What is the grammatical meaning of ")"?

Question

thanks in advance for your answers!

I have come across ")" in many Russian written conversations, for example:

<<Вид из окна на кухне)>> or <<Посмотри лучше это)>>

I have even seen "))" or ")))" in forums.

Is this the equivalent of an exclamation mark in English? When is it appropriate to use this symbol?

Answer 1

It's just a smile.
Many people use this short form instead of :).
And there is an additional feature of such smiling technique: you can control degree or level of your smile, more ))) means more fun.