Translation guide
A 'smiley' is a simple drawing or symbol of a smiling face, often used in digital communication. In Japanese, it is commonly referred to by the loanword スマイリー, but there are also native terms and related emoji expressions.
Referring to the classic yellow smiley face icon or text-based emoticons like :)
The direct loanword from English, widely understood in Japanese, especially in digital contexts.
This smiley emoji is used often.
Literally 'smile mark', a common term for the smiley face symbol.
A smiley face is printed on the T-shirt.
A cute, colloquial term for a smiley face, often used in casual conversation. 'Niko' is onomatopoeia for smiling.
The child drew a smiley face in the notebook.
Refers to text-based emoticons like (^_^) rather than graphical smileys. Not a direct translation of 'smiley' but related.
Japanese emoticons are a bit different from Western smileys.
Describing someone who is cheerful and often smiling
That kid is always a smiley person and brightens up the surroundings.