The quickest way is to copy them. But every major device can also insert kaomoji natively. Here is how on each one.
The fastest way to type a kaomoji is to copy it from a library and paste it wherever you need it. To insert them natively: on Windows press Win + . (or Win + ;) and open the kaomoji tab; on iPhone/iPad add the Japanese Kana keyboard and tap the ^_^ key; on Android open Gboard’s emoji panel and pick the kaomoji tab; on Mac, use Text Replacement or copy-paste, since there is no built-in kaomoji panel.
No setup, works on every device: open a kaomoji collection, tap a face to copy it, and paste it into your bio, caption, or chat. Start with the kaomoji library or build a custom one in the kaomoji generator.
Press Windows key + . (period) or Windows key + ; (semicolon) to open the emoji panel, then click the kaomoji tab (the ( •_•) icon). Pick a face to insert it. This works in Windows 10 and 11 in almost any text field.
iOS hides a full kaomoji set inside the Japanese keyboard. Go to Settings › General › Keyboard › Keyboards › Add New Keyboard › Japanese › Kana. Then, when typing, switch to the Japanese keyboard and tap the ^_^ key to browse and insert kaomoji. Copy-paste from a library also works everywhere.
On Gboard, tap the emoji button, then choose the kaomoji tab labelled ( ˘ε˘ ) or ^_^ along the bottom. On Samsung Keyboard, open the emoji panel and look for the kaomoji / text-emoticon section, or install Gboard for the built-in tab. Copy-paste works on any Android keyboard.
macOS has no dedicated kaomoji panel (the Character Viewer, Ctrl + Cmd + Space, covers emoji and symbols). The easiest options are to copy-paste from a library, or to set up Text Replacement under System Settings › Keyboard › Text Replacements so a shortcut like shrug expands to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
Browse hundreds of ready-made faces, or assemble your own in the generator and copy it with one tap.
Open the Kaomoji Generator →Related: what is a kaomoji, the full kaomoji library, and the kaomoji generator.
Press Windows key + . (period) to open the emoji panel, then click the kaomoji tab (the smiley-face icon) and choose a face. It works in Windows 10 and 11.
Add the Japanese Kana keyboard in Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard > Japanese > Kana. Switch to it while typing and tap the ^_^ key to insert kaomoji.
Open Gboard, tap the emoji button, then select the kaomoji tab along the bottom. On Samsung Keyboard, look in the emoji panel for the text-emoticon section, or install Gboard.
Open the emoji panel in Samsung Keyboard and look for the kaomoji or text-emoticon section. If it is missing, installing Gboard adds a dedicated kaomoji tab.
Yes. Copying a ready-made kaomoji from a library and pasting it is the fastest method and works identically on every device with no setup.