Kí tự biểu cảm (emoticon)

On the Internet in e-mail, chatting, and posted messages, an emoticon (sometimes referred to as a "smiley") is a short sequence of keyboard letters and symbols, usually emulating a facial expression, expressing a feeling that supplements the message. Most of these emoticons use several symbols to create a small face with an expression such as a smile, wink, or turned-down mouth.

One of our contributors says that to read these you can either tilt your head or turn the monitor on its side.

Smile

Smile with a wink

:<}) User with mustache, smiling

| Mad

Sad

:' -( Crying

:~ Also crying

) Really happy

Big grin

:-* A kiss

~ A lick

Wow! or I'm surprised

Grim

Sticking out your tongue

:- User happens to be Popeye

:-/ Perplexed

= Frightened (hair standing on end)

=8O Bug-eyed with fright

:-} Embarassed smile

<>>>>> Basic Smiley with a necktie

;-^) Tongue in cheek

%*@ Hung over

:-~~~ Drooling

> Perplexed look

.) Keeping an eye out for you

8:-) Glasses on forehead

8:[ Normal smiling face of a gorilla

0:-) Angel

][ Robot

(:V) Duck

3:-o Cow

:-] Vampire

(_8-(|) Homer Simpson

C|:-= Charlie Chaplin

=|= Abe Lincoln

< Santa Claus

- User sports a mohawk and admires Mr. T

(-) Scuba diver

:-'| User has a cold

:-{} User with heavy lipstick

8 User is well dressed

>:-< Mad

*# Scotsman wearing his Scottish tam

%-^ User is another Picasso

#-) User partied all night

<:I Dunce

"Have an ordinary day!" Smiley

:}{: Kisses (stolen from June bug)

oooo(0) (0)oooo Toes

(-_-) Secret smile

#.-o "Oh, nooooooo Mr. Bill!!!"

The Japanese have worked out another set of emoticons that fits the nuances of Japanese culture. See Japanese emoticons.

Japanese emoticons

In Japan, users have worked out emoticons (or keyboard "smiley faces") adapted to their culture. According to The New York Times (August 12, 1996), the Japanese are using emoticons even more than Westerners. Because their PC keyboards handle the two-byte characters of Kanji, users can choose between single- and double-byte versions of certain characters such as underscore characters, allowing a further degree of expression.

Here are some examples of Japanese emoticons:

^_^ Smile

^o^;> Excuse me

^^; Cold sweat

^o^ Happy

*^o^* Exciting

(^_^)/ Banzai smiley