Emoticons — Copy and Paste
200 unique text emoticons to copy with one tap. No app, no signup — they work in every chat.
Browse this collection
What is an emoticon?
An emoticon is a face built out of ordinary keyboard and Unicode characters rather than a picture. The oldest ones are read sideways — :-) and :-( — and date to 1982. The ones on this page are the upright kind that grew out of Japanese chat culture, where the eyes carry the expression and you read the face straight on: (◕‿◕), (ಠ_ಠ), ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
All 200 emoticons here are unique to this page and copy with a single tap. Because they are text and not images, they arrive on the other end exactly as you sent them — no app, no keyboard, no download.
Emoticons vs emoji
Emoji are pictures drawn by each platform, so the same emoji looks different on iPhone, Android, WhatsApp, and Slack — sometimes changing the tone of a message entirely. Emoticons are characters, so their shape is fixed everywhere. That reliability is why emoticons never disappeared after emoji arrived, and why they still dominate places where character limits or plain-text fields rule, like usernames, bios, commit messages, and game nicknames.
How to use these emoticons
Tap any card above and the emoticon is copied to your clipboard instantly. Paste it with Ctrl+V on Windows, Cmd+V on Mac, or a long-press paste on your phone. They work in WhatsApp, Instagram, Discord, Telegram, TikTok comments, Reddit, X, Twitch chat, and most display names. One tip: send an emoticon as its own message rather than burying it mid-sentence — it reads as a reaction that way, which is usually the effect you want.
Building your own
Mix your own from eyes, frames, and arms in the emoticon generator, or search 240 kaomoji by mood in the Kaomoji Keyboard. For the shrug specifically — the single most-copied emoticon on the internet — see the shrug emoticon collection.
FAQ
What is an emoticon?
An emoticon is a face made from text characters, like (◕‿◕) or :-). Unlike emoji, emoticons are plain characters, so they look identical on every device.
How do I copy an emoticon?
Tap or click any card on this page and it is copied automatically. Paste it with Ctrl+V, Cmd+V, or a long-press paste on mobile.
What is the difference between an emoticon and an emoji?
Emoji are images rendered differently by each platform. Emoticons are text characters, so what you copy is exactly what the other person sees.
Do emoticons work in usernames?
In display names and nicknames, usually yes. Strict @username fields limited to letters and numbers will reject them.
Are all 200 emoticons on this page unique?
Yes — every emoticon in the grid above appears only once on this page.