When people put xoxoxo on the bottom of letters, which ones are hugs and which are kisses?

Question

And where did that tradition originate?

Answer 1

G'day Amber,

Thanks for the question. The x's are kisses and the o's are hugs.

The use of XOXO goes back to the use of an X or cross, which was considered as good as a sworn oath in times before most people could write and therefore used the X in the same way a signature is used today — a mark of one's word.

An X at the end of a letter or document was often kissed as a seal of honesty, in much the same way one would kiss a Bible or kiss the fingers after making the sign of the Christian cross, thus the X came to represent a kiss in modern times.

Robert Hendrickson in his "Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins" states:

"One theory holds that the X stands for a kiss because it originally
represented a highly stylized picture of two mouths touching -- x.
Furthermore, in early times illiterates often signed documents with a
St. Andrew's cross of X and kissed that X to show their good faith (as
they did with any cross or the Bible, which reinforced the
association). But these explanations may be folk etymology, as may the story that mathematically the X is a 'multiplier' -- in this case of love and delight." From the "Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins" by Robert Hendrickson (Facts on File, New York, 1997)."

The origins of the O as a hug are not generally known, although it is speculated that it may represent the arms wrapped around someone being hugged. Another thought is that it came from Jewish immigrants who would sign with an O instead of an X because they did not wish to mark their word with the obviously Christian cross the X represented.

It is also said that X represents kisses because the letter X in Spanish is named "equis" which has a similar pronunciation as "a kiss".

I have attached sources for your reference.

Regards

Answer 2

I like the explanation from cremedelacreme04. Furthermore, I conjecture that illiterates who did that might consider, if the letter was of a personal nature, that the kiss was actually carried on the X. In other words, if you can't be with a loved one and want to send a kiss, that would be the next best thing. The receiver could simply touch their lips to the X and get the kiss.

Answer 3

I would have to say that the answer is right in front of you. The "circle" represents the "hugs" because it wraps around as in a circle of arms. The "X" represents the kisses...because it is two "points" (as lips) meeting each other. The O and X are pictures describing what is taking place, rather than "letters". I remember asking this very same question decades ago...and that is the answer I received and clung within my mind as a picture ever since.

Answer 4

X is kiss
O is hug
In writing love letters the word kiss was abbreviated to the letter X
and the O is a symbol of a person's arms around you which resembles a circle.

Answer 5

I think that the X is for hugs and the O for kisses. Because the X looks like arms reaching out towards each other, and the O looks like the form our lips have when we are kissing. x o

Answer 6

I thought it was x for kisses don't know why and o for hugs because it's a circle like when you hug someone. I am sure x doesn't stand for hug.

Answer 7

X= HUGS cuz it look like having arms around you, O= KISSES cuz your lips pucker when you wanna kiss

Answer 8

X is hug and o is kisses.

Answer 9

the X's are suppose to be the Huges cause it is suppoes to be the arms of the people and the O's are the kisses though i've always wondered why..........

Answer 10

Well in England we just put xxxxx and it's for kisses....