarm or panic, like in horror anime refs. |
| Surprise | (；￣Д￣) | Flabbergasted | Overwhelmed by surprise. |
| Love | (♡‿♡) | In love | Romantic affection, in couple messages. |
| Love | (灬♥ω♥灬) | Adoring | Cute love expression, polite flirting. |
| Love | (´ω｀) | Fondness | Gentle love, used with family or friends. |
| Love | (´ε｀ )♡ | Kissing | Playful kiss, in lighthearted texts. |
| Love | ♥(｡┰ᴗ┰｡♥) | Heartfelt love | Deep emotion, like confessions. |
| Anger | (｀ヘ´) | Angry | Frustration, direct but softened in texts. |
| Anger | (¬_¬) | Annoyed | Skeptical irritation, common in teasing. |
| Anger | (￣ヘ￣;) | Fuming | Boiling anger, used sparingly for emphasis. |
| Anger | (｡+﹏﹏+｡) | Rage with tears | Angry sadness, in conflicted feelings. |
| Anger | >:( | Mad | Simple anger in quick replies. |
| Confusion | (・_・?) | Confused | Puzzled, questioning unclear messages. |
| Confusion | (゜-゜) | Perplexed | Mild confusion, like "huh?" in chats. |
| Confusion | (?_?) | Bewildered | Total confusion, often humorous. |
| Confusion | (´⊙ω⊙`) | Thinking hard | Deep confusion or pondering. |
| Embarrassed | (〃ﾉωﾉ) | Shy blush | Embarrassment, used in compliments. |
| Embarrassed | (//ω//) | Flustered | Bashful, common in romantic contexts. |
| Embarrassed | (*ﾉωﾉ) | Sweating shyly | Nervous embarrassment. |
| Embarrassed | (￣▽￣;) | Awkward smile | Polite hiding of embarrassment. |
| Embarrassed | -_- | ||
| Winking | (^_~) | Playful wink | Flirty or joking, in light teasing. |
| Winking | (￣ω￣;) | Sly wink | Mischievous, used in secrets. |
| Laughing | (≧▽≦)/ | Giggling | Outright laughter, fun responses. |
| Laughing | www | LOL (Japanese style) | Text-based laugh, casual. |
| Sleeping | (￣ω￣) | Asleep | Tired or dozing off. |
| Sleeping | (-_-) zzz | Snoozing | Indicating sleep in late-night chats. |
| Eating | (￣ー￣) | Munching | Enjoying food, foodie shares. |
| Hugging | (つˆ⌣ˆ)つ | Hug | Warm embrace, comforting friends. |
| Hugging | (⊃｡•́‿•̀｡)⊃ | Arm hug | Playful hug in texts. |
| Dancing | (^o^)/ | Dancing happily | Celebrating, party vibes. |
| Animal-like | (=^・^=) | Cat happy | Kawaii cat expression, pet lovers. |
| Animal-like | (￣(ｴ)￣) | Dog face | Cute dog, animal fans. |
| Neutral | (・_・) | Neutral face | Observant, waiting for response. |
| Questioning | (？_？) | What? | Seeking clarification politely. |
| Thankful | (´ω｀*) | Grateful | Thanks with warmth. |
| Victory | \ (•◡•) / | Winning | Success cheer. |
| Shrug | ¯_(ツ)_/¯ | I don't know | Casual indifference. |
| Cool | (￣▽￣) | Cool pose | Confident, stylish reply. |
| Sweating | (｡汗) | Nervous sweat | Anxious situation. |
| Stars/Eyes | (^) | Starry-eyed | Admiration, like for idols. |
| Peace | (^-^)/ | Peace sign | Friendly greeting. |
2channel Emoticons
2channel emoticons, often referred to as wide kaomoji, emerged on the Japanese anonymous bulletin board system 2channel (now known as 5ch) during the late 1990s and early 2000s, evolving from simpler kaomoji forms within the platform's vibrant meme and online culture. These emoticons gained popularity due to the forum's emphasis on creative, text-based expression in an environment limited by early internet constraints, where users innovated with available characters to convey nuanced emotions and actions.