(^_^) Kaomoji (顔文字)

Kaomoji (顔文字) are text-based precursors to emojis. They depictions of facial expressions that use a combination of characters to express emotions, actions, and even complex scenes.

They were invented in Japan in the 1980s, independent of the creation of emoticons by Scott Fahlman in the United States during the same decade.

Unlike standard Western emoticons, which rely primarily on punctuation (e.g., :) or :D), kaomoji make use of a wider range of characters, including kana, kanji, and special symbols, to create more detailed facial expressions. Some examples are shown below:

(^_^)
\( ̄▽ ̄)/
o(>ω<)o
( ◕▿◕ ) 
(#`Д´) 
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
╮(︶︿︶)╭    
(╯ఠ益ఠ)╯彡┻━┻