# Origin of koochie koochie koo?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-koochie-koochie-koo/494181
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 24, 2009, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-koochie-koochie-koo/494181 "2009-04-24T03:32:10Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@deadindays](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deadindays)
#### Post date: [April 24, 2009, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-koochie-koochie-koo/494181/1 "2009-04-24T03:32:10Z")
So where exactly did the phrase koochie koochie koo come from? Thanks!
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### Author:  [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)
#### Post date: [April 24, 2009, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-koochie-koochie-koo/494181/2 "2009-04-24T11:21:28Z")
Possibly imitative of a baby’s noise. From the OED
> [@](#):
>
> Forms: 18- coochy coo, 19- coochie coo, 19- koochie coo, 19- koochie koo.Freq. with reduplication of the first element. [Origin uncertain; perh. imitative of a baby’s gurgling; perh. cf. COO v.
> The element coochy appears earlier in similar contexts:
> 1860 Vanity Fair 14 July 29/2 Pooty baby!..Coochey, oochy, coochey. ]
>
> ```
> Used to elicit a smile or laughter from a baby, esp. in combination with tickling.
>
> ```
>
> 1897 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 12 Feb. 4/3 Mamma’s lovely dumpling; hear it murmur ‘Goo!’ Izzum sweet as sugar? Coochy, coochy, coo. 1955 S. N. BEHRMAN et al. Fanny II. i. 92 Coochy-coo! Coochy-coo! you’re so sweet, I could eat you! 1972 G. CHAPMAN et al. Monty Python’s Flying Circus (1989) II. xxviii. 64 Yes, he’s such a clever boy, aren’t you? Coochy coochy coo. 1993 Times-Picayune (New Orleans) (Nexis) 23 Dec. B1 Children..hover over the little bundle and murmur, ‘Koochie, koochie, coo.’ 2003 Herald (Glasgow) (Nexis) 6 Feb. 10 A mother says coochy-coo.
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### Author:  [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)
#### Post date: [April 24, 2009, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-koochie-koochie-koo/494181/3 "2009-04-24T14:33:54Z")
[http://www.smickandsmodoo.com/lyrics/gal.htm](http://www.smickandsmodoo.com/lyrics/gal.htm) Might be with this song. First recorded in 1925
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [April 24, 2009, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-koochie-koochie-koo/494181/4 "2009-04-24T14:37:31Z")
‘Oochi, woochi, coochi-koo?’
‘It’s an ancient Earth dialect.’
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### Author:  [@LeoliyX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LeoliyX)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2017, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-koochie-koochie-koo/494181/5 "2017-06-12T04:37:56Z")
Although I dont know for sure, I believe that Coochie coo/Koochie coo, may have come from the Japanese word for mouth. (口/くち)romaji being “kuchi” is pronounced as we would say coo-chi.
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### Author:  [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2017, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-koochie-koochie-koo/494181/6 "2017-06-12T05:06:42Z")
Welcome to the SDMB LeoliyX. You have the dubious honor making your first post in an 8 year old thread started by someone called Deadindays who hasn’t been around since 2014. Not to worry. We’ve all been there. Did you bring pie? 😉
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### Author:  [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2017, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-koochie-koochie-koo/494181/7 "2017-06-12T05:48:00Z")
> [@LeoliyX](#):
>
> Although I dont know for sure, I believe that Coochie coo/Koochie coo, may have come from the Japanese word for mouth. (口/くち)romaji being “kuchi” is pronounced as we would say coo-chi.
Sorry, no. For one thing, the “u” sound in “kuchi” is very short, almost elided, not a long “oo” at all. For another thing, when speaking to babies, Japanese people don’t say anything like that.
In short, that’s just a random similarity of sort-of similar sounds with different meanings in different languages.
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### Author:  [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2017, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-koochie-koochie-koo/494181/8 "2017-06-12T08:20:06Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#):
>
> Sorry, no. For one thing, the “u” sound in “kuchi” is very short, almost elided, not a long “oo” at all. For another thing, when speaking to babies, Japanese people don’t say anything like that.
>
> In short, that’s just a random similarity of sort-of similar sounds with different meanings in different languages.
Another explanation I’ve heard is that it comes from the Welsh “cwtch”. (pronounced more like “kutch” than “cooch” - it rhymes with “butch”)
The closest translation to English is hug or cuddle but it really communicates more the place of safety and security that those activities provide.
> [@](#):
>
> ‘…Cwtch, which has long been a familiar word in the Welsh language, was given two definitions: noun (Welsh) 1. a cupboard or cubbyhole. 2. a cuddle or hug.’
>
> However, this definition isn’t conclusive, because the wonderful thing about the Welsh word, ‘cwtch’, is that there’s no literal English translation. There are plenty of similar words, such as ‘cuddle’, ‘snuggle’ and ‘hug’, but none share quite the same affectionate sentiment as a ‘cwtch’.
>
> Ask a Welsh person what a ‘cwtch’ is and often they’ll give you a fond smile – because a cwtch is evocative – it has the magical quality of transporting someone back to the safety of their childhood. This corresponds with the word’s other meaning, which is a place to safely store things – if you give someone a cwtch, you’re figuratively giving them a ‘safe place’.
That’s a little more plausible than a word that means ‘mouth’ in the context of comforting a baby, and also sounds very similar.