Document And Entity Information - shares	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2019	Apr. 23, 2019
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	COHU INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000021535
Trading Symbol	cohu
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-28
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding (in shares)		41,016,916
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 30, 2019
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2019
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Amendment Flag	false