Where it comes from
The @ sign looks like a spiral, echoing the swirly eyes manga uses for characters who are dizzy or knocked out. It is an upright face like Japanese kaomoji and is used in Japan, Korea and English-speaking chat alike.
When to use it
Use it when you are swamped, confused by a long explanation, or tired after studying. It is casual; in work chat it can sound like complaining.
Examples
- Three exams this week @_@
- Too many tabs open @_@
Variants to copy
What it is made of
Every character in the face with its Unicode code point — handy if one shows up as a box on a friend's phone.
@
U+0040commercial at_
U+005Flow line