Kaoani

Kaoani is the term for an animated variant of smileys or emoticons, made up of the Japanese terms for “ face ” ( 顔 , kao ) and “ animation ” ( ア ニ , ani ) . The spelling Kao-ani and the abbreviation Kao are also used .

The Kaoanis, which come from Japan and are therefore also known as Japanese smileys or Japanese emoticons , usually move up and down. The size of the dark field under the figures, which is supposed to represent their shadow, changes. This is to illustrate that a Kaoani is floating.

The faces of the Kaoanis express emotions like smileys , which makes them related to emoticons . There is a particular similarity to the Japanese emoticon variant, the Kaomojis , often incorrectly referred to as emojis . By adding to the rounded, flattened base, which is wider at the bottom - which, unlike the smiley, is white - Kaoanis can embody numerous characters, such as animals, food or cartoon characters. Kaoanis also depict activities with additional accessories.

Kaoanis are usually implemented as files in Graphics Interchange Format (GIF), but other formats for animated graphics are also possible, such as APNG . The animation is created by the sequence of several slightly changed individual images, with Kaoanis usually at least four, which then represent a continuous movement as an endless loop. A frequently used sequence speed of the individual images is 0.2 seconds per image.

Like smileys and emoticons, Kaoanis are used in many forms of Internet communication, especially Internet forums , chats, and blogs .

Examples

• 4-picture kaoanis (enlarged view)
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  Kaoani designed with a cockscomb and beak as a cock - pen and sheet mark it as writing.

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  The Kaoani shape, elongated at the top, resembles a rice ball ( onigiri ) - pompoms refer to cheerleading cheers

Web links

• Kao-ani . Tutorial with the basics of Kaoani design on Kao-ani.com