Perhaps, you cannot remember the number of times you have seen the phrase HMU posted on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. If you are like many people, especially those in the older generations, you do not know exactly what it means. People use HMU to communicate some general terms like Call Me, Contact Me or Text and others.
So, what does HMU stand for?
HMU stands for “Hit Me Up” and is very common on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the other social media platforms. If you are very keen to know what the acronym means, then you should spend some time in the usage context. Fundamentally, people use it to convey to others that they will get in touch with them later. Some people believe that it the equivalent of the “Catch Up Later” phrase.
Since abbreviations are very common today, it is normal to see people using the HMU for both informal and formal settings too. Therefore, whether it is the formal text or the memo version of HMU, you should know that it is among the highly used phrases. Apart from knowing what HMU stands for in the posted text, you should understand something about the HUM pronunciation to avoid floating when it highly matters.
What is HMU means
As we explained earlier, the definition of HMU is not very complicated and the expansion of the acronym is “Hit Me Up”. However, literally, it does not refer to hitting someone. It is a way of telling the person on the other side of chat that you will contact him/her later. Therefore, it is among the most important phrases in the social media world.
When on chats, you would not want to spend most of your time on lengthy conversations. That means that the HMU is an easier and more convenient way of putting your message across clearly and succinctly. By typing the three letters, you will let the other individual know that you will get in touch with him/her later.
History of HMU meaning text
The informal slang is an improved version of another phrase, “Phrase Hit Up”. The abbreviation came out for the first time in the year 2009 and in the year 2010, it became more popular on Facebook. Most online dictionaries provide the real meaning of HMU, but the first dictionary to provide the meaning was the URBAN Dictionary in the year 2010. The acronym has a simple meaning, “Person Asked for something”. People have been using it in communication solely since it came to be.
HMU might have different meanings depending on the situation and the social network. If you encounter it when chatting with another person, it simply means that the person will catch up with you later. Around one million people on social media use it on a daily basis, particularly the young generation.
And because Facebook has stood to be the biggest social network, people use HMU when chatting or posting items there. FB Messenger is instant chatting and more popular than other mediums when it comes to sending and receiving messages. People on this platform use HMU to complete the situation by sending a short message. It is common in groups, comments, and private messenger.
HMU slang is common on Snapchat too, especially on tags and chatting. People mostly use it in comments and Live Stories. That means that the meaning of HMU on Snapchat is just like that on Facebook, Instagram, and the other website. However, the usage is very different from that on other websites.
People upload numerous selfies and activities on Instagram each day. On this social media network, people use hashtags along with the acronym HMU but the meaning remains the same. A more recent study showed that people post around 4-5 million on the platform each day.
When to use HMU
Up to this point, you should have some basic understanding of the situations and timing in which you should use the HMU. The acronym is not usable in any situation and it is discreetly usable. You can use when chatting with your friends or relatives, especially when you want to keep everything informal.
But when in informal environments, some other phrases like “see you later” or catch up later” would be a better choice if the people you are addressing have an advanced age. Use it only when addressing someone you know well and when reasonably certain that they will not interpret it wrongly.
Responding to HMU
Among the common questions to expect, relate to how you should respond to the HMU phrase. How you respond to HMU will highly depend on the situation and the circumstances. It will also depend on the type of relationship between you and the person you are chatting with. If the message was from a man trying to win your heart, then you would ask why he wants to HMU.
Your answer could also be “please tell me of the place where we should meet and time” amongst others. In the more formal environments, your answer could be “soonest”. If the situation is formal and you do not know the other person, you should also respond with the same phrase.
When is it appropriate to send the HMU text?
The use of HMU texts highly depends on various events and situations. A quick example, you could use it when you want your friend to contact you with information about an event or special news. “I will be free this evening” please HMU if you are willing to go out. That is just an example. You will find the phrase applicable in many other situations.
What does HMU mean finally!
You can either spell HMU in lowercase or uppercase because the two will indicate the same thing. Just avoid typing your whole sentence in uppercase because that is rude and people will consider it to be shouting. People use it to ask the people they are chatting with to contact them, text them, phone them or reach them to follow up something. It is a shorthand way of inviting the person for further communication, but later. It is highly applicable in the dating, chatting, email, texting and email world. It is helping build cultural identity through unique conversational expressions and language.
