Learn Japanese
Code Languages
Amaze
your friends
with special Japanese code languages! As if the Japanese language isn't hard
enough, Japanese people, usually teen girls, are constantly coming up with new
secret
code
languages.
Kaomoji 顔文字
Kaomoji "face letters" are basically
fancy typed emoticon symbols. The use of kaomoji
is still popular in emails and blogs, although they are giving way to
emoji (see below) these days. The original kaomoji is
the
smiley
face
:) which
everyone knows, but of course, the Japanese have made an art form of kaomoji,
often including words as well. Here are some neat-o ones:
ヽ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ ﾊｰｲ jubilant yes!
( ﾟДﾟ)ァﾊﾊ八八ﾉヽﾉヽﾉヽﾉ ＼ / ＼/ ＼ laughing
（〃д〃）きゃ～♪ a blush and a scream
┐(￣ー￣)┌ a shrug
"o(￣ﾍ￣;)｡o０○(ｺﾛｽ…)" mad and thinking the word korosu (kill!)
☆＾▽＾☆ or （≧∀≦）♪ happy / joyful
＿〆ヾ(￣(エ)￣ ﾒﾓﾒﾓ･･･ a bear taking a memo (who has time to think these up!!!!???)
(･ｪ･^ )( ^･ｪ･)ｷｮﾛｷｮﾛ(･ｪ･^ )( ^･ｪ･) looking nervously for something (kyorokyoro is a gitaigo - go look in that section of the Student Lobby too!)
Gyarumoji ギャル文字
Gyaru ("gal" or "girl")
letters, originally called hetamoji ("unskilled; poorly written letters"),
are used mostly by younger girls (and old man perverts trying to pass themselves
off as girls) in blogs, emails and text messages. The phenomenon reached its
peak in 2002 as a secret language among teen girls. They ould write text messages
on crowded trains without nosy adults (and boys?) reading what they were writing.
The trend has spread to 20-somethings using gyarumoji in the office, which
is quite obnoxious to coworkers not in the gyarumoji loop. Can you read
this:
こωL＝ちレ￡。レ十“w(キ?
こんにちは。げんき？(Hello. How are you?)
The gyarumoji script consists of Japanese kana/kanji, math symbols, English, Russian and Greek letters (some Hebrew and Arabic too, anything goes). As you can see below, pieces of different letters are thrown together, like a piece of a kanji with a math symbol. There isn't a strict "alphabet" - the gyarumoji pros create new symbols all the time.
Here is a gyarumoji chart. There are always some exceptions and new characters added, this is just a starting point. You can type in gyarumoji by using your Japanese input editor's (Language Bar) soft keyboard. As for typing an entire paragraph in gyarumoji, it is probably easier to use an online generator.
あ → ぁ ァ †の 了
い → ぃ ィ ﾚヽ ﾚ｀
う → ぅ ゥ 宀
え → ぇ ェ 工 ヱ
お → ぉ ォ す｀ 才
か → ヵ ヵヽ ヵ| ヵゝ
き → (‡ ‡ (￥ (≠
く → ＜ < 勹 ﾉ7
け → ヶ († ﾚ† (t
こ → ⊇ ⊃ ＝ 〓
さ → ± (＋ _†
し → ∪ ι υ ＝ﾉ
す → ￡
せ → 世
そ → ζ ヽﾉ
た → T＝ ﾅﾆ †⊇ 夕
ち → 千
つ → ⊃ ”ﾉ
て → τ 〒
と → ヽ⊂ ｀⊂ ┣
な → ﾅょ ﾅま
に → (＝ (〓 (こ ﾚこ L=
ぬ → ゐ 又
ね → йё
の → ￠ σ
は → (よ (ょ ﾚよ ﾚょ
ひ → Ｍ μ ／∪ヽ
ふ → ､ξヽ ,3､
へ → ∧
ほ → (ま ﾚま 木
ま → ма м∀
み → ゐ 彡 ≡
む → ￡` ∠､
め → × 乂
も → мо м○
や → ゃ ャ
ゆ → ゅ ュ
よ → ょ ョ ∋ ∃
ら → яа я∀
り → ﾚ) ﾚﾉ Ｌ)
る → ゑ ゐ
れ → яё я∃
ろ → З з
わ → ゎ ヮ ωа
を → що щ○ ω○
ん → ω
が → ヵ” ヵヽ” ヵ|” ヵゞ ヵヾ
ぎ → (‡” ‡” (￥゛ (≠゛
ぐ → ＜” <゛ 勹” ﾉ7”
げ → ヶ” (†゛ ﾚ†” (t”
ご → ⊇” ⊃” ＝” 〓”
ざ → ±” (＋” _†”
じ → ∪” ι” υ” ＝ﾉ”
ず → ￡”
ぜ → 世”
ぞ → ζ゛ ヽﾉ゛
だ → T＝゛ ﾅﾆ” †⊇” 夕”
ぢ → 千”
づ → ⊃” ”ﾉ゛
で → τ゛ 〒゛
ど → ヽ⊂゛ ｀⊂” ┣”
ば → (よ” (ょ” ﾚよ” ﾚょ”
び → Ｍ” μ” ／∪ヽ”
ぶ → ､ξヽ” ,3､”
べ → ∧”
ぼ → (ま” ﾚま” 木”
ぱ → (よ○ (ょﾟ ﾚよ○ ﾚょﾟ
ぴ → Ｍﾟ μ○ ／∪ヽﾟ
ぷ → ､ξヽﾟ ,3､○
ぺ → ∧○
ぽ → (ま○ ﾚまﾟ 木○
～例～ (examples)
松 → 木公 → ～ ┣ ﾚヽﾚヽ木公♪ → ～といい松(まつ＝ます)♪
好 → 女子 → 女子（‡ﾅﾆ”∋★ → 好きだヨ★
許 → 言午 → 言午∪τ↓(＋ ﾚヽ！ → 許してください！
頭 → 豆頁 → 豆頁ﾚヽﾅﾆаааﾚヽ…o → 頭いたぁぁぁい…o
イ吏ﾚヽ￡（‡”ﾚこωа ∪”ゅ宀 ,3､”ω ﾐ主意∪τйё♪♪
(使いすぎには じゅうぶん 注意してね♪♪)
（‡яаﾚヽﾅょＭ┣ ωа ﾚヽ⊃ﾚよ○ﾚヽ ﾚヽゑヵゝяайё；↓
(きらいな人は いっぱい いるからね；↓)
Gyarumoji generator
Emoji 絵文字
Gyarumoji are extremely tedious to type in text messages on cell phones, so now
the trend is to use emoji ("picture
letters"). The emoji include emoticons as well as
pictures (crab, beer, flower etc. there are thousands of them) but instead
of just one emoticon, the user will input a string of them to make a sentence.
Japanese
cell phone companies (like DoCoMo)
now
have
applications to handle many emoji pictograms. Emoji are now more popular than kaomoji (they are fancier and easier to remember
the meaning) but again, more popular with females.
Emoji Pictograph Examples (PDF)
DoCoMo Basic Pictograms
DoCoMo Expansion Pictograms
Full set of emoji across all phone companies (takes awhile to download)
Apple
and Google propose emoji app