The Brief: Variations of "sksksk" are ways that people communicate laughter, amusement, or awkwardness online.

Bluesquiggle
DEEP DIVE

“sksksk” usually also references how someone may type random letters on their keyboard when they don’t know what else to say or wish to express a hard-to-describe emotion. As S and K are centrally located on keyboards, especially on phone keyboards, they may be a common selection of “random letters.”

sksksk can also can be read as an onomatopoeia of laughing or snickering. Variations of the term may have different spellings or include additional letters that were typed randomly. For example, “sksdksksjk” or “lslssdlsllfsd” or “sdklfhdfsklk” would connote the same meaning.

sksksk doesn’t have one specific definition. Somewhat similar to lol, it can be used quite ubiquitously and its meaning may change over time.

Memes & Ironic Usage

The phrase is often associated with TikTok and VSCO girls. It’s also particularly common on KPOP Stan Twitter. The term may be used as a serious reaction, an ironic reference to the cringey-ness of the phrase, or both.