[37] Unlike basic single-line designs, 2channel emoticons typically employ multi-line structures that are horizontally expansive, incorporating half-width Latin characters, full-width Japanese katakana and punctuation, and symbols to illustrate complete figures, limbs, accessories, and dynamic poses. This complexity allows for detailed depictions of gestures, animals, and narrative scenarios, enhancing the visual storytelling in posts. For example, m(_ )m symbolizes a deep bow of apology, (´･ω･`) expresses a pouting or deflated mood, and ┐( −−)┌ conveys a casual shrug of indifference.[18] These emoticons are broadly categorized into gestures, such as (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ representing an enthusiastic wave with magical flair; animals, like ／l、(ﾟ､ ｡ ７ depicting a cute dog; and emotions integrated with narrative elements, often including supplemental text for sound effects or emphasis to simulate movement and interaction. Gestures frequently portray social actions like saluting or high-fiving, while animal representations draw from kawaii aesthetics, and emotional ones layer facial cues with body language for deeper context.[37] In the anonymous culture of 2channel, these emoticons served to amplify rhetorical emphasis, inject humor or sarcasm into discussions, and foster a sense of shared digital identity among users, significantly influencing the broader evolution of global ASCII art and text-based memes. Their adoption extended beyond the forum, embedding into Japanese internet vernacular.[37] As of 2025, despite the widespread adoption of graphical emojis, 2channel-style emoticons continue to thrive in niche Japanese social media spaces like 5ch and X (formerly Twitter), valued for their customizable, low-bandwidth expressiveness and nostalgic appeal in text-heavy conversations.[38]| Emoticon | Meaning | 2channel Usage Example |
|---|---|---|
| m(_ _)m | Bowing/apology | "Sorry for the mistake m(_ _)m"[18] |
| (´･ω･`) | Pouting/snubbed | "No one replied (´･ω･`)"[18] |
| ┐( −_−)┌ | Shrug/indifference | "Whatever happens ┐( −_−)┌"[18] |
| (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ | Waving magic/good luck | "Have a great day! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧"[37] |
| ／l、(ﾟ､ ｡ ７ | Dog/cute pet | "Look at my dog ／l、(ﾟ､ ｡ ７"[18] |
| (^o^) / \ (^^) | High-five | "We did it! (^o^) / \ (^^)"[37] |
| (ノ｀m´)ノ ~┻━┻ | Flipping table/anger | "This is outrageous (ノ｀m´)ノ ~┻━┻"[18] |
| ε=ε=ε=(((怒ﾟДﾟ)ﾉﾉ | Charging in rage | "I'm coming for you ε=ε=ε=(((怒ﾟДﾟ)ﾉﾉ"[18] |
| ヽ(●ﾟ´Д｀ﾟ●)ﾉ | Crying outburst | "Too sad ヽ(●ﾟ´Д｀ﾟ●)ﾉ"[18] |
| (´；ω；`) | Terribly sad/tears | "Heartbroken (´；ω；`)"[37] |
| (`・ω・´) | Feeling perky/cheerful | "All good now (`・ω・´)"[37] |
| (｀-´)> | Salute/respect | "Well done (｀-´)>"[37] |
| ヽ(´ー｀)ﾉ | Peace of mind/relaxed | "Chilling ヽ(´ー｀)ﾉ"[37] |
| (`Д´)ﾉ | Irritable/snapping | "Back off (`Д´)ﾉ"[37] |
| (▼皿▼) | Intense anger | "Furious (▼皿▼)"[18] |
| (＾▽＾) | Broad smile/happy | "Great news (＾▽＾)"[18] |
| (；一_一) | Depressed/sighing | "Bad day (；一_一)"[18] |
| ＼(＾▽＾)／ | Excited celebration | "Party time ＼(＾▽＾)／"[18] |
| (￣▽￣) | Satisfied/smug | "Mission accomplished (￣▽￣)"[18] |
| d(￣▽￣) | Thumbs up/approval | "Looks good d(￣▽￣)"[18] |
| (｀ヘ´) | Disappointed | "Oh no (｀ヘ´)"[37] |
| Winking/flirty | "Just kidding | |
| (ﾉ*ФωФ)ﾉ | Hugging/embrace | "Group hug (ﾉ*ФωФ)ﾉ"[37] |
| ＿ | ￣ | ○ |
