Browse more than 2,000 Japanese kaomoji (顔文字) grouped by feeling and animal, search by mood, and click any face to copy it. Your recently used faces are kept in your browser so your favorites are always one click away.
Last updated:
Popular
(＾▽＾)Click any kaomoji to copy it.
0 characters
Recently used kaomoji are saved in this browser only. Some faces use rare Unicode marks (͡ ͜ ʖ ᴥ ﻌ); if a face shows boxes, your device font lacks that character, but it will still paste correctly.
Advertisement
Advertisement
How to use the Kaomoji Copy and Paste
Pick a mood such as Happy, Sad, Love or Cat from the category buttons, or type a word like cry, hug or bear into the search box.
Click a kaomoji. It is copied to your clipboard right away and the button flashes to confirm.
Build a message (optional): text you type in the message box can be mixed with faces you click, then copied with Copy message.
Paste it into a chat, comment, game, social bio or document with Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on Mac, long-press on phones).
Come back later: the faces you used most recently appear under Recently used.
How a kaomoji is built
Most kaomoji follow the same recipe: arms on the outside, a face outline (usually parentheses), eyes, a mouth in the middle and sometimes cheeks or props. Change one part and the emotion changes, which is why there are thousands of variants.
Exasperation; "I give up". Reply with ┬─┬ノ( º _ ºノ) to "put the table back".
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Shrug
"I don't know" or "oh well"; the face is the katakana ツ (tsu).
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Lenny face
Mischief or a cheeky innuendo; built with combining marks.
ಠ_ಠ
Look of disapproval
Silent judgment; the eyes are the Kannada letter ಠ.
m(_ _)m
Bow
A deep bow: sorry, please or thank you.
(・・?)
Puzzled
Confusion or a question.
(｡•́︿•̀｡)
Pout
Sad, sulky or pleading.
ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ
Cat paws
Cute cat; ฅ (a Thai letter) draws the paws.
Tips for using kaomoji
Discord and Markdown: backslashes and underscores are formatting characters. If the shrug loses an arm, add an extra backslash: ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯.
Character limits: long kaomoji count as many characters. Faces with combining marks (͡ ͜) count each mark separately on sites like X.
Fonts: kaomoji look best in fonts with Japanese support (Meiryo, Hiragino, Noto Sans JP). Monospace fonts can stretch them.
Usernames: many games and sites restrict usernames to letters and digits, so kaomoji may be rejected there even though bios and chat accept them.
Frequently asked questions
What is a kaomoji?
Kaomoji (顔文字, from Japanese kao "face" and moji "character") are faces drawn with text characters. Unlike Western emoticons such as :-) that are read sideways, kaomoji are upright, like (＾▽＾), and use characters from Japanese, Korean, Greek, Thai and other scripts to draw eyes, mouths, cheeks and arms.
How do I copy and paste a kaomoji?
Click any face and it is copied to your clipboard. Then paste it with Ctrl+V on Windows and Linux, Cmd+V on a Mac, or long-press and choose Paste on a phone. Kaomoji are ordinary Unicode text, so they work in chats, social media, games and documents.
What is the difference between kaomoji and emoji?
Emoji are single picture characters (😊) whose look depends on your device. Kaomoji are built from several normal text characters, so they look the same style everywhere the font supports them and can be edited, combined and extended with arms or props.
Why do some kaomoji show boxes or look broken?
A box (tofu) means your device font is missing one of the characters, often a combining mark like ͡ or a rare letter like ʖ or ﻌ. The kaomoji is still copied correctly and will usually display fine on the recipient's phone or in a different app.
Is it OK to use kaomoji on Discord, Twitch or Instagram?
Yes. Kaomoji are plain text, so they work in usernames, bios, captions and messages anywhere Unicode text is accepted. Some characters, like backslashes in the shrug ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, can be treated as formatting on Discord; paste it as ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ to keep the arm.
Are my recently used kaomoji stored online?
No. The list of recently used faces and your message draft are saved only in your browser's local storage on this device. Nothing is uploaded and you can clear it by clearing site data.
How do I type kaomoji on a phone keyboard?
Japanese keyboards on iOS and Android include a built-in kaomoji list (the ^_^ key on the Kana keyboard). On any keyboard you can also copy faces from this page, or save favorites as text replacements or keyboard shortcuts.
Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?
Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.