What is the origin of Eastern emoticons?
Mia Smith
Published Mar 18, 2026
What is the origin of Eastern emoticons?
Eastern emoticons generally are not rotated sideways, and may include non-Latin characters to allow for additional complexity. These emoticons first arose in Japan, where they are referred to as kaomoji (literally “face characters”). (ー_ー)!!
What is the difference between East and West style emoticons?
The most common explanation for these different styles is that in the East, the eyes play the primary role in facial expressions, while in the West, the whole face tends to be used. Western style emoticons are mostly written from left to right as though the head is rotated counter-clockwise 90 degrees.
How do you write Western style emoticons?
Western style emoticons are mostly written from left to right as though the head is rotated counter-clockwise 90 degrees. One will most commonly see the eyes on the left, followed by the nose (often not included) and then the mouth. Typically, a colon is used for the eyes of a face, unless winking, in which case a semicolon is used.
What are the different styles of emoticons?
Emoticons can generally be divided into three groups: Western (mainly from America and Europe) or horizontal (though not all are in that orientation); Eastern or vertical (mainly from east Asia ); and 2channel style (originally used on 2channel and other Japanese message boards). The most common explanation for these different styles is
How to use emoticons in texting?
Use text emoticons, also called kawaii faces, kaomoji, text smiley faces, or emoji using symbols. These text faces are produced with special text symbols. Use them to destroy ambiguity and help your friends experience your text as you intend them to.
What do the Asian emoticons on the hidden keyboard mean?
As noted in the guide that detailed how to activate the hidden keyboard on your iOS device, it’s not easy to figure out just what each of the emoticons actually mean. Thankfully, the website linked to above lists various Asian emoticons and their respective meanings. For example, (^3^) translates into kiss. I can kind of see it.
What direction are emoticons usually written?
Western style emoticons are mostly written from left to right as though the head is rotated counter-clockwise 90 degrees.
Do poets use emoticons instead of paintings?
If a poet is making a book where he wants to display some body language visually, he usually would hire a painter to paint some scenes and do an even better job than emoticons would. But think about an occasion when you’re texting a message to someone. Or writing a “status” update.
Is there a color emoticon for Facebook?
Emoticons and Stickers. Facebook has an emoticon implementation which uses Facebook-specific codes to show a color emoticon, as well as an extensible sticker collection.