A small character about to hug a koala-style bear. Two faces, two roles. On the left, ੭ and ੭ are Gurmukhi script characters used as arms reaching out, and the face inside has ˊ and ˋ closed-eye accents and a ᵕ soft smile — eager and friendly. On the right, the bear is the famous ʕ ʔ bracket-style bear face (a kaomoji shape that has become almost a brand of its own), with ᵔ teddy-bear ears, // blush lines, the special character Ꮂ (Cherokee ‘gv’) as a wide expressive snout, and a ✿ flower stuck near its ear.
The scene is half the appeal: a person is about to embrace a small flowered bear. The blush lines on the bear suggest it is being made shy by the affection. This kind of multi-character composition is one of the strengths of the kaomoji vocabulary — you can do small visual stories.
Use it as a wholesome reaction when something cute happens — sharing a pet, sending love to a friend who needs a hug, or replying to a kawaii-aesthetic post. It is especially well suited to Discord servers and Tumblr-style aesthetic accounts on Twitter/X and Instagram. The bear is the star.
In Japanese the ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ family is sometimes called クマ (kuma — bear) or, when smaller and softer, くまさん (kuma-san — Mr/Ms Bear). Pair this kaomoji with ぎゅっとだきしめたい (‘gyutto dakishimetai’ — ‘I want to hold you tight’) or もふもふ (‘mofu mofu’ — the onomatopoeia for soft fluffy things).