TikTok slang explained: FYP, POV, PFP – What do they mean?

TikTok is full of different slang terms and abbreviations that you’ll see in videos and comment sections, including POV, FYP, and more. However, if you’re out of the loop, some of these terms can be quite confusing. Here’s what TikTok’s most popular terms mean.

While TikTok has been around since 2016, the past year has undoubtedly been the best yet for the video-based social media app, with internet users flocking to the platform to share funny videos, tips, and tricks, and to join in on the latest trends.

But if you’ve scrolled through the platform for any period of time, you’ve more than likely encountered a few words or acronyms for which you don’t know the meaning. Some of these are specific to TikTok, and others are commonly used terms used on the internet more broadly.

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Here are some of the most popular terms used on TikTok.

Contents

• POV, FYP, PFP, CEO meaning on TikTok
• What do accountant, ion, and asl mean on TikTok?
• What do mid, Pushin P, and AS mean on TikTok?
• What do SA, NP, and RMP mean on TikTok?
• What does the chair emoji mean on TikTok?
• What do moots, W, and L mean on TikTok?
• What do /srs, storytime, and crop mean on TikTok?
• What do SMH, fake body, IB, and unspoken rizz mean on TikTok?
• What do Krissed, ISTG, and BBL mean on TikTok?
• What do Pinned, SW, and /hj mean on TikTok?
• What do GRWM, IMSG, and Slay mean on TikTok?
• What do PSA, WYLL, and DND mean on TikTok?
• What do AMOS, ASMR, and 1437 mean on TikTok?

TikTok slang explained:

From CEO to accountant and ASL on TikTok, here’s a detailed breakdown of all the slang you’re likely to come across in the app.

What does POV mean on TikTok?

POV means ‘Point Of View,’ and refers to a trend in which the video shows the viewer’s perspective of a certain situation.

People use this TikTok format to make funny and relatable content, and while this trend often takes inspiration from regular daily life, some choose to make their version bizarrely specific or nonsensical.

What does FYP mean on TikTok?

FYP stands for the ‘For You Page,’ and refers to the tab you first see upon launching the app. As the name suggests, your FYP is tailored to you, and the clever algorithm on the app picks up on what you’re interested in, using that information to suggest more relevant content.

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If you upload a video to TikTok and someone comments ‘FYP,’ it means that you managed to make it to their feed, and is a common way to inform people that their video is being seen by others.

What does PFP mean?

This one is not just used on TikTok, but on many other social media platforms including Twitter. It stands for ‘Profile Picture,’ and many will use it to refer to whatever someone has set as their icon on the app.

Trends like the Lana Cult and the Hamster Cult utilized PFPs to spread the trend further across the app, and help connect with other participants.

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What does CEO mean?

CEO is a term that has of course pre-dated TikTok, meaning Chief Executive Officer, but thanks to social media the term has taken on new meaning. To be the CEO of something means that you are the best at the thing in question, and is generally meant as a compliment. However, it can also be used in a sarcastic way.

What does accountant mean on TikTok?

The term ‘accountant’ blew up after user Rocky Paterra uploaded a video in which he explained via a catchy song why he prefers to tell people he’s an accountant rather than explain he’s a “struggling actor.”

This sound was then used by people with various other hard-to-explain jobs, particularly for creators who make mature content.

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What does ion mean?

‘Ion’ is often used as a contraction of ‘I don’t,’ however when used as the acronym ‘ION,’ it can also mean ‘In Other News.’

However, the former meaning is generally more common on social media platforms like Twitter and TikTok.

Unsplash: collabstrTikTok has a whole host of common slang terms, both new and old.

What does asl mean?

‘Asl’ is another slightly confusing term in the sense that it has several different meanings. The first is of course the acronym for ‘American Sign Language,’ and the second is another acronym that means ‘age, sex, location.’

However, many social media users are now using ‘asl’ as a contraction of the phrase, ‘as hell.’

What does mid mean?

‘Mid’ on TikTok is used as a way to describe something as unimpressive, mediocre, or of poor quality. The term was popularized on the app after a video of pro wrestler Maxwell Jacob Friedman went viral, with him saying: “It’s called the Midwest, because every single thing in it is mid.”

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What does Pushin P mean?

Pushin P is a popular phrase in the Bay Area and Texas that was popularized by Atlanta rapper Gunna.

Gunna explained that the ‘P’ stands for ‘player,’ although it can also stand for ‘paper.’ The term essentially means to ‘keep it real.’

“Risking your life to feed your family is P,” he explained in a series of Tweets. “Putting your people in position is P. Jumping in a person’s beef or situation when you don’t know what’s going on? Not P.”

What does AS mean?

