# What is OWO?



## Stray Cat Terry (Mar 30, 2022)

Furry... and the OWO.

As far as I know (yet I haven't done any valid 'research' on it), OWO looks like :3, which seems like both are effectively expressing the face of many mammal species seen from front. And that's it!

I've seen OWO being used frequently in Furry memes and puns, and less so on actual conversations. And personally, it's harder to see :3 than OWO, guess it's cuz OWO--seconded by UWU--has more compatibility fitting in words?

What is OWO? What does it mean to you? Or you just don't care too much?(Which is totally fine) The interpretation could vary between people, regions or else... I can only guess!

Trivia:
In Eastern fields (China, Japan, Korea, etc), I've seen more :3 than OWO. (Could be limited to personal experiences)

I feel like I'm missing something, but in my case, I use it to try to visualize my expression to further boost my intention and/or mood of the speech. I don't only use OwO and UwU, but also TwT QwQ @w@ >w< =w= etcetc.... Yet I don't think I'm doing it 'the original' way.

I know (and am confident) that there's nothing wrong at all on which way I use it, but that doesn't mean I don't have any tinkering curiosity on how the Furries other than myself interpret the OWO (or, the so-called OWO Language). And if one uses it, what would the one have in mind while using them?

Hey thankies for reading! Got any free time? OwO
Opinions, go! ÒwÓ


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## The Spirit Guardian (Mar 30, 2022)

Funnily enough, I've seen people use that world as often as hi or hello, in all honesty! And the odd bit is...those might not even be English words to begin with!

See, my sister and I had always wondered what those words were, and while she was not furry herself, it stirred up just as much question with her as well. I myself have personally _never _used the word, mainly because I haven't the faintest inkling of what it means. I always questioned if that word was even remotely English to begin with.

So, we went to good ol' Google Translate for a reference. And I'm shocked to see the results.

So, I can't believe I'm using this word, but it's for an informative purpose. 

Alright, so owo, in Nigeria, means money or currency, from the research that I've gathered. Odd how folks say it though. Of course, this is simply a guesstimate, not concrete, relative data results.

As for uwu, I couldn't find any proper data without it being mislead into a hectic cesspool of theories.

I at least know the generalization of the word, for the most bit.

Without all the analytics, and just down to bare-bone opinion, I'm led to believe that most folks probably use it to sound more "cutesy" in a sense. Perhaps to portray a more innocent side of things, despite the various different theories as to how the word could be used, or why it may be used.

Extensive in meaning, yet ever-confusing for those seeking a literal, actual response as to it's origins, and as to how it came to be so popular with this community specifically. It could have other country meanings, or it could possibly be a foreign word that spread in fame with little to no reason, simply because of the way it sounds, and how it could appeal to the tastes of certain communities.

All in all, I haven't got the faintest clue what it could mean, in actuality. Though in terms of opinions, I'll say its confused me on more than one occasion, and to this day, despite all the longevity of research that was dumped into unveiling the origin point, I'm still at a concurrent loss.

I'll just let the community use the word as they see fit. Possibly till I gather more data on this, and hopefully dig deep through all that hypothetical territory known as the internet and their theories.


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## Yastreb (Mar 30, 2022)

The roots of owo go surprisingly deep in history:


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## a sleepy kitty (Mar 30, 2022)

I wuv it. UwU it's vewwy cyuwte~


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## Kumali (Mar 30, 2022)

I always thought owo and uwu (capitalized however you like) are basically howls, like arrrOOOOOOOOO.

And just like a howl, they can mean greetings, expressions of support/friendship, or just "I'm howling just for the hell of it, because I feel like it, no further reason."

But then I'm a wolf, so I would think that.


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## Rai Bread (Apr 5, 2022)

At its core, owo in furry is just an animal face. Usually the difference between owo and :3 is that the o's in owo look like wider, more energetic eyes than the more laid back looking :3 Especially if one capitalizes them OwO It may indicate excitement.

It's become a meme and is used ironically both in and out of the fandom, often as shorthand for a furry acting "cringey". You do still get people (sometimes even the same people) using it unironically just to indicate a happy and/or excited expression. You'll also get people saying it out loud when speaking as an extra "joke" on top of using it ironically. uwu also gets this treatment, though to a somewhat lesser extent, and is used more to indicate someone trying to act cute (potentially also in a cringey way depending on context).

The main source of the meme, specifically the phrase "owo what's this?" came about from people making fun of furry roleplayers, specifically of the sexual variety. 

At least, these have been my observations as someone who's spent too much time on the internet for too long.


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## Erix (Apr 5, 2022)

Everyone giving these long explanations and the only reason I use “=w=“ or “OwO” is cuz i think they look cute faces lol


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## Schrodinger'sMeerkat (Apr 5, 2022)

I think it's supposed to represent a cute animal face.  The O's are the eyes and the W is the mouth.


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## a sleepy kitty (Apr 17, 2022)

Baby, don't awoo me,
Don't awoo me,
No more


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## Parabellum3 (Apr 18, 2022)

I don’t speak this OwO but I do speak OvO.


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## Borophagus Metropolis (Apr 18, 2022)

OmO


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## a sleepy kitty (Apr 19, 2022)

(/OxO\)


Bunny


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## Schrodinger'sMeerkat (Apr 19, 2022)

beanie the sleepy kitty said:


> (/OxO\)
> 
> 
> Bunny


Could work for a long eared hound dog too
O^O  could be a bird or a lizard


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