In this article, we’ll cover only the emoticons, but if you wish to read up about Korean abbreviations for text messaging, you may do so here. To type some of these smileys and emoticons on your computer or mobile phone, you’ll need to be able to type in Korean and have a Korean keyboard installed. While Western text emoticons are sideways – think ), :), or :(, you don’t need to tilt your head to read their Korean equivalents – they’re drawn as the eye would see them.There are emoticons representing a wide range of emotions, and Koreans have emoticons for almost every situation (for better or for worse).You can even add in Korean exclamations along with the emoticons.Įmoticons are the best part of texting in Korean, and they have two main benefits over Western-style emoticons: Even if you can’t make complete sentences yet, it’s fun to throw in some Korean words into your messages when you can. And as a side bonus, you may end up learning Korean just by typing in Hangeul more often. The second step is starting to make use of them in your Korean text conversations. You’ll even get to know more about modern Korean culture through them. In the same way, you get to express how you feel, whether you feel uncomfortable, happy, excited, or sad. Learning the basics will allow you to tell how your Korean friends feel when they type. The first step is being able to decipher them. So, to fully appreciate Korean emoticons, here are things that you should do first. It makes each conversation better by adding more life to it. Korean Emoticons 101Īs you’ll see, Korean emoticons are tons of fun. When you first saw the two upward lines (^^) in a conversation, did you think the person was referencing a previous part of the conversation? Were you totally confused?ĭon’t worry, you’re not alone! The good news is that you just weren’t well acquainted with Korean emoticons. Okay, a show of hands! Who has ever seen a symbol or emoticon in a Korean text message that they couldn’t understand the meaning of? 5 Bonus: Text symbol used to sound cute.4 Different text emoticons used in Korea.

2.1 Learn what each Korean emoticons mean.

Instagram symbols text and meanings