Meaning
What does HBU mean?
The meaning of HBU is “How about you?”.
It is most often used in text messaging and other forms of chatting on the internet.
This abbreviation is a used as a phrase with which we inquire about the opinion or the stance of the person we’re talking with.
Alternatively, “How about you?” can be shortened as “hay” or “hby”.
Origin
What's the origin of HBU?
Like many other text message contractions, “hbu” was also created at the end of the 20th century, when the internet was spreading around like Covid-19.
It initially appeared in early chatrooms and forums, and later spread on to SMS messaging.
Spread & Usage
How did HBU spread?
“Hbu” was first defined on Urban Dictionary in 2004, marking the first big milestone in the life of the shortening.
Today, it can be seen in messages as well as posts on social media sites like Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter, to say the least.