| (￣ー￣) | Bored/yawning | "Nothing to do (￣ー￣)"[18] |
| (*￣ω￣) | Content/sleepy | "Time to rest (*￣ω￣)"[18] |
Other Regional Variants
Korean Variants
Korean emoticons, often referred to as Korean-style kaomoji or Hangul-based text faces, integrate individual Hangul syllables to phonetically convey emotions or sounds alongside symbolic facial structures, creating localized adaptations distinct from purely Western or Japanese forms.[39] This structure allows for expressive, compact representations in digital communication, where Hangul characters mimic facial features or onomatopoeic laughter, enhancing emotional nuance in text-heavy interactions.[40] Influenced briefly by Japanese kaomoji through early internet exchanges, Korean variants emphasize phonetic elements unique to Hangul, such as repeating consonants for auditory effects.[39] These emoticons gained prominence in the 2010s alongside the rise of mobile messaging, particularly in apps like KakaoTalk, where they facilitate casual, empathetic exchanges in everyday conversations and K-pop fandom discussions.[41] Common categories encompass laughter, with ㅎㅎ (pronounced "he-he," a soft chuckle) for mild amusement and ㅋㅋㅋ (pronounced "keu-keu-keu," akin to a loud "LOL") for hearty laughter; aegyo or cute expressions like @.@ (dazed cuteness) or (ᵕ̴̶̷̥́ωᵕ̴̶̷̣̥̀) (puppy-like affection); and frustration indicators such as OTL (a figure bowing in defeat).[42] Happiness is often depicted with ^^ or ^_^ (closed, smiling eyes suggesting cuteness), while sadness appears as ㅜㅜ or ㅠㅠ (downward tears).[43] Their usage persists in text-only formats despite post-2020 shifts toward integrated stickers in platforms like KakaoTalk, maintaining relevance for quick, keyboard-based emotional conveyance. As of 2025, these emoticons continue to be used alongside emojis in messaging apps.[44][45] The following table presents representative examples across categories, including the emoticon, its Hangul-based pronunciation where applicable (for phonetic ones), meaning, and a sample Korean texting context.| Emoticon | Hangul Pronunciation | Meaning | Korean Texting Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ^^ | N/A | Happy, smiling eyes | 안녕하세요^^ (Hello^^)[39] |
| ^_^ | N/A | Cute happiness | 고마워 ^^ (Thanks ^^)[39] |
| ^o^ | N/A | Excited smile | 재미있어 ^o^ (Fun ^o^)[39] |
| ㅎㅎ | he-he | Soft laugh | 그럴 수도 ㅎㅎ (Maybe ㅎㅎ)[42] |
| ㅋㅋㅋ | keu-keu-keu | Loud laughter (LOL) | 웃겨 ㅋㅋㅋ (Funny ㅋㅋㅋ)[39] |
| ㅜㅜ | N/A | Sad, tears | 피곤해 ㅜㅜ (Tired ㅜㅜ)[43] |
| ㅠㅠ | N/A | Crying intensely | 울고 싶어 ㅠㅠ (Wanna cry ㅠㅠ)[39] |
| OTL | N/A | Defeat or despair | 시험 떨어졌어 OTL (Failed exam OTL)[46] |
| @.@ | N/A | Dazed or cute confusion | 이상해 @.@ (Weird @.@)[47] |
| ㅇㅅㅇ | N/A | Cute, cat-like affection | 귀여워 ㅇㅅㅇ (Cute ㅇㅅㅇ)[46] |
| ^.~ | N/A | Flirty wink | 장난이야 ^.~ (Just kidding ^.~)[39] |
| ㅇ_ㅇ | N/A | Surprised stare | 와 ㅇ_ㅇ (Wow ㅇ_ㅇ)[39] |
| ㅡ_ㅡ | N/A | Speechless or annoyed | 모르겠어 ㅡ_ㅡ (Dunno ㅡ_ㅡ)[40] |
| ^^;; | N/A | Embarrassed sweat | 미안 ^^;; (Sorry ^^;;)[48] |
| (⊙_⊙) | N/A | Shocked | 진짜? (⊙⊙) (Really? (⊙⊙))[47] |
| ㅇㅁㅇ | N/A | Open-mouthed shock | 깜짝 ㅇㅁㅇ (Surprised ㅇㅁㅇ)[46] |
| ~ | N/A | Cute, soft tone | 좋아~ (Like~)[39] |
| ^ | N/A | Blushing shyness | 부끄러워 ^ (Shy ^)[48] |
| ^_~ | N/A | Playful wink | 비밀 ^~ (Secret ^~)[40] |
| •ㅅ• | N/A | Adorable animal nose | 사랑해 •ㅅ• (Love you •ㅅ•)[40] |
