What Does UwU Mean? A Complete Guide to This Cutesy Emoticon

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Plus, your very own UwU speak generator to create cutsey messages

Co-authored by Devin McSween Reviewed by Candace Gasper

Last Updated: June 24, 2025 Fact Checked

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Meaning & Usage

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Origin

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Who uses UwU?

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Is it inappropriate?

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Related Emoticons

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UwU Translator

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Video

UwU (also written as uwu) pops up in a lot of online spaces, from social media posts and texts to fan art. But what do these 3 letters actually represent? We’re here to help! UwU is a popular emoticon of a smiling face that’s meant to express cuteness, affection, and happiness. In this article, we’ll go over the different definitions of UwU and how it’s used, explain where it comes from, and tell you who commonly uses it online. We’ll also provide you with an UwU translator to generate your own cutesy messages.

What is the meaning of UwU?

UwU (or uwu) is an emoticon that depicts a cute face: the “U”s are closed eyes and the “w” is a smiling mouth. It expresses sweet feelings like affection, happiness, and delight. People primarily use it at the end of a message to gush about something adorable or to make themselves sound more cutesy.

Section 1 of 5:

UwU Meanings & Uses

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1
UwU is an emoticon that expresses cuteness and happiness. UwU (also written as uwu) is a cutesy emoticon: the “U”s are closed, content eyes and the “w” is a sweet, smiling mouth. You use UwU to represent all kinds of warm and fuzzy feelings, like affection, delight, and joy. You typically add it to the end of your message when talking about something cute, when you want to appear cutesy, or when you want to add an adorable tone to your texts.^{[1]
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- Examples:
  - “Aww, you got me flowers? You’re the sweetest UwU”
  - “My cat is purring so loud in my lap! I love him so much uwu”
  - “Can’t wait to see you tonight! I’m gonna attack you with kisses UwU”
- People who use UwU might text using cutesy, lovey-dovey language, like “I wuv you UwU” or “sowwy I’m feeling sweepy, goodnight! Uwu.”
- Note: Since UwU is an emoticon, it’s not something that you actually pronounce. For instance, no one says :) or :( out loud!
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UwU can also express shyness or bashfulness. Lots of people use the UwU emoticon when they want to represent feelings of timidness and nervousness in a cutesy, or even flirty, way. It’s meant to make you look demure, blushing, and sweetly bashful. For instance, you might text UwU when telling your crush that they look cute or when asking them on a date.
- Examples:
  - “I meant to tell you in person, but I got too shy…I think you’re really cute uwu”
  - “I had a fun time on our date! When can I see you again 👉👈 UwU”
  - “I can’t believe I’m saying this 😳 but I really really like you UwU”
- In this context, UwU is often paired with the 👉👈 emojis, which are typically used to represent cutesy or flirty shyness and awkwardness, especially when making a request. They can also indicate that someone is crushing hard on someone, or being a bit of a simp.^{[2]
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Uwu can be used as a word instead of an emoticon, but it’s not as common. Some people use “uwu” as a noun, verb, or adjective that you say, and pronounce it like “oo-woo.” You might say that something is “uwu,” like when seeing an adorable dog or talking about your partner. You can also say that you feel “uwu” and use it in place of feelings like love, joy, and gratitude.
- Examples:
  - “Your new puppy is so uwu! I can’t stand how cute she is! 🥰”
  - “Whenever he holds my hand, I feel all uwu inside 🥹🥰”
  - “Feeling extra uwu for you guys! I’m so thankful to call you my friends.”
- Note: This is a less common usage of “uwu.” Most people use UwU as a smiley emoticon, which you do not pronounce.

