1.
kaomoji; text emoticon; smiley face
A facial expression created with text characters, used in digital communication to convey emotions. Japanese kaomoji are typically read horizontally and use a wider variety of characters than Western emoticons.
Literally 'face character' (顔 face + 文字 character). Refers to emoticons made from text characters, such as (^_^) or (T_T). Japanese kaomoji are distinct from Western emoticons in that they are read face-on (not tilted sideways) and often use a much wider set of Unicode characters.
Common collocations
Similar words
- 絵文字: emoji — pictographic characters (now a global term); distinct from text-based kaomoji
- スタンプ: LINE stickers — image-based expressions used on the LINE messaging app
Cultural note
Kaomoji became hugely popular in Japan during the early internet era and remain widely used in casual text messages and social media. Common examples include (^_^) for happiness, (T_T) for crying, and (>_<) for frustration.