Emoticons are a fun and easy way to convey emotion and meaning in digital communication. The emoticon *_* is a popular one that expresses excitement, awe, and wonder. But what exactly does *_* mean and how is it used?
The Meaning of *_*
The *_* emoticon depicts wide eyes, often anime-style eyes. The two asterisks represent shining, twinkling, or sparkling eyes. This helps create a sense of amazement, fascination, and being starry-eyed.
Some key meanings associated with the *_* emoticon include:
- Excitement – It conveys a feeling of excitement, enthusiasm, eager anticipation, or thrill.
- Awe – It expresses a sense of awe, wonder, amazement, or being impressed.
- Cuteness – It can depict something being overwhelmingly cute or adorable.
- Desire – It may communicate desire, longing, or wishing for something.
- Joy – It can show happiness, delight, elation, or joyfulness.
Overall, the shining eyes convey strong, positive emotions of happiness, excitement, and fascination.
When Is *_* Used?
Here are some common situations and contexts where someone may use the *_* emoticon:
- Seeing something extremely cute like a puppy, kitten, or baby.
- When excited about an upcoming fun event like a concert or vacation.
- After receiving a thoughtful gift from someone.
- When looking forward to a holiday like Christmas or a birthday.
- If someone has a crush and are messaging them.
- When watching an entertaining or suspenseful movie or TV show.
- Seeing an inspiring work of art, landmark, or natural wonder.
- Talking about a favorite celebrity, band, or interest.
- Reacting to good news or a positive development.
In general, people use *_* to add greater emotion and emphasis to messages to show heightened feelings of positivity. It helps liven up and enrich conversations.
Variations and Combinations
There are a few common variations of *_* used to convey slightly different meanings:
- *∇* – Twinkling, excited eyes with greater emphasis.
- ^_^ – Upward looking eyes showing more innocence or cuteness.
- °_° – Wide, shocked or surprised eyes.
- O_O – Extremely surprised or astonished eyes.
*_* can also be combined with other emoticons for more complex expressions like:
- ^_^* – Cute, happy, and excited looking.
- ^-^* – Pleased, blushing, and bashful looking.
- x_x – Tired eyes but still positive.
- o.o* – Surprised in a fascinated or impressed way.
Comparisons to Related Emoticons
Here’s how *_* compares to some other excited or fascinated looking emoticon expressions:
| Emoticons | Meaning |
|---|---|
| *_* | Awe, fascination, starry-eyed |
| 😀 | Very happy, grinning |
| ^_^ | Happy in a cute way |
| o.o | Surprise and astonishment |
| O.O | Shock and disbelief |
| 😉 | Winking, flirty |
While related to other excited and happy emoticons, *_* specifically expresses a sense of awe, amazement, and wonder.
Origin and History
The *_* emoticon grew out of the culture of anime and manga in Japan. It is meant to depict the Kawaii style of wide, shiny anime eyes used to show excitement and positive emotions.
Anime eyes are often exaggerated with sparkles and gleams to convey emotions in a visual shorthand. This was adapted into the text-based emoticon *_* to convey the same meanings.
It became especially popular globally in the 2000s with the increased use of instant messaging, social media, texting, and messaging apps where emoticons flourished as a way to communicate emotions through text.
It spread beyond anime fans to become commonly used in digital communication world-wide along with other anime-inspired emoticons like ^_^ and T_T.
Cultural Notes
In Asian countries like Japan and China, *_* is widely used and people associate it with the positive anime and manga meanings.
However, in other regions like North America and Europe it may be seen as less mainstream. Some people may use anime-style emoticons while others opt for more generic smiley faces.
So consider your audience when using *_* as some people may not be as familiar with the anime associations. It’s become more globally known over time but started in anime subcultures.
Tips for Use
Here are some tips for when and how to effectively use the *_* emoticon:
- Use it for conveying excitement, joy, awe, fascination, etc. Choose it over a generic smiley when you want to express more enthusiasm.
- Try pairing it with other emoticons for more nuanced meanings.
- Use sparingly for the biggest impact. Too many in a row can seem overdone.
- Avoid overusing it to the point it loses meaning. Reserve for your most excited messages.
- Consider your audience and whether they’ll readily understand the anime associations.
- Don’t solely rely on it to convey meaning. Also use words to express your feelings clearly.
Conclusion
The *_* emoticon is a fun and expressive way to communicate stronger feelings of awe, excitement, happiness, and being impressed. It adds visual emphasis to text conversations. Use it when you want to show your enthusiasm and fascination!