JK

JK means “just kidding.” It tells the other person that what you just said was a joke and shouldn’t be taken seriously.

What JK means

Text strips out tone of voice, so a joke can easily land as an insult. JK is the patch. You tack it on after a tease (“you’re so slow, jk”) or a fake-out (“I’m not coming tonight. jk, see you at 8”).

It has a sneakier use too. People sometimes say something they half mean and add “jk” to take the edge off, or to back out if it goes badly. If a friend keeps saying harsh things and following them with jk, the jk isn’t really doing its job.

Examples

• “Your haircut is a crime. jk it looks great.”
• “I ate your leftovers. jk… unless?”
• “Lol jk, I’d never actually move to Ohio.”

Spelling and variations

Merriam-Webster lists JK along with j/k and J/K. The slash version, j/k, was the original style in early instant messaging, but lowercase “jk” is by far the most common today. It often pairs with a laugh: “lol jk.”

Where JK came from

JK grew up in chat rooms and instant messaging. Nobody has found its first use: a 2008 Network World survey of internet shorthand noted it was missing from the early jargon dictionaries, and the first Urban Dictionary definition dates from 2001.

Don’t confuse it with names. JK can also refer to people like J.K. Rowling, J.K. Simmons or Jungkook of BTS, whom fans often call JK.

Related terms

• No cap: no lie, I’m serious. The opposite of jk.
• LOL: laughing out loud.
• Deadass: seriously, for real.

See more terms like this in our texting abbreviations guide.