Anime Faces

For the sake of reference, a list of terms for anime faces, facial features, and symbolic expressions.

Source: Various

Expressions

kaogei
顔芸
Face performance.
Making weird faces.
- The general term for all those incredible facial expressions you see in anime, used in reaction gifs, etc.
- hengao
  変顔
  Weird faces. Funny faces.
egao
笑顔
Smiling face. Smile.
- mamoritai, kono egao
  守りたい、この笑顔
  [I] want to protect, this smile.
- warau
  笑う
  To laugh. To smile.
nakigao
泣き顔
Crying face.
- naku
  泣く
  To cry.
negao
寝顔
Sleeping face.
- neru
  寝る
  To sleep.
doyagao
ドヤ顔
Priding face.
- Used when someone is proud or smug of their own ability or recognition.
gesugao
ゲス顔
Scum face.
- Usually a warped grin, used by low-life, dishonorable characters.
- gesui
  ゲスい
  Scummy.
ahegao
アヘ顔
Panting face.
- NSFW term, generally features rolling one's eyes up, putting tongue out, double peace signs, etc.
- aheahe
  あへあへ
  *pant pant*
torogao
トロ顔
Drowsy face.
- NSFW term, generally features eyes half-closed, heavy, because the character is drowsy, groggy.
- torotoro
  とろとろ
  Weakening. Slowing.
  Dozing off. Drowsy. Groggy.
sekimen
赤面
Red face. Blushing face.
kao ga massao
顔が真っ青
The face is pure blue.
- In Japanese, saying somebody's "face is blue" means the same thing as saying that they're "pale" in English. That is:
- kao-iro ga warui
  顔色が悪い
  The color of the face is bad.
- They seem unwell. Sick. Shocked. Horrified. And so on.
A cat face is sometimes used in anime when a character is mischievous or anxious.

Eyes

A list of posts about all types of anime eyes:

tare-me
タレ目
Downturned eyes.
tsuri-me
ツリ目
Upturned eyes.
marume
丸目
Round eyes.
kurime
クリ目
Large, cute eyes.
neko-me
猫目
Cat eyes.
- Large, round, downturned eyes.
- Or eyes with a vertical slit pupil, like cats have.
- Or symbolic, used in cat-faces. See: Wide-Eyed.
jito-me
ジト目
Staring eyes.
- Often staring judgnigly
- han-me
  半目
  Half-eyes. Half-closed eyes.
Small irises:
- sanpakugan
  三白眼
  Irises that don't touch three of the four sides of the eye.
- shihakugan
  四白眼
  Irises that don't touch any sides of the eye.
beta-me
ベタ目
Beta eyes.
- Eyes drawn without highlight, with a single color, typically pure black (beta).
reipu-me
レイプ目
Rape eyes.
- Vacant eyes drawn without highlight, typically featuring a dark gradient. Also known by a dozen other names.
gomi wo miru you na me
ゴミを見るような目
Eyes that seem to look at garbage.
- An absolutely disgusted look.
ito-me
糸目
String eyes.
- Eyes that are drawn as a single horizontal line.
kitsune-me
キツネ目
Fox eyes.
- A downturn variant of ito-me, looks more evil and scheming.
sudare-me
すだれ目
Window-blinds eyes.
- Eyes drawn as multiple parallel lines. They look softer than your normal eye.
me ga san
目が３
The eyes are 3's. Literally drawn as 3's.
konsento-me
コンセント目
Electric outlet eye.
- Eyes drawn as vertical lines.
Kazari-me
かざり目
Kazari eyes.
- >___<.
  - Single X Eye.
batsu-me
バツ目
X eyes.
- X__X.
guruguru-me
ぐるぐる目
Swirling eyes.
guriguri-me
ぐりぐり目
Swirling eyes, but messier.
ten-me
点目
Dot eyes.
zero-me
〇目
Zero-eyes.
- Eyes shaped like zeroes, circle eyes.
sankaku-me
三角目
Triangular eyes.
- Used symbolic when a character is enraged.
nonojinome
「の」のじの目
Eyes shaped like no の.
sekigan
隻眼
Having only one eye after losing the other another.
tangan
単眼
Single eye.
- Cyclops.
mittsume
３つ目
Having three eyes.
tagan
多眼
Having multiple eyes.
fukugan
複眼
Compound eyes. (as found in insects.)
choudou
重瞳
Polycoria. Having multiple pupils in one eye.
heterokuromia
ヘテロクロミア
Heterochromia. Having eyes of different colors, etc.
- kin-me-gin-me
  金眼銀眼
  Gold-eye-silver-eye.
  Having one yellow eye and one blue eye.
magan
魔眼
Magic eyes.
- Eyes that have special powers, abiltiies in general.
gigan
義眼
Artificial eye.
shirome
白目
Sclera.
White eye. Eyes turning completely white [because the pupil isn't visible].
- kuroshirome
  黒白目
  Black sclera.
hebi-me
蛇眼
Snake eyes. Vertical slit pupils.
kuroobaa-me
クローバー目
Clover eyes. Eyes with cross-shaped symbols as pupils.
haato-me
ハート目
Heart eyes. Heart-shaped irises, heart pupils, etc.
shiitake-me
しいたけ目
Shiitake eyes.
- Symbolic eyes with a cross drawn across the irises, used when a character desires something or is amazed by something.
Star eyes.
- Star in one eye.
Fire eyes.
Money eyes.
uru-uru-me
うるうる目
Watery eyes. (about to cry.)
namida-me
涙目
Tearful eyes.
Dark circles under eyes.

