Kaomoji Keyboard on iPhone and Android (≧◡≦)
Tap a face or symbol to copy it, then save it to your keyboard with one of the ways below.
Tip · press and hold to pick several at once
Favourite kaomoji 22
Long lines for shortcuts 6
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How to save kaomoji to your keyboard
iPhone has a list of kaomoji built into its Japanese keyboard. Add it once: Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard → Japanese → Kana. In any text field, tap the globe key to switch to it. Tap the ^^ key in the bottom row: it types ^_^ and lines up faces above the keys, and the arrow at the end of that row opens the whole list. Tap a face to type it. You don’t type any Japanese, and the same globe key takes you back.
Apple’s list is fixed, so the faces on this page aren’t in it. For those, use text replacement, which works with every iPhone keyboard: copy a face or a line here, go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement, tap +, paste it into Phrase and type a short word such as hug into Shortcut. When you type the shortcut, the face is suggested above the keyboard, and with iCloud Drive sync on, your replacements reach your other Apple devices. It saves the most on long pieces like the lines in the last group — there are more on dividers, and every face we have is on kaomoji.
On Android it depends on the keyboard. Gboard has a list of its own: tap the emoji key, then :-) at the bottom, and the faces are sorted into Classic, Smiling, Love, Hugging and more. Samsung Keyboard has had kaomoji since One UI 5 — they sit in its emoji panel — and its Text shortcuts work like the iPhone’s: Settings → General management → Samsung Keyboard settings → Text shortcuts. For a face that isn’t in a list, Gboard’s clipboard keeps it: copy it here, tap the clipboard at the top of the keyboard, touch and hold the face and tap Pin — Gboard clears unpinned items after a while, but keeps pinned ones. We don’t have a keyboard app of our own yet; these are the ways your phone already has.
Questions
How do I get kaomoji on my iPhone keyboard?
Add the Japanese Kana keyboard: Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard → Japanese → Kana. Switch to it with the globe key and tap ^^: it types ^_^ and shows a row of faces, and the arrow at the end of the row opens the full list. For a face that isn’t there, save it as a text replacement — copy it here and paste it into Phrase.
How do I add my own kaomoji to the keyboard?
Save it as a shortcut. On iPhone: Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement, paste the face into Phrase and pick a Shortcut. On Samsung: Samsung Keyboard settings → Text shortcuts, tap + and add the shortcut and the face. On Gboard: copy the face, open the clipboard at the top of the keyboard and pin it.
Is there a kaomoji keyboard on Android?
Yes, inside the keyboard you probably have. On Gboard, tap the emoji key and then :-) at the bottom: the faces are sorted into Classic, Smiling, Love, Hugging and more. Samsung Keyboard has kaomoji in its emoji panel since One UI 5. Other keyboards differ; for any face that isn’t in a list, pin it in Gboard’s clipboard or save it as a Samsung text shortcut.
Do I need an app for kaomoji?
No. The Japanese keyboard on iPhone, Gboard’s :-) tab, text replacement and the clipboard are already on your phone, and this page copies any face in one tap. A keyboard app would keep hundreds of faces a tap away without switching apps, but we don’t make one yet.