Talk:Gook

Korean
The Korean word for Korea is Hangook. The Korean tire brand Hankook is a variant spelling of this. Pretty sure the term "gook" came from servicemen in Korea shortening this word.

In "From Here To Eternity", published in 1951, and set a decade earlier, characters, US soldiers stationed in Hawaii, use the term 'gook' to refer to East Asian immigrants(Japanese, Chinese, Fillipino) in Hawaii. The term "gook shirt" is used in reference to what we now call "Hawaiian shirts". Judging by that, the term was in use well before US troops got to Korea. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.212.80.149 (talk) 21:20, 1 June 2017 (UTC)


 * When I was a Korean Linguist for the U.S. Army (90s), I was taught by the Korean Instructors that it was a misunderstanding by the GI's under MacArthur. The Korean word for America is (미국) "Migook". When they first met, many of the RoK members we heard saying Migook and they misunderstood them as say they were gook in English ("Me Gook"). 70.117.232.144 (talk) 06:42, 25 April 2023 (UTC)

Rhodesia?
They certainly not called the "insurgents" as GOOK's, but as "TERR's" for terrorist. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.154.198.108 (talk) 17:11, 22 May 2009 (UTC)

Apparently, this is not the case. They do appear to have been called gooks by some who lived through those times. Strangely, the Rhodesianforces.org website makes no mention of terrs, but it does mention gooks.  Bromley86 (talk) 14:12, 5 November 2014 (UTC)


 * Came here to ask why it's claimed to be a derogatory term for southeast asians when most people where I live only know it as a synonym / nickname for communist insurgent, or terrorist. Gook is written in every scouts handbook. And there were multiple African peoples of different ethnic groups involved there. The only common theme I can see is 'communist terrorist' amongst all the people called gook. So I would submit that gook isn't some derogatory term for southeast asians but a term for communist insurgents. 124.190.192.20 (talk) 06:30, 29 August 2021 (UTC)


 * If you find a source that confirms this current use, we could add it to the article. See WP:V and WP:RS Richard-of-Earth (talk) 08:00, 29 August 2021 (UTC)

Spanish
the article COMPLETELY ignores all known scholarship on the matter. every good linguist knows that the word bounced around the spanish empire for quite some time before popping up in english.

they may have picked it up from the word "gugo" (tree and the sap thereof, used as shampoo) in cebuano (not "filipino"/"tagalog") as the article mentions, but it was not the yanks doing it. it was spanish applying it to filipinos, then to cubans, then to haitians, then to nicaraguans, then to who knows who.

somewhere in one of these later spots, yanks started using it. but it was applied to every latino, black, indian, and other minority of the spanish empire long before anyone (yanks?) refocused it back on filipinos. and then vietnamese.

this is all well-known and well-documented. what is still up for debate is whether the spanish originally got it from "gugo". 209.172.25.100 (talk) 03:07, 14 June 2014 (UTC)


 * Couldn't find anything about the Spanish Empire use of gugu, but gugu now added as a possible/likely source. Bromley86 (talk) 18:10, 8 November 2014 (UTC)


 * If anyone has a source confirming this, it would improve the article.Zekelayla (talk) 05:28, 7 May 2019 (UTC)


 * How did Rhodesians and Boer learn the word when they've had no contact with Spain? 124.190.192.20 (talk) 06:31, 29 August 2021 (UTC)

External links modified
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The first etymology is linking Korean for no reason based on references
About the reference 8, I have read the source, which tells 'niggers' were slur (term) for Filipinos because of their dark complexion. I searched the whole book with keyword 'Korea' but did not find any source linking with slur 'nigger'. The mention about Koreans in first paragraph of etymology makes no sense. Garypark (talk) 19:13, 21 July 2019 (UTC)
 * It has been fixed. Richard-of-Earth (talk) 05:12, 22 July 2019 (UTC)

Anti-Japanese sentiment
This is categorized as Anti-Japanese sentiment, but it isn't mentioned in the article. Benjamin (talk) 09:40, 30 September 2020 (UTC)
 * It is mentioned that the word is used against Asians generally in the article. The quoted citation to the 1960 Dictionary of American Slang mentions Japanese specifically. If you wish to add a mention of Japanese specifically in the article here is a citation to use:


 * But then it comes down to why not include categories for Italians, Turks, etc. since they are mentioned in the article. I honestly do not know how to draw the line. I take it you feel we should remove it, I feel neutral on the it. Richard-of-Earth (talk) 18:27, 4 October 2020 (UTC)


 * Thanks for the reply. I don't have strong feelings one way or another. Benjamin (talk) 20:49, 4 October 2020 (UTC)

Green's Dictionary of Slang is now a website
See https://greensdictofslang.com/search/basic?q=gook for citations to improve the article. Richard-of-Earth (talk) 15:21, 22 January 2022 (UTC)

Definitive Origin
Gook was first used by US troops in the Spanish American War Philippines Theater to describe how the Filipinos looked. ItsACityOfApes (talk) 02:01, 16 January 2023 (UTC)
 * I hope you are being serious and not just hoping to troll people. You need to supply a reliable source for us to include this in the article. Richard-of-Earth (talk) 04:37, 16 January 2023 (UTC)