Mouths

Terms for types of anime mouths and mouth-related symbols:

kotesen
コテ線
"Kote lines." Lines drawn on the cheeks to give them volume.
3-shaped mouth.
- Used when a character is whistling, etc.
- nekoguchi
  猫口
  Cat-mouth.
  - An upward 3 mouth.
  - (´・ω・`).
Pouting.
- fukurettsura
  ふくれっ面
  Face with cheeks puffed out.
Anime fang.
- Lip fang.
kiba
牙
Fangs.
yaeba
八重歯
Misaligned teeth due to overcrowding.
- Many anime fangs are called this in Japanese.
gizaba
ギザ歯
Jagged teeth. Triangular teeth. Serrated teeth.
deppa
出っ歯
Protruding upper teeth leaving mouth. Bucktooth.
hige
髭
Facial hair.
- kuchi-hige
  口髭
  Mouth-facial hair. Moustache.
- ago-hige
  顎髭
  Jaw-facial hair. Beard.
hokuro
ほくろ
Mole. Beauty spot.

Ears

Terms for types of anime ears in Japanese:

erufu-mimi
エルフ耳
Elf ears.
- Long, pointed ears that protrude outward.
akuma-mimi
悪魔耳
Demon ears. Devil ears.
kemomimi
ケモミミ
Beast ears. Animal ears.
- nekomimi
  猫耳
  Cat ears.
- inumimi
  犬耳
  Dog ears.
- usamimi
  うさみみ
  Bunny ears.
- ushimimi
  牛耳
  Cow ears.
- nezumimi
  ねずみみ
  Mouse ears.
mekamimi
メカ耳
Mecha ears.
yotsumimi
四つ耳
Four ears. Having two pairs of ears, e.g. human and cat ears.

Other

Other terms tangentially related to the face:

tsuno
角
Horns.
wakka
輪っか
Halo. (of an angel.)
tatwuu
タトゥー
Tattoo.
piasu
ピアス
Piercing.
- shitapi
  舌ピ
  Tongue piercing.
henohenohemoji
へのへのへもじ
Is a face drawn using the characters henohenohemoji.

Parody

tehe-pero☆
てへぺろ☆
Putting one's tongue (pero) out, blinking with one eye, giggling "tee hee," typically used by girls in anime when they mistake.
- Peko-jita
  ペコ舌
  Putting a tongue outside, at the corner of your mouth, based on a candy mascot.
osoroshii ko
恐ろしい子
"Terrifying child." A face of shock based on the manga Glass Mask.
shingesu
真ゲス
True scum. A ridiculously distorted, evil, scummy face, based on a scene from Yugioh Zexal.