RT

• Reading: アールティー
• Romaji: āru tī
• Kanji breakdown: Abbreviation of リツイート (ritsūīto, from English 'retweet')
• Pronunciation: /ā.ru.tī/

Meaning

Retweet or repost — sharing someone else's post to your own timeline so your followers can see it.

RT stands for リツイート (retweet) and is the primary way content spreads on Twitter/X. In Japanese internet culture, RT is also used loosely to mean 'I agree' or 'same here' — quoting someone's statement and adding RT to endorse it. The act of retweeting is considered a form of support or signal-boosting, and high RT counts indicate popular or controversial content.

Examples

1. この投稿めっちゃいいからRTして広めよう。 This post is so good, let's retweet it and spread the word.
2. 朝起きたらRTが1000超えてて驚いた。 I woke up and my retweets were over 1,000 — I was shocked.
3. 面白いと思ったらRTお願いします！ If you think it's interesting, please retweet!

Usage Guide

Context: Twitter/X, social media

Tone: sharing, endorsing

Do Say

• この情報大事だからRTして！ (This info is important, so please retweet!)
• RT数やばいことになってるね。 (The retweet count is insane.)

Don't Say

• 内容を確認せずにRTする (Don't RT without checking the content — spreading misinformation is frowned upon)

Common Mistakes

• Using RT on platforms that don't have retweet functionality — on Instagram, the equivalent is repost or share
• Not understanding that RT can also mean 'I agree' in text conversations outside of Twitter

Origin & History

From Twitter's 'retweet' feature, abbreviated as RT. Adopted directly into Japanese internet vocabulary when Twitter became hugely popular in Japan from around 2010.

Cultural Context

Era: Early 2010s, tied to Twitter's popularity in Japan

Generation: All social media users

Social background: Twitter/X users

Regional notes: Japan has one of the largest Twitter/X user bases globally. RT culture is deeply ingrained in Japanese social media habits.