If you’ve spent any time on social media recently, you’ve probably looked at your keyboard more than normal. This is due to a new trend that has attracted and irritated thousands of users on X and other platforms. The trend asks social media users to look between specific letters on their keyboard to decipher the meaning of the post.
Everything started with a meme uploaded in May 2021 on 4Chan, an image-sharing website where anyone can post and comment on images anonymously. A meme with the words “Look between T and O on your keyboard” depicted a K-On character. On a keyboard, the letters Y, U, and I between T and O spell Yui, a character in an anime series about girls who establish a band through their high school’s music club.
How did the post spark the trend years later?
The trend initially appeared on X in April 2024, when users shared posts about ‘K-On!’ and ‘My Hero Academia’. While the first post followed the pattern of the original 4Chan post that sparked this trend, the second focused on the space between “U and P on your keyboard.”
Many of the entries begin with an improbable or ridiculous description and then instruct you to look between the H and L keys, which correspond to the letters “JK” — in other words, “just kidding.”
Others, however, are using it in more creative ways, such as identifying their favorite sports stars as “G” (for “GOAT,” or Greatest of All Time). Brands have also joined in on the trend by promoting their products.