On TikTok, AS can refer to the TV programming block Adult Swim, which became part of a huge trend back in 2021. Users were going viral making their own trailers or ‘bumps’ inspired by the network, with the [as] logo featured in a subtle way somewhere in the shot.

What does SA mean on TikTok?

SA on TikTok often refers to ‘sexual assault,’ and the acronym is used as a way to prevent content potentially being flagged, and sometimes in order to remain sensitive about difficult topics.

What does NP mean on TikTok?

The most common usage of NP is ‘no problem,’ and is a term used not only on TikTok but other platforms as well, usually in conversations with others. You may see this pop up frequently in comment threads and replies.

What does RMP mean on TikTok?

While RMP can have several different meanings, it is sometimes used to refer to the website ‘Rate My Professor,’ which as the name suggests, allows students to rate their teachers online.

RMP can also mean ‘remind me please’ or ‘read my profile,’ but which meaning it is will entirely depend on the context.

What does the chair emoji mean on TikTok?

The chair emoji took on a new meaning in 2021 after TikTok user Anthony Mai decided to create a TikTok-wide inside joke by telling people to use the chair emoji in place of the laughing emoji.

The trend became a huge phenomenon, and successfully confused thousands as people regularly started using the chair emoji in comment sections across the whole app.

Unsplash: Solen Feyissa / AppleThe chair emoji completely took over TikTok.

What does moots mean on TikTok?

‘Moots’ is an abbreviation of the word ‘mutuals’ and refers to a person that you follow that also follows you back. This term is very popular on TikTok, but is not exclusive to the platform, with the word also being hugely popular over on Twitter.

What does ‘W’ mean on TikTok?

When used alone, the letter ‘W’ often stands for the word ‘win’ or ‘winner.’ It is usually used to compliment something or someone, and can be a way to congratulate people on their life ‘wins.’

What does ‘L’ mean on TikTok?

The opposite to ‘W’, when used on its own, L usually stands for ‘lose’ or ‘loser.’ People often use it to comment on people’s fails, and can be seen in comments sections across not just TikTok, but YouTube, Twitter, and more.

What does /srs mean on TikTok?

When used after a forward slash, the term ‘/srs’ means ‘serious,’ and is one of the many tone indicators which are used widely across the internet. Tone indicators are generally used at the end of a message or comment to clarify the meaning or intent of the statement.

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Other tone indicators include:

• /s — sarcasm
• /pos — positive
• /neg — negative
• /g — genuine
• /j — joke
• /lh — lighthearted
• /nm — not mad

Unsplash: Solen FeyissaOwned by ByteDance, TikTok has become a hub for viral video content.

What does storytime mean on TikTok?

A storytime refers to a style of video, often on TikTok or YouTube, in which the creator will recount a bizarre or interesting story from their life for viewers.

Particularly on TikTok, people will often request a storytime from a user if they want more context behind an interesting clip, or if they reference a bigger story as part of a trend. The phrase even became a comment meme in 2022, with people flooding every comment section they could with requests for storytimes, regardless of whether or not it was relevant.

What does crop mean on TikTok?

Asking someone to crop something on TikTok means that you want them to re-upload a video or image they have posted at a size where it is not obscured by the buttons surrounding the video. This allows people to screenshot or screen record the content so they can save it to their camera roll.

What does SMH mean on TikTok?

SMH usually stands for ‘shaking my head’ or ‘shake my head,’ and is usually used online as a reaction to express some form of disappointment. However, in some cases it may refer to ‘so much hate,’ ‘smack my head,’ or ‘somehow.’ You may see this acronym used both capitalized, and uncapitalized.

What does ‘fake body’ mean on TikTok?

The phrase ‘fake body’ on TikTok is usually used as a way for people to try to avoid being flagged for violating TikTok’s policy on nudity. Violating community guidelines could ultimately lead to your account being banned, so people use this tag in an attempt to trick the automatic moderation system.

Many creators use this phrase in either the description of the video, or the tags, but it’s not clear how effective it is.

What does IB mean on TikTok?

‘IB’ on TikTok usually stands for ‘Inspired By,’ and is just one way of crediting another creator for the idea behind a video you’re making. This can be anything from a makeup trend, to a recipe, or just about anything else.

It is sometimes used in place of ‘DC’ which stands for ‘dance credit,’ which is used specifically to credit people who choreograph viral TikTok dances.

What does unspoken rizz mean on TikTok?

The term ‘unspoken rizz’ refers to someone’s ability to attract people without speaking to them. Some have garnered hundreds of thousands, or even millions of views for their videos in which they test their ‘unspoken rizz.’

What does ‘Krissed’ mean on TikTok?

