How LINE Stickers Are Loved Across Asia
How Stickers Became a Shared Language Across Borders
A thumbs-up. A shy smile. A burst of laughter. Across Asia, millions of LINE users are having conversations without typing a single word.
LINE stickers are nearly as old as LINE itself, launched just a few months after the original app in 2011, and today they remain as popular as ever, a powerful, everyday language across Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, and Indonesia. While each market has different preferences shaped by local culture and trends, the most popular stickers have three things in common: clear emotional expression, everyday usability, and strong character recognition.
Based on aggregated usage data from Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, and Indonesia, this series explores how people across Asia use LINE stickers—and what those choices reveal about regional digital culture.
A thumbs-up. A shy smile. A burst of laughter. Across Asia, millions of LINE users are having conversations without typing a single word.
LINE stickers are nearly as old as LINE itself, launched just a few months after the original app in 2011, and today they remain as popular as ever, a powerful, everyday language across Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, and Indonesia. While each market has different preferences shaped by local culture and trends, the most popular stickers have three things in common: clear emotional expression, everyday usability, and strong character recognition.
Based on aggregated usage data from Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, and Indonesia, this series explores how people across Asia use LINE stickers—and what those choices reveal about regional digital culture.
A Snapshot of LINE Sticker Usage in 2025
In 2025, sticker usage on LINE remained strongest in markets where messaging culture emphasizes emotional nuance and relationship-driven communication. Across all four regions, the most frequently used stickers shared three common traits:
· Everyday usability
· Clear emotional expression
· Strong character recognition
From globally loved characters like Sanrio and LINE FRIENDS to locally resonant creators such as LOVE RABBIT, Dueb Dueb, and Milk & Mocha, the stickers that resonated strongly with users were the ones that felt instantly expressive and easy to use in daily conversations.
· Everyday usability
· Clear emotional expression
· Strong character recognition
From globally loved characters like Sanrio and LINE FRIENDS to locally resonant creators such as LOVE RABBIT, Dueb Dueb, and Milk & Mocha, the stickers that resonated strongly with users were the ones that felt instantly expressive and easy to use in daily conversations.
Japan: Expressive Reactions and Everyday Usability Drive Engagement
In Japan, stickers that combined cute character design with relatable emotional expression saw strong engagement throughout 2025. Packs that could communicate reactions, moods, and everyday responses quickly and clearly — often within a single sticker — were especially popular.
Frequently used stickers included Kawaii Uso no Kawauso 20, Easy-to-Read! Everyday Shimaenaga♡, Love Rabbit: Romantic Mind Games, Chiikawa (Momonga-heavy Edition), and Goblin Gnome Horn. Emoji content such as Emoji no Ko (animated) also gained attention through social media buzz.
Cultural Insight
Japanese users responded strongly to stickers that capture subtle emotions and realistic social reactions in humorous ways. Slightly teasing expressions, playful conversational dynamics, and highly reaction-oriented character packs performed particularly well both domestically and
internationally.
Design usability also remained a key trend. Stickers featuring large, readable text and versatile everyday phrases — allowing conversations to be completed with a single sticker — continued to see strong usage across daily chats.
At the same time, content that gained momentum on platforms such as X, TikTok, and streaming communities increasingly influenced sticker usage trends, reflecting the close connection between internet culture and everyday messaging behavior in Japan.
Japanese users responded strongly to stickers that capture subtle emotions and realistic social reactions in humorous ways. Slightly teasing expressions, playful conversational dynamics, and highly reaction-oriented character packs performed particularly well both domestically and
internationally.
Design usability also remained a key trend. Stickers featuring large, readable text and versatile everyday phrases — allowing conversations to be completed with a single sticker — continued to see strong usage across daily chats.
At the same time, content that gained momentum on platforms such as X, TikTok, and streaming communities increasingly influenced sticker usage trends, reflecting the close connection between internet culture and everyday messaging behavior in Japan.
Taiwan: Local Creators Keep Getting Stronger
Taiwan showed strong momentum for both global IPs and local creators. Sanrio continued to show strong presence among official stickers, while LINE FRIENDS also remained strong. At the same time, Taiwan creators reached a new sales high, with the Top 10 generating JPY1.6 billion. Stickers created by creators from both Japan and abroad—such as the globally popular character LOVE RABBIT, created by a Japanese creator, and Lan Lan Cat, created by a Taiwanese creator and beloved for many years—enjoy enduring popularity in the Taiwanese market.
Cultural Insight
In Taiwan, sticker usage reflects a balance between the staying power of global IPs and the rising influence of local creators. The strong performance of LOVE RABBIT and Lan Lan Cat suggests that Taiwanese users respond especially well to characters that feel cute, emotionally clear, and culturally familiar.
“By capturing Taiwan’s distinct cultural pulse, local creators — who drive 80% of sales — have turned the market into a multi-billion yen industry, defining the joy of chatroom communication,” said Rebecca Lu, Head of Sticker and Creator Business at LINE Taiwan.
