ASCII Art
Shrug ASCII
The universal 'who knows' shrug, built from a Japanese katakana face.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Try Shrug ASCII
Edit the text, then change the font and size.
About this entry
What it is
The universal 'who knows' shrug, built from a Japanese katakana face.
Use when you have no idea, no opinion, or no better answer.
Copy & use
How to copy and use shrug ascii
- 01
Copy the complete value
Use the copy button above so the value is captured without its label, description or surrounding page text.
- 02
Paste it where you need it
Use when you have no idea, no opinion, or no better answer.
- 03
Check the final result
Monospace fonts preserve the intended spacing. Use fenced code blocks or preformatted text in apps that collapse repeated spaces, and check backslashes when pasting into source code.
Read the drawing
How this shrug ascii works
The raised macrons become shoulders, slashes form the arms and the katakana character ツ creates the face. It is technically a kaomoji rather than traditional ASCII because several characters come from Unicode.
Copy it without breaking the spacing
Copy the whole shrug instead of typing it from memory: the first arm needs a backslash, which chat apps and programming languages may treat as an escape character. Double that backslash when a source format requires escaping.
Practical ideas
Where to use shrug ascii
- 01
Light-hearted uncertainty
- 02
Admitting that you do not know
- 03
Reacting to an outcome you cannot change
Make your own variation
The compact ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ is the familiar version, while a wider shrug can add spaces around the face. For a more apologetic tone, pair it with a short sentence instead of sending the symbol alone.
Common questions
Using shrug ascii
What is shrug ascii?
The universal 'who knows' shrug, built from a Japanese katakana face. Use when you have no idea, no opinion, or no better answer.
How do I copy shrug ascii without breaking it?
Use the copy button so the whole value is captured, including the spaces, line breaks and less common characters that hold its shape together. Paste it as plain text: editors and chat apps that read Markdown can treat backslashes, underscores and asterisks as formatting and remove them, and auto-correct may replace straight quotes or collapse repeated spaces.
Will shrug ascii work everywhere?
Monospace fonts preserve the intended spacing. Use fenced code blocks or preformatted text in apps that collapse repeated spaces, and check backslashes when pasting into source code.
Can I customise shrug ascii after copying?
You can add a short label, repeat compatible symbols or trim the design to fit. Keep important spaces, line breaks and uncommon Unicode characters intact while editing.
Also known as
Keep browsing