| -_- | N/A | Bored or unamused | 지루해 -- (Boring --)[42] |
| 0ㅠ0 | N/A | Disgust or vomiting | 역겨워 0ㅠ0 (Gross 0ㅠ0)[46] |
| ㅗ | N/A | Middle finger (rude) | 짜증나 ㅗ (Annoying ㅗ)[46] |
| 'ㅅ'b | N/A | Thumbs up | 좋음 'ㅅ'b (Good 'ㅅ'b)[40] |
| orz | N/A | Fallen in failure | 포기 orz (Give up orz)[40] |
| ㅎ_ㅎ | N/A | Shy or soft smile | 수줍어 ㅎ_ㅎ (Bashful ㅎ_ㅎ)[47] |
| (ᵕ̴̶̷̥́ωᵕ̴̶̷̣̥̀) | N/A | Aegyo puppy eyes | 안아줘 (ᵕ̴̶̷̥́ωᵕ̴̶̷̣̥̀) (Hug (ᵕ̴̶̷̥́ωᵕ̴̶̷̣̥̀))[47] |
| T.T | N/A | Tears (Western variant) | 아파 T.T (Hurts T.T)[42] |
Arabic and Right-to-Left Variants
Emoticons adapted for right-to-left (RTL) scripts, such as those used in Arabic, Hebrew, and Persian, typically mirror the structure of Western LTR designs to ensure the facial expression aligns with the natural reading direction from right to left. This flipping of components, like interchanging parentheses, addresses the visual flow in RTL text environments, preventing misinterpretation of the intended emotion. The practice arose in the 2000s amid SMS limitations and early digital communication in the Middle East, where ASCII characters were repurposed for expressive messaging due to inconsistent Arabic keyboard support on devices.[49] In Arabic contexts, known as "Arabish" or Arabizi, emoticons often incorporate numerical substitutions for Arabic phonemes lacking Latin equivalents, enhancing cultural relevance. For instance, the number 3 represents the 'ayn (ع) sound, resembling an open mouth, as in 3:) for a playful grin; 7 stands for ḥāʾ (ح), used in expressions like 7:D for laughter. Diacritics from Arabic script are occasionally integrated for nuance, though this is less common in casual texting. Similar adaptations appear in Hebrew and Persian, with neutral expressions like (:| maintaining the mirrored format for readability. These variants are prevalent in Middle Eastern social media platforms like WhatsApp, facilitating quick emotional conveyance in multicultural conversations.[50][51][52] Documentation on RTL emoticons remains limited, primarily appearing in sentiment analysis research rather than comprehensive catalogs, reflecting their informal evolution. However, their use has grown in the 2020s with increased global chat apps and diaspora communities, blending RTL adaptations with standard emojis for hybrid expression. As of 2025, these variants continue to be used alongside emojis in messaging apps.[52]| RTL Emoticon | Meaning | Arabic/RTL Context |
|---|---|---|
| 3:) | Grin/tongue out | 3 for 'ayn (open mouth) in Arabizi, combined with smile; expresses cheeky joy.[49] |
| :3 | Cute/cat face | Reversed cute expression, adapted for RTL; popular in multicultural Arab chats.[50] |
| 7:D | Laughing | 7 for ḥāʾ in Arabizi, wide mouth for big laugh; used in dialectal texting.[49] |
| 7o | Bored | 7 for ha with open mouth yawn in Arabizi; indicates disinterest in long chats.[49] |
| 3D | Crazy | 3 for wild expression in Arabizi, spinning eyes; for excitement or madness.[50] |
| 3^ | Sneaky | 3 mouth with up arrow in Arabizi, for mischief; playful variant in chats.[49] |
Unicode and Modern Developments
Unicode Characters
