I am a socially awkward person. I would rather curl myself up on my soft and warm bed than attend parties and talk to unknown people. If you are anything like me, a social noob, then you would know how important online acronyms are. They come as a savior when you know you have to initiate a conversation, but you don’t know-how. HMU is one of the most common acronyms that people tend to use these days. But, what does HMU mean? What is it used for? Let’s brief you on this acronym so that you can make the right use of it.
Online acronyms help us connect with people with very few words right away. You don’t have to put a lot of effort, and still, you can convey your message with online acronyms easily. Okay then, let’s dive in.
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What does HMU mean in today’s generation?
I have friends who do not understand the purpose or meaning of online acronyms such as HMU. Therefore, they tend to use it the wrong way. It may not make any sense, but they use it anyway. I don’t want any of you to make the same mistake. Thus, I have shared this article on ‘what does HMU mean?’ with you.
Okay, first things first, HMU is an abbreviation for the group of words “hit me up.” You can use this abbreviation for social invitations. Say you have arranged a campaign for planting trees in your locality. You want everyone to reach out to you and make this campaign a success. This is when ‘HMU’ comes into play. When you post an online message along with this abbreviation ‘HMU,’ people tend to assume that you are looking for something to do online.
At times, HMU can also mean ‘hook me up.’ This is basically a petty request to connect with someone or something you find really interesting.
Is this the end to the question: what does HMU mean?
No, HMU has another meaning, and many people may not know about it. It may indicate ‘hold my unicorn’ as well. No, that wasn’t a typo. It was an internet meme when people tried to identify the different possibilities of the meaning of HMU.
You can also look it up online and try to find out if HMU means something else too. The thing about online acronyms is that different people may have different assumptions. Now it is up to you when it comes to the use of HMU. But, I would suggest you follow the meaning that is widely popular all around the world.
What is the primary origin of HMU?
Some of you may think if the phrase ‘hit me up‘ was never used before the concept of online abbreviations came up. No, it isn’t true. People had to type in full sentences to request for social invitations. The phrase ‘hit me up’ originally meant to solicit or request something. It wasn’t limited to just social invitations.
During the early 2000s, this phrase indicated social requests and was referred to as ‘HMU.’ Do you know how HMU exactly gained popularity? Well, here’s an interesting little story behind this.
A teenage boy wrote hum on a giant cardboard sign to ask his girlfriend out for a date in 2011. The board was hung in front of the school, and hence the principal banned the boy from coming to school henceforth. This story gained huge popularity and compelled readers to guess what does HMU mean. Also, the number of Google searches increased for this keyword ‘what does HMU mean?’ due to this reason.
When should you text someone with an ‘HMU’?
See the basic meaning of ‘HMU’ means you are asking or demanding for a social invitation. It means that you don’t want to miss out on all the fun. Therefore, you can use HMU when you want to participate in an event, a conversation, or a party. Instead of letting your friends know directly that you want to involve in whatever they are up to, they tend to use the acronym ‘HMU.’
These acronyms are usually considered a part of casual conversation. You can use in contexts like friendship, romance, and probably after conducting a meeting online.
If you consider this acronym to mean ‘hold my unicorn,’ then you can use it in a response. You can even use it as a single post or as a quirky jab at the most popular uses of abbreviation in language.
All in all, you have the liberty to use HMU when you are talking to your friends or loved ones. You can also use it to lighten your relationship with your clients. Online acronyms are generally used to build cultural identity via unique conversational expressions and customized language.
What about the correct spelling?
You can spell HMU in all lowercase letters like this: HMU. You can even use it in uppercase letters. No matter how you use it, the meaning remains the same. The examples given below will clarify all your doubts. Have a look at the examples and implement the right techniques to use HMU such that it conveys the right meaning. TBH is also an acronym and you should know TBH meaning while using it to send messages to someone.
How to use HMU while writing text messages?
It isn’t 1987 that people would type full sentences while conversing via text messages. Everyone is a busy bee these days, including me. You may not have enough time to write complete words while chatting online. And that’s okay. Acronyms such as HMU make our work so much easier. These words let us convey our thoughts or opinions without consuming a lot of time.
You must use HMU when you intend to request someone to brief you about an event or when you want someone to reach you out. The following example will make this whole concept of using HMU crystal clear to you.
Example 1:
Robert: I have got two discount coupons for four meals at Burger King. Who would like to avail this offer?
Gabriella: I am excited about this! In fact, why don’t you sell me one?
Robert: All right, HMU along with your email ID and I will send you the details. Fair enough?
