15 Common Chat Abbreviations Nigerians Uses on Social Media Platforms

Chat abbreviations are used by many internet users to pass a message to one another even though some might find it hard to know the meaning of the text until they are being told.

People around the world have used social media more these days due to the stay at home order caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Many feel good to pass their messages using shorthand forms. Nigerians also chat abbreviations peculiar to them.

This you would see on social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and so on. If you are chatting with friends from this part of the world, expect to see some texts that could have been written in full but for reasons known to individuals are used.

Common Chat Abbreviations and Their Meaning

Here are some common chat abbreviations used by Nigerians every day on social media platforms.

1. Ttyl: This means ‘Talk to you later’. It is used mostly to put an end to a chat session. Don’t scratch your head when you see ‘Ttyl’ sent to you by your chat partner. He/she is just telling you to continue the chat in a later time.
2. Brb: Just like Ttyl, it used to put a stop to an ongoing chat. It means ‘Be right back’. It is used to tell a chat partner you have to see to something quick then coming back in a short while to continue the chat.
3. Idk: You don’t have to search for a Nigerian state with the plate number ‘Idk’. This means ‘I don’t know’ if you are chatting. Many Nigerian ladies use this if they don’t really want to be stressed out. It’s left for you to sort out the meaning of this short text.
4. Lmao: This is widely used all over the world. It means ‘Laugh my ass off’ and it is used appropriately when you see or hear things that are very funny.
5. Lwkmd: This is one Nigerian origin. It is a pidgin abbreviation meaning ‘Laugh wan kill me die’. It is used to comment to a funny post just as you have lmao.
6. Abbl: This is used by Yoruba speakers and it is written in full as ‘Ati be be lo’ meaning and so on. You’ll definitely see this if you are into chat in Yoruba language.
7. OMG: It’s funny if you are a Chemist and you get OMG as a message. Won’t your mind go to Oxygen and Magnesium? Well, OMG means ‘Oh My God’. It is an exclamation text used by social media users.
8. K; The alphabet K is also used in chat text. This is used to replace the four-letters word ‘Okay’. K may stand for many things but here, Nigerians uses it to show their agreement to a message.
9. UWC: This means ‘You’re welcome’. When a chat partner texts ‘Thank You’ the word used as a reply in short hand form is ‘uwc’.
10. Rotfl: We cannot stop laughing because Nigerians are quite funny. The text ‘Rotfl’ means ‘Rolling on the floor’. It is commonly used when laughing to a post.
11. Wullnp: You can’t see a birthday post on social media platforms without the abbreviation wullnp. This means ‘wishing you long life and prosperity’.
12. Ggmub: This is another text of Nigerian origin. It is a pidgin short text meaning ‘God go make you bigger’.
13. Gtg: This means ‘Got to go’. It is used when you want to put an end to a chat session. Once you see gtg, then you have to know your chat partner is set quit the chat and so other things offline.
14. Pls; This is very common. It is the short form of ‘Please’.
15. L8r: This is used to say ‘later’ just as this post is set to be continued later.

Although it doesn’t cost anything to write in full as no data is saved while writing chat abbreviations but you just have to learn these texts to have a full flow chat with your friends during this period.

Do add yours to these list in the comment section. Thanks for reading this piece.