Unicode provides a standardized encoding for emoticons as single characters, enabling portability across platforms and extending beyond ASCII limitations through dedicated symbol blocks. The Miscellaneous Symbols block (U+2600–U+26FF) includes foundational emoticon-like glyphs, such as the white smiling face ☺ (U+263A), which predates more elaborate encodings.[53] A primary resource for facial emoticons is the Emoticons block (U+1F600–U+1F64F), encompassing 80 code points for expressions ranging from joy to surprise, exemplified by the grinning face 😀 (U+1F600). The Supplemental Symbols and Pictographs block (U+1F900–U+1F9FF) extends this with additional emotive faces, such as the face with thermometer 🤒 (U+1F912), representing illness or discomfort.[54][55] These Unicode characters serve as direct text-based emoticons, usable alone or in combination for nuanced expression; for instance, ☺ (U+263A) denotes a basic smile, while ♨ (U+2668) symbolizes heat or intensity, often combined with faces for context like a steamy situation.[53] Input methods vary by system: on Windows, basic symbols can be entered via Alt codes (e.g., Alt+1 for ☺), while hexadecimal codes (e.g., 263A followed by Alt+X in Word) or Input Method Editors (IMEs) support broader Unicode entry on macOS, Linux, and mobile devices.[56] Unlike ASCII-based emoticons formed by multiple punctuation marks (e.g., :-)), Unicode variants are atomic single code points, promoting consistency in rendering but restricting modular assembly.[57] Unicode 16.0 (2024) added emotive enhancements, including the face with bags under eyes (U+1FAE9) to depict exhaustion. Unicode 17.0 (2025) further expands expressiveness with new faces like the distorted face (U+1FAEA), reflecting ongoing evolution in symbolic communication.[58] The following table lists selected code points from relevant blocks, highlighting their symbols, hexadecimal codes, official names, and typical emoticon-like uses:| Symbol | Hex Code | Name | Emoticon-like Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☹ | U+2639 | White Frowning Face | Expresses sadness or disapproval |
| ☺ | U+263A | White Smiling Face | Conveys simple happiness |
| ☻ | U+263B | Black Smiling Face | Represents happiness (inverted) |
| ♨ | U+2668 | Hot Springs | Indicates heat, steam, or anger |
| ☀ | U+2600 | Black Sun with Rays | Symbolizes sunny or cheerful mood |
| 😀 | U+1F600 | Grinning Face | Shows broad joy or excitement |
| 😁 | U+1F601 | Grinning Face with Smiling Eyes | Expresses delighted amusement |
| 😂 | U+1F602 | Face with Tears of Joy | Depicts uncontrollable laughter |
| 😃 | U+1F603 | Smiling Face with Open Mouth | Conveys open happiness |
| 😄 | U+1F604 | Smiling Face with Open Mouth and Smiling Eyes | Indicates warm joy |
| 😅 | U+1F605 | Smiling Face with Open Mouth and Cold Sweat | Shows relieved or nervous happiness |
| 😆 | U+1F606 | Smiling Face with Open Mouth and Tightly-Closed Eyes | Represents hearty laughter |
| 😉 | U+1F609 | Winking Face | Suggests flirtation or joking |
| 😊 | U+1F60A | Smiling Face with Smiling Eyes | Expresses gentle contentment |
| 😋 | U+1F60B | Face Savoring Food | Conveys enjoyment of food or taste |
| 😍 | U+1F60D | Smiling Face with Heart-Eyes | Depicts love or admiration |
| 😐 | U+1F610 | Neutral Face | Shows indifference or neutrality |
| 🙁 | U+1F641 | Slightly Frowning Face | Indicates mild disappointment |
| 😒 | U+1F612 | Unamused Face | Expresses annoyance or skepticism |
| 😓 | U+1F613 | Face with Cold Sweat | Conveys worry, nervousness, or relief (with sweat) |
