From a hidden giggle to tears of laughter, with the small clues that tell each kind of laugh apart.
86 faces. Tap a card to copy, ♡ to save. Faces marked “may not show on older devices” use rarer symbols.
How a laugh is drawn
A wide open mouth:∀, ▽ or Д in the middle, as in ヽ(＾Д＾)ﾉ.
Squeezed eyes:≧ ≦ are eyes shut tight from laughing, as in (*≧▽≦)ﾉｼ)), a face slapping its knee.
Hands over the mouth:艸 looks like two hands hiding a giggle, as in (*´艸｀*). It is an old form of the character for grass, and fittingly, Japanese chat slang uses grass to mean lol.
Kinds of laughter
Shy giggle: the hidden-mouth faces, for when something is funny but a little embarrassing.
Laughing until you cry: tears plus a big grin, like ｡ﾟ( ﾟ^∀^ﾟ)ﾟ｡.
Evil cackle: a devil grin with pitchforks, Ψ(｀∀´)Ψ, for a plan that is going perfectly.
Pointing and laughing:m9(^Д^) is pure teasing, so keep it for friends who are in on the joke.
Laughs you can hear
Some faces end with a sound written in small katakana. ﾌﾌﾌ (fufufu) is a soft or sly chuckle, ｸｸｸ (kukuku) is a snicker someone is trying to hold in, and ｹｹｹ (kekeke) is a cackle, as in (`∀´)ｹｹｹ. These characters are on almost every phone, so the sound comes through even when the face is simple.
Questions
What is the laughing kaomoji with hands over the mouth?
(*´艸｀*). The 艸 looks like two hands covering a giggle.
How do I show laughing so hard I cry?
Use a face with tears and a wide mouth, like ｡ﾟ( ﾟ^∀^ﾟ)ﾟ｡.
Is m9(^Д^) rude?
It shows pointing and laughing at someone, so it reads as teasing. Use it with friends who share the joke.