On this page
What kaomoji are
Kaomoji (顔文字) joins the Japanese words kao (face) and moji (character). Unlike Western emoticons such as :), kaomoji are read upright, no head tilt needed. They use Japanese characters and symbols to build eyes, mouths and arms.
Happy
In love
Sad
Angry
Shy and cute
Animals
Artists at work
How to use kaomoji kindly
- They suit casual chats and cute bios.
- In professional messages, plain words are clearer.
- Screen readers read every symbol aloud. Put the kaomoji at the end of a sentence, not in the middle.
Looking for emoji combos instead? Visit emoticons.
Questions artists ask
What is the difference between kaomoji and emoji?
Kaomoji are built from text characters, like (◕‿◕). Emojis are colorful pictures drawn by your device, like 😊.
Do kaomoji work everywhere?
Yes. They are plain text characters, so they work in almost every app.
How do you read kaomoji?
Upright, like a real face: the eyes in the middle and the mouth below.
Awais Ahmad
Founder and editor of Letras Bonitas Art. Builds the tools and writes the guides on this site for artists who letter on screens. How we review our pages.