In Taiwan, sticker usage reflects a balance between the staying power of global IPs and the rising influence of local creators. The strong performance of LOVE RABBIT and Lan Lan Cat suggests that Taiwanese users respond especially well to characters that feel cute, emotionally clear, and culturally familiar.
“By capturing Taiwan’s distinct cultural pulse, local creators — who drive 80% of sales — have turned the market into a multi-billion yen industry, defining the joy of chatroom communication,” said Rebecca Lu, Head of Sticker and Creator Business at LINE Taiwan.
Thailand: Stickers That Feel Real, Current, and Shareable
Thailand showed a sticker market led by familiar favorites and highly relatable local humor. On the official side, LINE FRIENDS titles such as Cute Loving Expressions, Good Vibes, and Cheerful Winter Days stayed strong as everyday go-to stickers. At the same time, creator stickers like Dueb Dueb and Circle Dukdik stood out by turning work stress, tiredness, and daily-life jokes into shareable expressions. Celebrity packs such as P'Jung and Cullen: Really Cute! also performed well, showing how fandom continues to shape sticker purchases and usage in Thailand.
@Suunnyys @Dukdik
Cultural Insight
In Thailand, stickers work best when they feel socially current and instantly relatable. The popularity of creator packs built around work stress, tiredness, and everyday humor—alongside celebrity stickers tied to fandom—shows that Thai users use stickers not just to decorate chats, but to reflect real-life moods and shared cultural moments.
“In Thailand, a sticker is more than just an image; it is a digital shorthand for empathy,” said Vorapol Leelavechbutr, Consumer Business Director at LINE Thailand. “We’ve seen a massive surge in ‘Hyper-Local’ content—where creators tap into the specific humor of office life or the nuances of Thai internet culture. Our goal is to ensure that every Thai user can find the right sticker / character that speaks their truth and expresses their feeling.”
In Thailand, stickers work best when they feel socially current and instantly relatable. The popularity of creator packs built around work stress, tiredness, and everyday humor—alongside celebrity stickers tied to fandom—shows that Thai users use stickers not just to decorate chats, but to reflect real-life moods and shared cultural moments.
“In Thailand, a sticker is more than just an image; it is a digital shorthand for empathy,” said Vorapol Leelavechbutr, Consumer Business Director at LINE Thailand. “We’ve seen a massive surge in ‘Hyper-Local’ content—where creators tap into the specific humor of office life or the nuances of Thai internet culture. Our goal is to ensure that every Thai user can find the right sticker / character that speaks their truth and expresses their feeling.”
Indonesia: Warm Emotion, Strong Characters, and Growing Local Creator Power
Indonesia favored stickers with warm emotions, light humor, and close relevance to daily life. Popularly used titles included Milk & Mocha: Unstoppable Lovers, silly calico cat memes, Milk & Mocha: Custom Stickers, LINE FRIENDS: Cute Loving Expressions, and Nailoong Official CNY Sticker. LINE FRIENDS remained especially strong, with Cute Loving Expressions contributing around 34% of total LINE FRIENDS sticker sales in regions excluding Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand. Local creator stickers also gained strong traction, generating around IDR1.7 billion in sales by the end of 2025.
Cultural Insight
In Indonesia, sticker culture is shaped by warmth, affection, and everyday emotional connection. The strong performance of Milk & Mocha, LINE FRIENDS: Cute Loving Expressions, and other locally resonant titles suggests that users favor stickers that feel gentle, familiar, and easy to use in daily conversations with friends, family, and communities.
In Indonesia, sticker culture is shaped by warmth, affection, and everyday emotional connection. The strong performance of Milk & Mocha, LINE FRIENDS: Cute Loving Expressions, and other locally resonant titles suggests that users favor stickers that feel gentle, familiar, and easy to use in daily conversations with friends, family, and communities.
One Platform, Many Languages
Across Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, and Indonesia, LINE stickers are more than visual add-ons. They reflect how people express emotion, humor, and connection in their own cultural contexts. Different styles may win in different countries, but the role of stickers is the same: helping people say more, with less.
What connects all four markets is the idea that stickers have become a true visual language. They help users express tone, mood, affection, humor, and identity in ways that words alone often cannot. The characters may differ from one country to another, but the role they play is remarkably similar: helping people feel understood, connected, and a little more expressive in everyday conversation. This is only the beginning of the story.
* Stuck on Stickers is an ongoing series taking an in-depth look at LINE’s popular sticker feature.
What connects all four markets is the idea that stickers have become a true visual language. They help users express tone, mood, affection, humor, and identity in ways that words alone often cannot. The characters may differ from one country to another, but the role they play is remarkably similar: helping people feel understood, connected, and a little more expressive in everyday conversation. This is only the beginning of the story.
* Stuck on Stickers is an ongoing series taking an in-depth look at LINE’s popular sticker feature.