Section 2 of 5:

Origins of UwU

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UwU likely stems from Japanese emoticons, called kaomoji. Kaomoji are emoticons that use Japanese characters, English characters, and punctuation marks to create kawaii, or “cute,” smiley faces online. These emojis originated in Japan in the late 1980s and gained popularity in the West in the 2000s.^{[3]
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- The UwU emoticon may be a more simplified version of kaomojis like •⩊• and (o･ω･o).
- Kaomojis are tied to “kawaii” culture in Japan. They’re often used on adorable mascots, accessories, and drawn on anime and manga characters.
The first recorded use of UwU online was in 2005, where it was added to a fanfiction about Yu-Gi-Oh. However, it’s very possible (and likely) that it was used in chat rooms and fan sites before 2005.^{[4]
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As the popularity of kawaii culture, anime, and manga grew in the West, so did the use of the UwU emoticon. It gained popularity on fan sites, particularly those surrounding anime and manga, and Tumblr in the early 2010s. By the late 2010s, it gained mainstream traction online, whether it was used genuinely or to mock the emoticon, which many people found cringey.

Section 3 of 5:

Who uses UwU?

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UwU and uwu are popular emoticons for lovers of all things anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture in general. People may use it when talking about their favorite kawaii characters or when drawing cutesy fan art.
UwU is also a popular emoticon for fans in all different kinds of fandoms, including music groups, TV shows, movies, and books. People use it in a cutesy or affectionate way to talk about their favorite characters, share fan art, and connect with fellow fandom members.
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Furry communities UwU is largely associated with the furry community, with many furries using the adorable emoticon. The emoticon has the same meanings in the furry community as it does online: people use it to express cuteness and happiness, or to act cutesy and demure.^{[5]
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- The furry community is also associated with other related emoticons, like OwO. We’ll go over these other emoticons in the section below!
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People with a cutesy or feminine aesthetic Because the UwU emoticon is considered cute and kawaii, it’s also commonly used by people with this aesthetic. People with this aesthetic often wear feminine and frilly clothing and accessories, dress in soft colors like pink, enjoy cutesy characters like Hello Kitty, and act sweet and innocent.
- People with this aesthetic may speak in an “uwu voice,” which is a childish, cutesy way of speaking. It usually involves talking in a higher-pitched voice and pronouncing words like a child, such as “sowwy” (“sorry”) or “I’m a wittle tired” (“I’m a little tired.”)^{[6]
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Meme enthusiasts and naysayers While UwU is embraced by a lot of people, many others find the emoticon overused, annoying, and cringey. So, it’s used in lots of memes and copypastas to poke fun at people who use UwU genuinely. Lots of people ironically or sarcastically add the emoticon to their texts and social media posts to make fun of UwU, too.^{[7]
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- For instance, some people might use UwU to poke fun at communities they find cringey, like anime fans (often derogatorily called “weebs”) and furries.

Section 4 of 5:

Is UwU inappropriate?

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No, UwU is generally not considered inappropriate. UwU is simply a cute, smiley emoticon that’s similar to other popular emoticons like :), :D, and <3. It is primarily used to express affection, joy, and adorableness. Even when “uwu” is said as a word (“oo-woo”), it’s just meant to make someone sound cute or to express affection.
- Some people do use UwU to mock others for using the emoticon, which some people may find inappropriate. It is also commonly used in memes that may be seen as inappropriate.
- However, at its core, UwU is just a cute emoticon that doesn’t have any negative or inappropriate meanings.

Section 5 of 5:

Related Emoticons

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UwU is related to lots of other cute emoticons. There are plenty of other kawaii emoticons that you can use to express different emotions. Check out some of the most popular emoticons below!
- OwO (or owo) expresses surprise or curiosity
- ^ - ^ expresses happiness or contentment
- ;-; expresses crying or sadness
- T_T expresses crying or sadness
- ￣ー￣ expresses disappointment or un-amusement
- >_< expresses embarrassment, worry, or distress
- ._.; expresses disappointment or anxiety
- ^.^ expresses blushing, gratitude, or flirtiness
- +_+ expresses feeling confused or disoriented
- \o/ expresses cheer, excitement, or cheering

UwU Translator

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