| 😔 | U+1F614 | Pensive Face | Depicts sadness or disappointment |
| 😕 | U+1F615 | Confused Face | Shows confusion or bewilderment |
| 😖 | U+1F616 | Confounded Face | Expresses frustration or distress |
| 😗 | U+1F617 | Kissing Face | Represents a kiss or affection |
| 😘 | U+1F618 | Face Blowing a Kiss | Conveys sending a kiss |
| 😚 | U+1F61A | Kissing Face with Closed Eyes | Indicates tender affection |
| 😛 | U+1F61B | Face with Stuck-Out Tongue | Shows playfulness or teasing |
| 😜 | U+1F61C | Winking Face with Tongue | Depicts cheeky or mischievous mood |
| 😝 | U+1F61D | Squinting Face with Tongue | Expresses silliness or derision |
| | U+1FAE9 | Face with Bags Under Eyes | Conveys tiredness or exhaustion |
Relation to Emojis
Emoticons served as the foundational precursors to modern emojis, influencing their development as a more visual and standardized form of digital expression. Originating in the 1980s as simple text-based combinations like :-) to convey emotions in plain text, emoticons inspired the creation of graphical emoji sets in Japan in 1999 by designer Shigetaka Kurita for NTT DoCoMo's i-mode mobile platform, which included 176 pixel art icons representing faces, weather, and objects.[60][61] This shift marked a transition from interpretive typographic symbols to fixed images, with Unicode's adoption of emoji in 2010 standardizing them across platforms as interchangeable graphical elements rather than device-specific designs.[61][62] Key differences between emoticons and emojis lie in their form and functionality: emoticons rely on ASCII characters that users assemble and interpret variably across fonts and devices, such as :D for a broad grin, while emojis are predefined Unicode images with consistent appearances, like 😀, often enhanced by features such as skin tone modifiers (e.g., 👏🏽) to promote inclusivity.[63] Emojis thus reduce ambiguity but limit creativity compared to the flexible, context-dependent nature of emoticons.[63] In the 2020s, hybrid usage has become common in digital communication apps, where platforms like Discord support both emoticons—rendered as emojis via shortcodes (e.g., :smile: becoming 😀)—and native graphical emojis, allowing seamless integration in plain-text chats or rich media environments.[64] This persistence of text-based emoticons occurs in scenarios without full emoji support, such as legacy systems or international keyboards, while emojis dominate in mobile and social media for their visual immediacy.[64] Recent trends, including AI-generated emoji proposals like Apple's Genmoji feature introduced in 2024, further blend the two by enabling users to create custom graphical variants from text prompts, potentially reviving emoticon-like personalization in image form.[65] Emojis have globalized emoticon concepts by providing a universal visual lexicon, yet regional interpretations introduce cultural nuances; for instance, the thumbs-up emoji (👍) signifies approval in Western contexts but is viewed as offensive in parts of the Middle East and Greece, akin to an obscene gesture.[66] This evolution underscores emojis' role in bridging linguistic barriers while highlighting the need for cross-cultural awareness in digital expression.[66]References
- https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E9%BB%91%E7%B7%9A