Bützchen
Rhenish word for a closed-lip peck on the cheek — freely and cheerfully exchanged during Cologne Carnival as a lighthearted, no-strings-attached gesture of affection.
In the Rhineland, a Bützchen is a closed-lip kiss given with pursed lips to the cheek. The corresponding verb is bützen; the gesture involves touching the cheek with puckered lips.
Source: Wikipedia
At a Glance
- Type
- Rhenish expression for a closed-lip kiss
- Verb
- bützen
- Variants
- Bützje, Bützche
- Region
- Rhineland, especially in Cologne dialect (Kölsch)
- Occasion
- especially during Carnival season
- In the Duden
- listed since 1973
The Cologne proverb "Today kissing and licking, tomorrow clubs and sticks" was already documented in the German Proverb Dictionary in 1880 – suggesting that Cologne residents of that era were rather skeptical about the value of a fleeting peck.
Things to do here
- Catch a Bützchen tossed from the parade floats during Carnival
- Join in the cheerful Bützen tradition on Weiberfastnacht
- Learn the Cologne dialect word and how to pronounce it
- Pass on the lighthearted gesture as a friendly sign of affection
Word Origins
The Duden classifies the term as "Rhenish"; bützen for "little kiss" is traced there through the late Middle High German butzen (to push) back to Middle High German bōʒen. Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Wander recorded in his 1880 German Proverb Dictionary the Cologne saying "Heute bützen und lecken, morgen mit Knüppeln und Stöcken" and linked bützen to the Spanish buz for kiss. The Albanian puthje likewise carries the meaning "kiss."
Bützchen in Cologne Carnival
Bützchen are exchanged on many occasions — tossed down from parade floats and freely given on Women's Carnival Thursday (Weiberfastnacht). During Carnival, a Bützje carries no romantic meaning whatsoever; it is a lighthearted gesture of goodwill that commits no one to anything. WDR included Bützen in its "merry alphabet of Carnival" among the season's most beloved rituals.
Timeline
- 1880Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Wander's German proverb dictionary documents "bützen"
- 1973Duden includes "Bützchen" for the first time as a Rhenish term
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Sources & links
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-26
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