What is the difference between an emoticon and an emoji?

An emoticon is a text-based face made from keyboard characters, such as :-) or ^_^. An emoji is a picture character from the Unicode standard, like the yellow smiley face. Emoticons came first and work in any plain-text context.

Kaomoji are Japanese-style text emoticons that are read horizontally without tilting your head. They often use characters from multiple Unicode ranges to create expressive faces, for example (^_^), (T_T), or (>_<).

Will these emoticons work in all chat apps?

Plain ASCII emoticons like :-) work everywhere text is supported. Some apps auto-convert them to emoji. Kaomoji using extended characters work in apps that support Unicode text, which includes virtually all modern messaging platforms.

How do I type a shrug emoticon?

The shrug kaomoji is: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ — find it in the Playful category or search "shrug". Click to copy it, then paste anywhere.

Are there emoticons for every emotion?

This table covers the most common moods: happy, sad, surprised, love, angry, playful, and neutral. Use the search box to find a specific face or browse categories.

Why does my chat app turn :-) into a yellow face?

Many chat apps detect common ASCII emoticons and automatically replace them with the corresponding emoji. If you want the text version to remain, try adding a space or disabling auto-substitution in your app settings.

Emoticon Text Symbols

Browse and copy classic ASCII/text emoticons like :-), ^_^, and (>_<) by category with one click.

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Summary

This tool provides a searchable, filterable reference of classic ASCII and text emoticons — the keyboard-typed smiley faces that predate modern emoji. Organized by mood and style, you can browse happy, sad, surprised, love, angry, playful, and Japanese-style kaomoji faces. Click any emoticon to copy it instantly.

How it works

Emoticons are organized by mood: Happy, Playful, Sad, Surprised, Love, Angry, Cool, Nervous, and Neutral.
Use the search box to filter by name or emoticon text (e.g. "wink", "shrug", "blush").
Click a category tab to narrow the view to a specific mood.
Click any emoticon card to copy the text string to your clipboard.
A confirmation toast confirms the copy and shows what was copied.

Use cases

Add classic emoticons to chat messages, SMS, and social media posts.
Use ASCII faces in emails and plain-text contexts where emoji do not render.
Find the right kaomoji for expressive Japanese-style text reactions.
Decorate forum posts, comment sections, and blog articles with text faces.
Use emoticons in code comments or README files for personality.
Replace emoji with text emoticons for retro or nostalgia-themed content.
Quickly look up the spelling of a specific emoticon like :-P or (>_<).
Copy text faces for use in usernames, bios, and display names.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-05-29 · Reviewed by Nham Vu

Emoticon Text Symbols

Use the Emoticon Text Symbols

Summary

How it works

Use cases

Frequently Asked Questions