Key texting abbreviations and what they mean in practice
Your Essential Guide to Texting in Japanese: Mastering Informal Communication and Abbreviations: Key texting abbreviations and what they mean in practice
Here are key texting abbreviations along with what they mean in practice:
Common Texting Abbreviations and Their Meanings
- LOL: Laugh out loud — used to show something is funny.
- BRB: Be right back — used when you are stepping away temporarily.
- OMG: Oh my God — expresses surprise or shock.
- IDK: I don’t know — indicates lack of knowledge about something.
- BTW: By the way — used to add extra info or change the topic smoothly.
- TTYL: Talk to you later — signaling end of conversation with intention to reconnect.
- FYI: For your information — used to share helpful or important info.
- IMO/IMHO: In my opinion / In my humble opinion — sharing personal view or perspective.
- SMH: Shaking my head — showing disappointment or disbelief.
- ROFL: Rolling on the floor laughing — indicating something is very funny.
- NVM: Nevermind — retracting or dismissing previous statement.
- ILY: I love you — expressing love or affection.
- HMU: Hit me up — inviting contact or communication.
- YOLO: You only live once — encouraging taking chances or enjoying life.
- TTYS: Talk to you soon — indicating intent to communicate again shortly.
- AFK: Away from keyboard — not available at the moment (used in gaming or chat).
- TMI: Too much information — when someone shares overly detailed or personal info.
- ICYMI: In case you missed it — used to highlight something previously mentioned or posted.
- NBD: No big deal — downplaying importance or issue.
- JK: Just kidding — signaling that previous statement was a joke.
These abbreviations help make texting faster and convey tone or emotion succinctly. They are widely used in casual communication to express feelings, intentions, or logistics quickly. 1, 3, 6, 7, 8