How to Type Kaomoji on iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac

How to Type Kaomoji on Windows

Method 1: The built-in kaomoji panel

• Click where you want to type, such as a chat box or document.
• Press Windows key + period (.) or Windows key + semicolon (;) to open the emoji panel.
• Select the kaomoji tab, which shows a 😉 icon.
• Click any face to insert it. Recently used faces appear first next time.

This works in Windows 11 and recent versions of Windows 10. The built-in list is shorter than a full collection, but it covers the most popular faces.

Method 2: Japanese input (for power users)

If you add the Microsoft Japanese IME in Settings, typing かお (“kao,” face) and pressing the space bar to convert often suggests a list of kaomoji. This is handy if you already type in Japanese.

How to Type Kaomoji on iPhone and iPad

Method 1: The Japanese Kana keyboard

• Open Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard.
• Choose Japanese, then select Kana.
• In any app, tap the globe key to switch to the Kana keyboard.
• Tap the ^_^ key to see a scrollable list of kaomoji, and tap one to insert it.

Method 2: Text Replacement shortcuts

• Copy a kaomoji you like from this page.
• Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement and tap +.
• Paste the face into Phrase and type a short code, such as ;shrug, into Shortcut.
• Now typing the shortcut in any app suggests the full face. If you use iCloud, your shortcuts also sync to your Mac and iPad.

How to Type Kaomoji on Android

Method 1: Gboard’s emoticon tab

• Open any text box with Gboard as your keyboard.
• Tap the emoji (smiley) key.
• At the bottom, tap the 🙂 tab to see text emoticons and kaomoji sorted by category.
• Tap a face to insert it.

Method 2: Personal dictionary shortcuts

• Copy a kaomoji from this page.
• Open Gboard Settings > Dictionary > Personal dictionary, choose your language and tap +.
• Paste the face as the word and add a short shortcut, such as ;love.
• When you type the shortcut, the face appears as a suggestion above the keyboard.

Other keyboards, such as Samsung Keyboard, often have their own text-face or shortcut options in their settings; the exact menu names vary by phone.

How to Type Kaomoji on Mac

Method 1: Text Replacements

• Open System Settings > Keyboard and click Text Replacements (on older macOS: System Preferences > Keyboard > Text).
• Click +, type a shortcut such as ;bear and paste the face into the With field.
• Typing the shortcut in most apps now expands it into the face.

Method 2: Character Viewer for symbols

Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer. Mac has no ready-made kaomoji list here, but you can search for individual symbols like hearts or stars to build your own faces.

Starter Kaomoji and Suggested Shortcuts

Tap a face to copy it, then save it with the suggested shortcut on your device. Starting each shortcut with a semicolon means it won’t fire while you type normal words.

Want more? Browse full collections like cat kaomoji, love kaomoji and shrug kaomoji.

Tips for Typing Kaomoji Smoothly

• Use unique shortcuts: codes like ;cry or kk-love won’t trigger by accident in normal sentences.
• Watch for formatting: WhatsApp and Discord turn text between pairs of * or _ into bold or italic, which can break faces. See our WhatsApp and Discord guides.
• Check for boxes: if a face shows empty boxes, the device’s font lacks a character. Choose a face made from common symbols.
• Keep favorites short: long faces use up character limits in bios and on X, where Japanese characters count double.