Sure, the CryLaugh emoji is pretty utilitarian. The TongueWink can save the dullest of exchanges. But you know you've found yourself in a position where the usual assortment of smiles, flags and aubergines has failed to communicate your emotions to the fullest degree.
Enter stage left, hero of the hour: the Japanese Kana keyboard.
Rather than using the universal Unicode Emoji, the little-known Kana keyboard has a preselection of emotive faces that use conventional keyboard symbols and Japanese characters.
By activating this on your iPhone keyboard, you'll be able to employ expressive symbols such as ¯_(ツ)_/¯ , (ಥ﹏ಥ) and even ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ.
Here's how.
[H/T: Mashable]
First
Head to settings, and scroll down to General.
Then
You'll want to head to Keyboard.
Next
Rather than hitting Emoji, you'll want to head to Add New Keyboard...
Select Japanese...
By selecting the Japanese keyboard, you're given two options. You'll want to pick the Kana keyboard.
Then
Open a new message and press that little Globe symbol to bring up your selected keyboard entry. Switch it to the Japanese Kana keyboard.
You'll want to click the face
See that little face? Click it. You'll be presented with a small roll of possible faces. If you press that arrow next to them...
Bingo
You now have several hundred new emotions to express yourself with - and they'll work no matter what phone version you're sending them to.