Example 2:
Natasha: Joshua! Do not forget to HMU later for those brownies. I will bring them to your place at the party.
Joshua: I will remind you once I reach home. And I am looking forward to tasting those delicious brownies.
Natasha: Absolutely! See you later then.
Example 3:
Luna: Larry, I have to borrow your ID for a few days.
Larry: What do you need my ID for?
Luna: I have an intramural hockey to attend this week. So I have to show them my school ID before they let me participate.
Larry: Okay, HMU during the lunch period. I will you where to meet me to collect my school ID.
Example 4:
Sidney: You know I was thought of getting some nice winter tires for my daughter’s cars. Can you brief me on such products?
Karen: Hey, I read an article on this topic a few days back. Give me a few seconds. Let me check if I have bookmarked the website.
Sidney: Okay, HMU, along with the resource link when you find it!
Example 5:
Nora: Hey, Nancy, why did you text me so late last night?
Nancy: Oh, I was making lasagne and wanted you to HMU during that time.
You can use the above example when you refer to HMU as ‘hold my unicorn.’ This is an internet meme, and hence I would suggest you use it only with your close friends.
Example 6:
Monica: Why don’t you HMU me ever? We should hang out with each other more often.
Rachael: You know that’s a great idea!
Example 7:
Bob: Hey! Would you like to go out with me for a cup of coffee?
Tyra: Sure! Just HMU when you are free.
Did you understand the right usage of HMU in your sentences? Do you have any other questions in mind? Then let me know in the comment section below. That was all you need to know about HMU. Now every time you want someone to reach out to you, you know what to do. Don’t you?
Top 3 reasons to prefer HMU in text messages?
Grammar nazis out there can stop frowning over the use of acronyms and abbreviations instead of long sentences. I have crafted a list of the most popular reasons to use HMU in text messages. Give it a read.
1. Not time-consuming
You don’t have to spend some extra 2-3 minutes to write a whole sentence to connect with someone. Typing the three-letter word will do the trick for you.
2. Blessing for introverts
Connecting with people is one of the toughest tasks for introverts. We would rather choose not talking at all rather than taking the pain of speaking to a stranger. Now we can just use this acronym and indulge in parties or social occasions.
3. Sounds cool
Acronyms are not only useful but also quite trendy. It is something that the millennials are accustomed to, and they love it. You can use this acronym just to fit in.
It is completely up to you whether you will use the acronym or not. It isn’t a big deal. All of us can try something new, right?
What are the other types of abbreviations besides HMU?
It’s true that HMU is one of the most popular acronyms used among people in this generation. However, did you know that there are thousands of such abbreviations that you can use to lighten up a conversation? You have to know everything about the usage of abbreviations to avoid confusion or embarrassment. Take a look at the different types of abbreviations here.
- Initialisms
You need to pronounce each letter in this case. There’s no need to spell out the entire word. Some of the examples are as follows:
- IAEA which means ‘International Atomic Energy Agency.’
- DNA which means ‘Deoxyribonucleic Acid.’
- FAQs which means ‘Frequently Asked Questions.’
- Acronyms
These are pronounced as if it’s a real world. These usually consist of the first letter of the phrase or the word. Here are some of the examples:
- A radar which means ‘Radio detection and ranging.’
- ASAP, which means ‘as soon as possible.’
- GIF, which means ‘graphics interchange format.’
- Contractions
In this case, we eliminate some letters from the word. You can omit the letter from any part of the word, and you don’t have to put a full stop at the end of the abbreviation. The categories of contractions and their respective examples are as follows:
Type 1
- St which means Saint
- Govt which means Government
- Dr which means Doctor
Type 2
- I’ve which means I have
- He’s which means he is
- We’d which means we would
- Shortenings
In this case, too, you have to omit some letter from the words or phrases. Unlike the previous category, here you get to omit only the words that are at the beginning and the end. The categories of contractions and their respective examples are as follows:
Type I
- A blog which indicates weblog
- Ad which indicates advertisement ‘
- Flu which means Influenza
Type II
- Sun which means Sunday
- Wed which means Wednesday
- Sat which means Saturday
All these forms of abbreviations consist of separate rules when it comes to using them in a sentence. Make sure you know which term to use when to avoid any confusion.
Wrapping Up,
Hopefully, you have received your answer to the question ‘what does hum mean?’ You can always search on Google to take a look at different examples related to these acronyms. Also, whenever you tend to use these in text messages, make sure the conversation is formal enough to fit an acronym in. If not, then try to stick to whole sentences. Good luck!
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