Editing UwU

{{short description|Emoticon denoting cuteness, smiling or happiness}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:''uwu''}}
[[File:Stylized uwu emoticon.svg|thumb|Stylized ''uwu'' emoticon as a [[blushing]] face|class=skin-invert-image]]
'''''uwu''''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|uː|w|uː|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-uwu.wav}}), also stylized '''''UwU''''', is an [[emoticon]] representing a [[cuteness|cute]] face. The ''u'' characters represent closed eyes, while the ''w'' represents a cat mouth. It is used to express various warm, happy, or affectionate feelings.
== Usage and variants ==
The emoticon ''uwu'' is often used to denote cuteness (''[[kawaii]]''), happiness, or tenderness. Excessive usage of the emoticon can also have the intended effect of annoying its recipient. It is popularly used in the [[furry fandom]].

=== OwO ===
The emoticon also has a more surprised and sometimes allusive variant, ''owo'' (also stylized ''OwO''; {{IPAc-en|ˈ|oʊ|w|oʊ|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-owo.wav}}; also associated with the furry fandom) that may also denote cuteness, as well as curiosity and perplexion (often the response "what's this?"). ''owo'' gained popularity in 2018; as opposed to ''uwu'', the ''o'' characters represent open eyes. It is also sometimes used for [[trolling]].

=== TwT ===
Another variant, ''TwT'', is often used to symbolize crying, with each T representing a closed eye with tears streaming down.

== History ==
The emoticon ''uwu'' is known to date back as far as April 11, 2000, when it was used by [[Furry Fandom|furry]] artist Ghislain Deslierres in a post on the furry art site VCL (Vixen Controlled Library). A 2005 [[anime]] [[fanfiction]] contained another early use of the word. The origin of the term is unknown, with many people believing it to originate in [[chat room|Internet chat rooms]]. By 2014, the emoticon had spread across the Internet into [[Tumblr]], becoming an [[Subculture|Internet subculture]].

The word ''uwu'' is included in the [[Royal Spanish Academy]]'s word observatory,{{Efn|The word observatory is a website owned by the Royal Spanish Academy featuring words that are not included in the ''[[Diccionario 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.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Morales|first=Manuel|date=2020-10-23|title=La RAE presenta su nueva web, con un 'Observatorio' de palabras que no están en el 'Diccionario'|url=https://elpais.com/cultura/2020-10-23/la-rae-presenta-su-nueva-web-con-un-observatorio-de-palabras-que-no-estan-en-el-diccionario.html|access-date=June 4, 2021|work=[[El País]]|language=es|archive-date=2021-07-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210705171521/https://elpais.com/cultura/2020-10-23/la-rae-presenta-su-nueva-web-con-un-observatorio-de-palabras-que-no-estan-en-el-diccionario.html|url-status=live}}</ref>}} defined as an "emoticon used to show happiness or tenderness".

==See also==
*[[List of emoticons]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{sister project auto}}
* {{Know Your Meme | uwu | uwu}}

{{Furry fandom}}
{{Internet slang}}{{Generation Z slang}}
[[Category:Emoticons]]
[[Category:Furry fandom]]
[[Category:Internet memes introduced in 2000]]
[[Category:2000 neologisms]]
[[Category:Internet slang]]