ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Chat language

Chat language is a special way of talking when you are texting or chatting with your friends online. It is different from the usual way of talking because people use short words and symbols to express themselves.

For example, instead of saying "I am laughing out loud," people might just type "lol" which stands for "laugh out loud." Similarly, people might use "brb" to tell their friends that they will be "right back." These are called abbreviations.

People also use symbols like emojis or emoticons to express their feelings. For example, a smiley face 🙂 means they are happy, a sad face 🙁 means they are sad, and a heart ❤️ means they are loving something.

Another common thing people do when chatting is shortening words. For example, instead of typing "you", people might shorten it to "u". This makes typing faster and easier.

Chat language is fun to use, and it can be a great way to talk to your friends online. But be careful not to overdo it or use it in the wrong place, like in a formal email or a school essay.