Wink and smug kaomoji
A wink says "I'm joking" or "you know what I mean". A smug face says "I told you so". Both are easy to draw in text, and both change the tone of a message in a way words struggle to. This page has winks, smirks and a few confident faces to copy.
How to draw a wink
One eye stays open and the other is replaced by a dash or a tilde. In (^_-) the dash is the closed eye. In (^_~) the tilde makes it look a bit more playful. You can also tilt the mouth: (◕‿-) has a small smile and a clear wink.
Making it more playful
- Add a star: (^_-)-☆ looks like a wink with a flourish.
- Add a heart: (°ᴗ°)~♡ is flirty.
- Add a hand: (´ω`)ゞ looks like a cheeky salute.
- Use a thumbs-up like (´∀｀)b for a friendly "nice one".
Smug faces
A smug face has half-closed eyes and a flat or slightly curved mouth, like (￣ー￣) or (▰˘◡˘▰). They work when you are pleased with yourself, or when you want to say "of course" without sounding annoyed.
Which to use
| Meaning | Try |
|---|---|
| Just kidding | (^_-) · (^_~) |
| Flirty | (°ᴗ°)~♡ · (・ω<)☆ |
| Cheeky salute | (≧▽≦)ゞ · (˘ᴗ˘)ゞ |
| Smug | (￣ー￣) · (▰˘◡˘▰) |
A wink after a compliment can come across as flirting, so use it with people who know you. For a friendlier message, try the happy kaomoji, and for sneakier plans see the evil faces.
Where winks work best
A wink is a tone marker. It turns a blunt sentence into a joke: "sure, I'll carry all the bags (^_-)". It also softens teasing, so a friend knows you are laughing with them. In longer messages, one wink at the end is plenty, because several in a row can feel forced.