React in a chat
Shrug
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Happy
(＾▽＾)
Drop a kaomoji at the end of a message to set the tone without an image - they render the same for everyone.
Kaomoji y caras de texto
Copia y pega caras de texto y emoticonos japoneses como ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ y (◕‿◕).
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What is a kaomoji?
A kaomoji (顔文字, "face characters") is an emoticon built from letters, punctuation, and Unicode symbols rather than a picture. Unlike Western emoticons like :-) that you read sideways, kaomoji are read upright - the eyes, mouth, and even arms sit in the natural orientation, as in (＾▽＾) or (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻.
Because each face is just a string of standard characters, you can copy it and paste it into Discord, X, Instagram, a chat, a bio, or a commit message, and it travels with the text - no image upload, no special font.
Everything here runs locally in your browser. Tap a face to copy it; nothing is uploaded or stored.
What you'll learn while using kaomoji
- Kaomoji are read upright, not sideways - the parentheses are the face's outline and the symbols inside are eyes and mouth.
- They're plain Unicode text, so they paste anywhere and don't depend on an emoji set being installed.
- Some faces use less-common Unicode symbols; on rare older systems a glyph may show as a box, but the curated set here uses widely-supported characters.
How to use kaomoji step by step
Pick a mood
Use the category tabs - happy, love, sad, angry, shrug, cute, animals, action - to narrow the list.
Or search
Type a feeling or keyword like 'bear', 'shrug', or 'angry' to filter the faces.
Tap to copy
Click any face card to copy it to your clipboard.
Paste anywhere
Paste into Discord, X, Instagram, Slack, a comment, or anywhere plain text works.
Popular kaomoji and what they mean
A few of the most-used text faces and when to reach for them.
| Face | Name | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ | Shrug | "I don't know" / "whatever" |
| ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) | Lenny face | A knowing, suggestive look |
| (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻ | Table flip | Rage, frustration, giving up |
| (◕‿◕) | Smile | Friendly, happy, content |
| (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ | Hug | Sending affection or comfort |
| ಠ_ಠ | Disapproval | Skeptical or unimpressed stare |
Kaomoji examples to try
Common kaomoji mistakes
- Retyping a face by hand - it's easy to drop a character and break the face. Copy the whole string instead.
- Using a very symbol-heavy face in a field with a strict character limit - some count each symbol separately.
- Pasting into a system that strips non-ASCII - a few faces may not survive; pick a simpler one if it matters.
Kaomoji FAQ
What does kaomoji mean?
Kaomoji (顔文字) is Japanese for "face characters" - emoticons built from text characters that are read upright, like (◕‿◕), rather than sideways like :-).
How do I type the shrug ¯\_(ツ)_/¯?
It's hard to type by hand because of the combining characters. The easiest way is to copy it - tap the shrug face in the Shrug category here and paste it wherever you need it.
Will kaomoji work on Discord, Instagram, and X?
Yes - they're plain Unicode text, not images, so they paste and render anywhere that accepts text.
Are kaomoji the same as emojis?
No. Emojis are single pictographic characters (😀). Kaomoji are built from several normal text characters arranged to look like a face, so they don't depend on an emoji font.
Is my activity uploaded anywhere?
No. Everything runs locally in your browser. Copying a face never sends anything to a server.
