Kappa is one of the most iconic and widely recognized Twitch emotes. It is used to convey sarcasm, irony, trolling, or a joking tone in Twitch chat. When someone says something that is clearly not meant to be taken seriously, or is being cheeky, viewers will often respond with "Kappa" to indicate that the statement should not be taken at face value.
Origin
The Kappa emote features the grayscale face of Josh DeSeno, a former employee of Justin.tv (which later became Twitch). The emote was added to Twitch in 2011 and quickly became a staple of Twitch culture. The name "Kappa" comes from a reference to a creature in Japanese folklore, but in this context, it was simply Josh DeSeno's username at Justin.tv. The emote's smirking expression perfectly captures the sarcastic tone it is used to convey.
When to use
When someone is being sarcastic or ironic in chat.
To mockingly agree with a streamer or another viewer.
When trolling or making a joke that shouldn't be taken seriously.
To highlight a statement that is obviously false or exaggerated.
