# Where did this offensive slang term originate?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-offensive-slang-term-originate/177817>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 27, 2003, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-offensive-slang-term-originate/177817 "2003-05-27T17:41:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-offensive-slang-term-originate/177817/1 "2003-05-27T17:41:08Z")

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We’ve been watching a few Vietnam war films in the house recently and of course the term “gook” has sprung up quite often in them with reference to the inhabitants of Vietnam. Where did this term come from? Was it made up by US servicement during the war or before that?

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**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-offensive-slang-term-originate/177817/2 "2003-05-27T17:43:42Z")

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[The Wordwizard Clubhouse - Gook](http://www.wordwizard.com/clubhouse/founddiscuss.asp?Num=3128)