About Kaomojikan

Why I made it

I've loved kaomoji for years. The little upright faces like (｡•ᴗ•｡) and (っ´ω`c), not the sideways :-). They warm up a message just a little, and that quiet expressiveness always stuck with me.

So at some point I went looking for a good place to grab them. I found plenty of sites, but most felt old. Cramped pages, tiny text, ads everywhere, a stray link right where I meant to copy. The kaomoji were cute. Using the sites wasn't. I figured I'd just make my own, but a copy of what was already out there felt pointless. Same list, fewer ads. Who cares.

Then I remembered traveling in Japan. The people were so kind, and I loved wandering into small shops: the quiet, warm ones, each with a style of its own. I'd relax the second I stepped inside, and sometimes lose track of time in there.

That's the feeling I wanted. Not a database, but a small shop you can wander into, with someone actually in it. That's the 館 (kan, "house") in 顔文字館 (Kaomojikan).

What I care about

• Findability. I keep the path from finding a kaomoji to copying it as short and clear as I can.
• Comfort. Soft colors and careful spacing, so each kaomoji feels like a tiny thing worth looking at.
• Ease. Tap a card to copy, on phone or computer.
• Honesty. Kaomoji are just symbols, so use them freely, personal or commercial. No sign-up, no app.

About the mascot

The "someone in the shop" is the mascot: a little 看板娘 (kanban-musume), the kind of shop girl who greets you at small stores in Japan. I call her Nyamoji (にゃもじ). I knew from the start that a tidy list would be forgotten by tomorrow. What I wanted was for you to leave thinking "oh, that's the site with that girl." So I put her there.

She follows your cursor with her eyes, blinks now and then, and even tries to look like she's breathing. Her face changes with the page and the mood, sixteen in all, and one of them is a cat pose with ears and whiskers. Copy a kaomoji and she does a happy little hop. Say hi if you spot them.

The small choices

Along the way I came to feel that a site's character comes less from big features than from small ones. Not just what to add, but what to leave out. Whether to bloom a soft rose glow where you tapped, or just swap the text. The background being a warm silk color instead of plain white. Only one accent, a single rose, so nothing drowns out the kaomoji.

The mascot is one of those choices too. She might look like decoration. But if her blinking and her little hop make choosing a kaomoji feel a touch softer, that's enough.

Running it, and pricing

Kaomojikan is free, all of it. I may show ads to keep it running, but never pop-ups that block you, or ads that hide the content until you dismiss them. I keep them quiet, and never let them cut in front of the kaomoji you came for. I don't sell your personal data. For details, see the privacy policy and terms.

Treat the shop cat

Copying is free, and always will be. But if you ever find yourself thinking "I like this," maybe treat the shop cat to a little snack? Anything you send goes toward the server bills and adding new kaomoji.

Contact

For thoughts, requests, or bug reports, drop me a line anytime. "I wish you had this kaomoji" requests are very welcome too.