Sad Kaomoji Copy and Paste

For the days when words are not enough. Tap a sad kaomoji to copy it, then paste it into a message, a status or a reply.

Crying faces

Tear lines and wobbling mouths. These are for big feelings or for being dramatic in a playful way.

Sad kaomoji do a small job well: they let you say “that was hard” or “I am sorry” without writing a paragraph. In Japanese text faces the eyes carry most of the feeling. A pair of tear-streaked eyes, a wobbling mouth or a downward line can say what a whole sentence cannot, which is why there are so many shades of sad in the list below.

The faces here are grouped by what you actually mean. There are crying faces for big feelings, quiet faces for tiredness and low energy, lonely and left-out faces, sorry faces for apologies, and faces that ask for a hug. Kaomoji also work as gentle replies when a friend is having a bad day, so there is a small section of comfort faces to send back.

Kaomoji are made of many symbols from different alphabets. Some systems and apps draw a few of the characters in different sizes, so a face can look slightly lopsided on a device other than your own. If it matters, paste it into the app first and look. The simple faces made of plain brackets and punctuation are the most predictable.

Tired and low energy

Quiet faces for tired days. Good for “I am done” and “I need a nap”.

Lonely and left out

For feeling alone, sad or a bit lost. Soft faces that do not shout.

Sorry and apologetic

Bowing and shy faces for saying sorry or asking to be forgiven.

Hug me and comfort faces

Faces to send to a friend, or to ask for a bit of kindness.

Moody, upset and disappointed

Pouts and frowns. Not full anger, more “I am not okay with this”.

How to use sad kaomoji

  1. Tap a face to copy it. The tray at the bottom can hold two or three if you want to string some together.
  2. Paste at the end of a message or on its own as a reply. A small face works better than a long explanation when you are not sure what to say.
  3. If a face looks messy in your app, delete a space or two. Many faces use a wide space character that some apps display wider than others.
  4. For an apology, use a bowing face and add a short sentence, so the meaning is not lost.
  5. When comforting someone, send a hug face rather than a crying face. It tells them you are there.

Questions people ask

What does ( ´;ω;` ) mean?

It is a face with watery eyes and a wobbly mouth, like someone about to cry. The semicolons are tears and the middle character is the mouth.

What is orz?

orz looks like a person kneeling with their head on the floor. It is used in many online communities to mean frustration, defeat or deep apology.

Why does a face show boxes on my phone?

Some kaomoji use characters from several writing systems. If your device cannot draw one, it may show a box. Use a face made from simpler symbols, such as (T_T).

Are these free to use?

Kaomoji are short text pieces that people have shared and changed for decades. You can copy them freely. We chose and grouped these ourselves.

126 items on this page. Last reviewed 2026-10-23.