Last reviewed: October 29, 2026
If you follow Japanese VTubers for a while, you will notice that each streamer has a name for their fans and a short set of emoji, often called a fan mark (ファンマーク) or hashtag mark. These appear in stream chat, in posts on X and in the titles of videos. This guide explains what each of them is, how they are typically used, and how to find the official version for a talent you follow.
What fan names and fan marks are
A fan name (ファンネーム) is a collective name for a talent’s viewers, similar to a nickname for a community. It is chosen by the talent, sometimes with input from the agency, and is often a pun or a word connected to the talent’s character. A fan mark is a short combination of emoji, sometimes one to four characters, that stands for the talent. Fans type it in chat or add it to posts so that others can recognize which talent the message is about.
The two are related but separate. A talent may have a fan name but no fixed fan mark, or the other way around. Some talents also have separate names for their fan art, clips, live reactions and subscribers, so one talent can have several tags in use at once.
Where you will see them
- In the title or description of streams and videos, where a talent may place a mark so that viewers can find related content.
- In live chat, where viewers post the fan mark to show support or to greet the streamer.
- On X, as hashtags or as emoji strings placed before or after a name, often called a display-name mark.
- On fan art, clip and reaction posts, which often use their own dedicated hashtags.
Because these are community conventions, the exact usage differs between talents. Some talents ask fans to use a specific tag for fan art and a different one for clips, and some ask fans not to add marks to certain kinds of posts. When a talent or agency states a rule, that rule takes priority over habits you see among other fans.
Emoji in live chat and memberships
On YouTube, channels that offer memberships can create custom emoji that members can use in chat. Some talents base their fan mark on these images, while others use only standard Unicode emoji. The details of custom emoji, including who can use them and how many a channel may have, are set by YouTube and can change, so check the YouTube Help page on custom emoji for current information.
If a talent’s chat shows an image you cannot use, it is usually a membership emoji or a channel emoji restricted to members. Standard emoji work in every chat. For the membership features themselves, see our guide on Super Chat and Memberships.
How to find the official fan name and mark
The most reliable source is the talent or the agency. Check these places in roughly this order:
- The talent’s profile page on the agency’s official site, which often lists the fan name, the fan mark and the fan art hashtag next to height, birthday and other profile items.
- The About section of the talent’s YouTube channel and the pinned post or bio on their X account.
- The description of a recent stream, where talents often write the current hashtags for the stream, fan art and clips.
- Announcements by the talent or agency when a fan name is chosen, since many fan names are decided in a stream with viewer input.
If you only find a fan-made list or wiki entry, treat it as a starting point and compare it with the talent’s own pages. Names occasionally change after a rebrand, a graduation, a move to a new agency or a change in the talent’s activity, so an older list may be out of date. When two sources disagree, prefer the more recent official post.
Using marks and hashtags politely
Using the official tag is the easiest way to be seen by the talent and by other fans, but a few habits help. Copy the mark exactly from the official source, because similar-looking emoji are easy to confuse and a wrong combination may belong to a different talent. Use the tag the talent designates for the purpose, for example the fan art tag only for fan art. Avoid using a talent’s marks to advertise unrelated products or to promote other talents in their stream chat.
If you write in English, it is usually fine to type the fan name in the original Japanese or in romaji alongside a translation, since many overseas fans use both. Some talents also have an English fan name or a separate tag for their overseas viewers, which is worth checking in their profile.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Assuming that a fan name used by one generation or unit applies to every member of an agency. Each talent usually has their own, even when members share a collective name.
- Using an outdated tag after a talent has announced a change.
- Treating a fan-made nickname as official. Fans often invent affectionate names that are not used by the talent.
- Adding marks to posts that contain private information, rumors or complaints about a talent. Most fans consider this poor etiquette.
For general rules on conduct in chat, see our guide to chat etiquette, and for reading profile pages in general, see our guides to reading talent profiles. If you are unsure whether a mark is current, check the talent’s most recent stream description before using it.
Related guides
- What Is an Utaite? A Guide to Japan’s Online Cover-Singer Culture
- VTuber Fan Vocabulary Explained: Oshi, Gachikoi, Teetee, Hashtags and 3D Lives
- How to read a hololive talent profile: generations, fan names and hashtags
Sources
Reviewed by WVR Inoue on October 29, 2026. See our editorial standards.
Thumbnail: Twitterアカウントを作るよ！ by Kizuna AI - A.I.Channel on YouTube. Shown via YouTube; all rights belong to their owners.
