:-) Emoticons

Emoticons are text-based representations of facial expressions that use punctuation, letters, and numbers to convey emotions in digital communication. They are considered the predecessors of emojis.

The first known emoticons, :-) and :-(, were proposed by computer scientist Scott Fahlman in 1982 on a Carnegie Mellon University message board as a way to distinguish jokes from serious statements. These simple smiley and frowny faces laid the foundation for emoticon use in online conversations.

Unlike kaomoji, which incorporate a wide range of characters including Japanese script and special symbols, Western emoticons typically rely on a small set of punctuation marks and are designed to be read sideways. Some common examples include:

:) – Smiley face
:( – Sad face
:D – Big grin
:P – Playful or sticking out tongue
;) – Wink
:O – Surprise
:/ – Skeptical or uneasy
:'( – Crying

Emoticons saw widespread use in early internet forums, emails, and text-based chats before the rise of emojis, which provided a more visual and standardized way to express emotions. However, they remain popular in certain contexts and are still commonly used in digital communication today.