What the lenny face is
The lenny face, ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°), is a text face with a sly, knowing look. People add it to a message to hint that there is more to it than the words say, or simply as a playful reaction. Like other text faces, it is made only of characters, so it pastes as plain text.
What it is made of
The face looks simple, but it combines characters from several corners of Unicode:
- The eyes are degree signs (°), the same character used in 20°C.
- The eyebrows are a combining mark called the combining double inverted breve. It has no width of its own and draws an arch over the character next to it, which is why the eyes look raised.
- The nose and mouth are ʖ, the Latin letter inverted glottal stop, a letter used in phonetic writing, with a combining double breve below it that draws the smile.
- The parentheses are ordinary brackets that frame the face.
Because the eyebrows and the smile are combining marks, they attach to whatever character sits next to them. That is why typing the face by hand rarely works, and why it can shift a little between fonts. Copying it keeps every piece in the right order.
Variants
Swap the degree signs for other characters and the mood changes: ( ͡ᵔ ͜ʖ ͡ᵔ ) looks pleased, ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°) winks, ( ͡ಠ ͜ʖ ͡ಠ) stares, and ( ͡♥ ͜ʖ ͡♥) is smitten. Add arms and props and it can shrug, point, peek around a wall, put on sunglasses or flip a table. All of them are on this page, alongside the original.
How to use this page
- Tap to copy any face, then paste it into a chat, a comment or a post.
- Search for a word such as wink, heart or table.
- Collect several faces and copy them in one go.
Every face is plain text, so it pastes anywhere text is accepted. For hundreds more text faces sorted by mood, see the kaomoji page.
Screen readers read each character in turn, so the lenny face may be announced as a string of names such as "degree sign". Keep the meaning of your message in words.
Questions
How do I copy the lenny face?
Tap ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) at the top of the list. It is copied right away, ready to paste.
What characters make up the lenny face?
Two degree signs for the eyes, combining double inverted breves for the eyebrows, the Latin letter inverted glottal stop (ʖ) for the nose and mouth, a combining double breve below for the smile, and two parentheses.
Why does the lenny face look broken in some places?
The eyebrows and smile are combining marks that sit on top of or below other characters. Some fonts place them differently, so the face can look slightly off. Copying the full face keeps the characters in order.
Can I copy several lenny faces at once?
Yes. Switch "Tap to" to Collect, tap the faces you want, then press Copy all.