iPhone does not include kaomoji — Japanese text faces made from punctuation — in its built-in emoji keyboard. To get kaomoji on iPhone, you need to either copy them manually each time or set up a dedicated keyboard that keeps your favourites one tap away.
WordBoard is the fastest way to do this. You save your kaomoji once and insert them anywhere from a custom keyboard key.
Install WordBoard, add your favourite kaomoji as custom keys, enable the keyboard in iOS Settings, and tap them from any app. Setup takes about five minutes.
Search for WordBoard or tap the Download button below. Open the app after installing.
Go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard, then choose WordBoard. Enable Full Access so your keys sync across devices.
Inside the WordBoard app, tap + to create a new key. Paste the kaomoji you want — for example ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ or (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ — and give it a short label.
Create groups like Happy, Sad, Cute, or Reactions so you can find the right face quickly while typing.
Switch to WordBoard by holding the globe icon, then tap a key to insert your kaomoji into any app.
If you do not have kaomoji saved yet, copy them from:
For a full walkthrough including screenshots, see the step-by-step guide to adding kaomoji to iPhone keyboard. For a broader overview of kaomoji on iOS, visit the Ultimate Guide to Kaomoji on iPhone or the kaomoji keyboard for iPhone page.