( = ^ - ^ =) \ ( ^ o \ ) ( / o ^ ) /

I started tutoring a Korean graduate student a few months ago, and when we first began exchanging e-mail, I was puzzled by the emoticons that would dot his correspondence. While I taught him proper article usage, he taught me that (T . T) meant he was crying because he had so much work and that (* ^ ^ *) meant he was blushing because he hadn't prepared for our meeting. I hadn't realized that the world of Asian emoticons was so much richer than our :) and ;). This chart of Japanese emoticons is brilliant (they obviously have more comprehensive keyboards) - I think this is the only way I will communicate from now on.

Link via Maud Newton