How to Use Kaomoji in Discord Without Breaking Them

Updated · 3 min read

Discord reads some of the characters inside kaomoji as formatting. Underscores and asterisks turn into italics, a backslash vanishes, and :) can become an emoji. This guide explains exactly which faces break, why, and the two-second fixes that keep them intact in messages, nicknames, and your profile.

Why kaomoji break in Discord

Discord uses Markdown, a set of shortcuts where certain characters change how text looks. Kaomoji use many of the same characters as decoration, so Discord sometimes formats the face instead of showing it. These are the characters to watch:

CharacterWhat Discord does with itFaces it affects
\ (backslash)Hides the next character's formatting and disappears itself¯\_(ツ)_/¯ loses its left arm
_ (underscore)Two of them make the text between them italicTwo faces like (^_^) in one message
* (asterisk)Two of them make italic or bold text(*^▽^*) loses its cheeks
~~StrikethroughFaces with wavy arms like ~(˘▾˘~)
||Spoiler barFaces drawn with || sides
# or - at the start of a lineHeading or list item when followed by a spaceFaces that begin with these symbols

Fix the shrug: the missing arm

When you paste ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, Discord treats the backslash as an escape for the underscore, so the backslash disappears and the shrug loses its left arm. Add two more backslashes so one survives:

  • ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯

    Discord-safe shrug

    Paste this into Discord; it displays as the normal shrug with both arms.

  • ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

    Normal shrug

    Use this everywhere else: WhatsApp, iMessage, Instagram, and email.

Tip: Discord also has a built-in /shrug command. Type /shrug, press Enter, and it posts the face with the arm intact. More variants are on the shrug kaomoji page.

Fix italics from underscores and asterisks

One face on its own is usually fine. Trouble starts when a message has two underscores or two asterisks, because Discord pairs them up. (*^▽^*) becomes (^▽^) in italics, and 'hi (^_^) bye (^_^)' italicizes everything between the two underscores. There are two fixes:

  1. Escape the symbol: put a backslash before each * or _ in the face, as in (\*^▽^\*). The backslash is hidden and the asterisks show.
  2. Wrap the face in backticks: `(*^▽^*)` shows the face exactly as typed, in a code-style box with a monospace font. This is the most reliable fix for complex faces such as table flips.

Stop :) turning into an emoji

Discord can convert Western emoticons such as :) and :( into emoji as you type. Kaomoji are not affected, but faces that contain those pairs can be. To keep text emoticons as text, open User Settings › Chat and turn off the option that converts emoticons in your messages to emoji.

Kaomoji in names, status, and About Me

  • Username: Discord usernames only allow lowercase letters, numbers, periods, and underscores, so kaomoji cannot go there.
  • Display name and server nickname: these accept Unicode, so a short face works. Keep it brief, because display names have a small character limit and long faces push your name off screen on mobile.
  • Custom status and About Me: both accept kaomoji. Formatting rules apply to About Me, so use the same escaping tricks.
  • Server and channel names: channel names are converted to lowercase with dashes, which mangles most faces. Put kaomoji in the channel topic instead.

Short faces work best in names: (•‿•), ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ, and UwU from the uwu kaomoji page are all compact and use widely supported characters.

The same fixes work on Reddit and Markdown apps

Reddit, GitHub, Slack, and many note apps use the same Markdown rules, so a shrug or (*^▽^*) breaks there for the same reason. Escaping with a backslash or wrapping the face in backticks fixes it in all of them. Apps without Markdown, such as WhatsApp, iMessage, and Instagram, show faces exactly as pasted.

Frequently asked questions

  • Why does my shrug lose an arm in Discord?

    Discord treats the backslash in ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ as a formatting escape and hides it. Type ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯ instead, or use the /shrug command.

  • How do I stop kaomoji turning italic in Discord?

    Put a backslash before each * or _ in the face, or wrap the whole face in backticks so Discord shows it as plain code text.

  • Can I put a kaomoji in my Discord username?

    No. Usernames only allow lowercase letters, numbers, periods, and underscores. Your display name, server nickname, status, and About Me can include kaomoji.