Bear kaomoji: the classic ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ
The bear face ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ is one of the most recognisable kaomoji. Its round ears come from ʕ and ʔ, two letters of the International Phonetic Alphabet. The ᴥ in the middle is a small phonetic letter that looks just like a bear's snout.
Bears in action
- Hugs: ʕっ•ᴥ•ʔっ reaches out for a cuddle.
- Waving: ʕ •ᴥ•ʔゝ☆ gives a cheerful salute.
- Sleepy: ʕ – ᴥ – ʔ and ʕ ꈍᴥꈍʔ have their eyes closed.
- Grumpy: ʕノ•ᴥ•ʔノ ︵ ┻━┻ is a bear flipping a table.
- Ready for action: ʕง•ᴥ•ʔง puts its fists up.
The older style (￣(ｴ)￣)ﾉ draws the bear with ｴ as its nose and was popular on early Japanese message boards.
When to use them
Bear kaomoji feel warm and huggable, so they suit thank-you notes, "miss you" messages and cosy captions. They also make a cute signature for a profile.
See the cat kaomoji for more animals, or the love set for more hugs.
Building your own bear
Every bear kaomoji starts with the same frame, ʕ and ʔ, with the snout ᴥ in the middle. Change the eyes to change the mood:
- • • for the classic happy bear: ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ
- ᵔ ᵔ for a smiling bear: ʕ ᵔᴥᵔ ʔ
- ꈍ ꈍ or – – for a sleepy bear: ʕ ꈍᴥꈍʔ
- •̀ •́ for a determined bear: ʕ•̀ᴥ•́ʔ
Then add arms or props outside the frame: っ for a hug, ノ for a wave, ง for fists, or a ☕ for a cosy coffee bear: ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ☕.
Where bear faces fit best
Bears feel warm and huggable, so they suit thank-you notes, "miss you" texts, good-morning messages and cosy captions. In a bio, a single ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ after your name is a friendly touch that doesn't take much space.