uwu (/ˈuːwuː/ⓘ), also stylizedUwU, is anemoticon representing acute face. Theu characters represent closed eyes, while thew represents a cat mouth.[1][2] It is used to express various warm, happy, or affectionate feelings.
The emoticonuwu is often used to denote cuteness (kawaii), happiness, or tenderness.[2][3] Excessive usage of the emoticon can also have the intended effect of annoying its recipient.[4] It is popularly used in thefurry fandom.[2][5]
The emoticon also has a more surprised and sometimes allusive variant,owo (also stylizedOwO;/ˈoʊwoʊ/ⓘ; also associated with the furry fandom and often the response "what's this?")[2] that may also denote cuteness, as well as curiosity and perplexion.[6]owo gained popularity in 2018;[5] as opposed touwu, theo characters represent open eyes.[5] It is also sometimes used fortrolling.[7] Another variant,TwT, is often used to symbolize crying, with each T representing a closed eye with tears streaming down.[8]
The emoticonuwu is known to date back as far as April 11, 2000, when it was used byfurry artist Ghislain Deslierres in a post on the furry art site VCL (Vixen Controlled Library).[9] A 2005animefanfiction contained another early use of the word. The origin of the term is unknown, with many people believing it to originate inInternet chat rooms. By 2014, the emoticon had spread across the Internet intoTumblr, becoming anInternet subculture.[4]
The worduwu is included in theRoyal Spanish Academy's word observatory,[a] defined as an "emoticon used to show happiness or tenderness".[3][11]
^The word observatory is a website owned by the Royal Spanish Academy featuring words that are not included in theDiccionario de la lengua española and that have not been considered for inclusion, but for which people have wanted to know the meaning, including technical terms, neologisms, and foreign words.[10]
