Gook
derogatory term for Asians From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
Gook (/ˈɡuːk/ or /ˈɡʊk/) is a racial slur for East Asians and Southeast Asians in English.[1]
Origin
The word's origin is unclear. It is said that American troops in the Philippine–American War (1899 – 1913) started using it,[2][3] which later became a word for "dark-skinned foreigner, especially a non-European or non-American" in general.[4]
Usage
The word began to be used for referring to Koreans in the Korean War (1950 – 1953), despite South Korea's protection by the US-led United Nations Command.[5] Historians said that the use might come from the frequent local use of the Korean word 국 (guk), meaning "country", which was mistaken by American troops for how Koreans called themselves.[5] The word was reportedly so common among American troops that U.S. General Douglas MacArthur banned it to avoid upsetting Asians.[6] However, its use towards Asians continued until the end of the Vietnam War.[6]
Remove ads
Related pages
References
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads