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kaomoji
What does kaomoji mean?
Emoticons built from characters that are read without tilting your head, such as (^_^) or (>_<), heavily used in anime-fan chat.
"She ends every message with a happy kaomoji."
Origin
Japanese 顔文字 (kaomoji), 'face characters'.
Frequently asked questions
What is a kaomoji?
It is a Japanese-style text emoticon built from characters, such as (^_^) or (>_<), that you read upright without tilting your head.
How is kaomoji different from a Western emoticon?
Western emoticons like :) are read sideways, while kaomoji are designed to be read upright as a face.
What does the word kaomoji mean?
It comes from Japanese 顔文字, literally 'face characters'.
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