Gook

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]

References

  1. ↑ "Gook Definition & Meaning". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  2. ↑ Roediger, Dave (March 1992). "Gook: The Short History of an Americanism". Monthly Review. doi:10.14452/MR-043-10-1992-03_5. Archived from the original on October 30, 2014.
  3. ↑ "gook". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  4. ↑ Roediger, David. (March 1992). Archived 2014-10-30 at the Wayback Machine
  5. 1 2 Cao, Lan; Novas, Himilce (1996). Everything You Need to Know About Asian-American History. Plume. p. 250. ISBN 9780452273153. Gook, the American racial epithet for all Asian Americans, is actually the Korean word for 'country.
  6. 1 2 "Gook". Rhetoric of Race. 2003. Archived from the original on February 24, 2009.
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