Kaomoji
Japanese-style emoticons built from plain text — no special font needed. Tap any kaomoji to copy it.
How kaomoji work
Unlike emoji, a kaomoji isn't a single character rendered by your device's font — it's built entirely from ordinary punctuation, letters and Unicode symbols, arranged to read face-first: eyes, then mouth, sometimes arms on either side. That plain-text construction is why kaomoji look identical everywhere — Discord, a text message, an old forum — instead of depending on whichever emoji set the app happens to support.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between kaomoji and emoji?
Emoji are individual pictograph characters your device renders with its own font — the same emoji can look different on iPhone versus Android. Kaomoji are plain text built from existing punctuation and symbols, so they render identically everywhere and can be freely edited, unlike a single emoji glyph.
Why do some kaomoji show boxes or missing characters?
A few kaomoji use less common Unicode symbols that older fonts or apps haven't added support for yet. If one doesn't display right, try a different kaomoji from the same mood category — most moods have several variations built from more widely supported characters.
From the blog: Kaomoji vs Emoji: What's the Difference · How to Type Kaomoji on iPhone and Android