The cyber cult of 'Orz' pours blue
(City Weekend)
Updated: 2005-04-05 16:06

Orz is used as a symbol to express the emotion of failure and is never read.

When communicating online or sending an SMS, the letters o r z, when put together, depicts a man facing left while kneeling on the ground.

The o represents his head; r the hands leading from the ground and arching over the body; the z finishes the body and zags down the legs.

Orz, a Japanese invention, spawned a subculture that spread to China and Taiwan and is meant to show that the sender has failed, is in despair or in a sad mood.

There are many alternative forms of "orz" including "or2", "on_", "OTZ", "OTL", "STO", "JTO," etcetera plus numerous orz websites and blogs in Chinese and Japanese.

To add to this bizarre phenomenon, fashion accessories, signs, flash games, a comic strip that says archeologists found orz in an ancient ruin, paper crafts and other Orz crafts are offered for sale on the Net.

Electronic emotions:

exhausted, confused

@ @

~~~

smile

:-) :)

surprise

:-O :o

disappointed

:-| :|

cry

:'(

embarrassed

:-$ :$

keep secret

:-#

just between you and me

:-*

ill

+o(

happy

:o)

something tasty

:)....

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