The term ‘Krissed’ refers to a meme that emerged on TikTok in 2022, inspired by Kris Jenner. Users would start the video with a shocking fake rumor, before ending the video with a clip of Kris dancing to ‘Lady Marmalade.’

What does ISTG mean on TikTok?

‘ISTG’ usually stands for ‘I swear to god,’ and is often used to emphasize a point you are making. You will most likely see the acronym at the beginning or end of a sentence, for example: “ISTG I can’t take him anywhere,” meaning: “I swear to god I can’t take him anywhere.”

What does BBL mean on TikTok?

‘BBL’ stands for ‘Brazilian Butt Lift,’ which according to the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery is: “A specialized fat transfer procedure that augments the size and shape of the buttocks without implants.”

Users often go viral sharing their BBL journey and results, or discussing celebrities who might have had the procedure.

What does pinned mean on TikTok?

When browsing someone’s profile on TikTok, you may have seen several videos at the top of their profile page labeled with the word ‘Pinned.‘ This means that the creator has chosen to literally pin these videos to their profile so that they are always at the top.

This is usually to draw people’s attention to certain posts, whether that’s to show off their most viral videos, or information that would be relevant to the users.

What does SW mean on TikTok?

‘SW’ is an acronym that on TikTok usually stands for ‘sex work’ or ‘sex worker,’ depending on the way it’s used in a sentence. People will often use this acronym to avoid being flagged by TikTok’s algorithm, which could result in their videos being taken down, or their account being banned.

What does /hj mean on TikTok?

The term ‘/hj’ is another tone indicator that stands for ‘half-joking.’ It is usually used to indicate that while a statement is largely a joke, there is an element of truth or seriousness to it. You will often see tone indicators at the end of comments, and they are used to clarify the intent behind a sentence.

What does GRWM mean on TikTok?

GRWM stands for ‘Get Ready With Me,’ and refers to a type of video popular across TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and more, in which users will show their followers how they get ready in the morning, or in the evening before bed. This type of video is particularly popular in the fashion and beauty communities.

What does IMSG mean on TikTok?

On TikTok, IMSG often stands for ‘iMessage,’ and may be used on TikTok when people are asking to chat via the Apple instant messaging app. It can also stand for ‘iMessage Games,’ referring to the type of games you can play with your friends through instant messaging platforms.

What does slay mean on TikTok?

‘Slay’ is usually used as a way to compliment someone, and according to Dictionary.com, means “to do something spectacularly well, especially when it comes to fashion, artistic performance, or self-confidence.” It is also a word that has been used in a number of viral TikTok sounds.

What does PSA mean on TikTok?

PSA usually stands for ‘Public Service Announcement,’ and on social media, including TikTok, the term is used as a way for people raise awareness about a topic or share some information with their followers. It can be used in the context of a joke, as well as in a serious way.

What does WYLL mean on TikTok?

On social media, WYLL often stands for ‘What You Look Like.’ The acronym is used as a way of people asking someone they have been chatting to what they look like in real life. You might see this used on TikTok, as well as on other platforms like Snapchat and Instagram.

What does DND mean on TikTok?

DND has multiple possible meanings on TikTok. It could stand for ‘Do Not Disturb,’ which people may use in direct messages, or to talk about the iPhone feature of the same name. It can also stand for roleplaying game Dungeons and Dragons, which has a huge community on the app.

What does AMOS mean on TikTok?

AMOS usually stands for ‘Add Me On Snapchat.’ You may see people use this in their bios on TikTok next to their Snapchat username in order to get people to add them, but people also use it in Direct Messages.

What does ASMR mean on TikTok?

On TikTok, YouTube, Twitch, and more, ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, referring to a tingling sensation some feel on the scalp, neck, and other areas of the body in response to certain audio and visual stimuli. ASMR content is hugely popular on TikTok, Twitch, and YouTube, and garners millions of views and likes.

What does 1437 mean on TikTok?

1437 is another way of saying ‘I love you forever.’ Each number in the acronym corresponds to how many letters there are in each word: ‘I’ is one letter, ‘love’ is four letters, ‘you’ has three letters, and ‘forever’ has seven letters. You will see this in both videos and comment sections on the platform.

So there you have it – all of TikTok’s slang explained, from ‘mid’ to POV and FYP.

TikTok culture is constantly growing and changing, and there’ll be new slang and terminology that will rise in popularity as more users join the popular app.

If you want to learn more about how to use TikTok, you can check out our other guides here:

How to duet on TikTok | How to Stitch on TikTok | How to go live on TikTok | How to find contacts on TikTok | How to use TikTok Stories | Best time to post on TikTok for more views and likes

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