Cultural Adaptations of Emoticons

Japanese Emoticons (^_^)

Emoticons in Japan are mainly referred to as Smileys which evolved from the American version of Smileys. Japanese Smileys (^.^) have the ability to have more variations due to Japanese computer keyboards having more characters.

A large number of Japanese Smileys are influenced by Japanese comic books (Manga) in that Manga has many ways of expressing feelings and situations by certain visual lines and/or graphics. These design elements have been incorporated into the creation of numerous Japanese Smileys.

Japanese smileys (^_^;;? are read vertically. Listed below are some of the basic Japanese Smileys that are used in e-mails across Japan today.

Smile			Cry; Sob
			Wink
			Zzz
Hi!			Victory!
			Ummmmh
			Ouch!
A Baby			Smiley Old Man
In A Cold Sweat			Embarrassed; Scratching One's Hea