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Where does the word "tuk-tuk" come from? It comes from Thai tuk-tuk, and was adopted directly into English (1960s).
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Where does the word "tuk-tuk" come from? It comes from Thai tuk-tuk, and was adopted directly into English (1960s).
Tuk-tuk’s story begins in Thai: tuk-tuk meant “a three-wheeled motorized taxi.” An imitation of the engine's sputtering sound, naming the three-wheeled taxi. It reached English by 1960s as tuk-tuk. Named for the sound of the two-stroke engine. Today, tuk-tuk means a small three-wheeled motorized vehicle used as a taxi in parts of Asia.
- Stage 1 · Thai · 1900s tuk-tuk "a three-wheeled motorized taxi", an imitation of the engine's sputtering sound, naming the three-wheeled taxi.
- Stage 2 · English · 1960s tuk-tuk "a three-wheeled motorized taxi", named for the sound of the two-stroke engine.