Popular Childhood Games In Korea That Will Bring Back Nostalgia

As technology continues to make advancements in each decade, it is said that the usage of smartphones in age continues to get younger.

Maybe that's why we see a lot of young children glued to their smartphones these days.

When I see children on their smartphones with friends, it makes me think back to my own childhood.

Before smartphones became a vital part of our lives, what games did Korean children play?

Today, I will introduce some of the most popular games played by Korean children in the past.

Slap-match Game
딱지치기

Source: Netflix Squid Game

This Korean slap-match game with paper is a traditional game that has been played since the Joseon Dynasty. Also, it is the first game to appear in "Squid Game". You may have also seen it in the variety show "Running Man" as well.

First, let me explain what it is played with.

It's played with two colorful sheets of paper that are folded together, also known as ttakji (딱지).

It has a flat shape but it is quite thick as it's made with two sheets of paper.

Source: nonsan

Source: Netflix Squid Game

It is pretty easy to play.

Leave one ttakji (딱지) on the ground and the other player must try to hit it until it flips over or goes out of the line. 

The object of the game is to get as many ttakji (딱지) as possible!

Source: Baby News

In the 2000s, it was popular to make the ttakji (딱지) with rubber. 

They were being sold in the shapes of characters from animations and games that were a hit.

There were many colorful designs to choose from and it was a hot seller among children during the time.

If you're a bad player, you may lose all your ttakji (딱지) to your friends, so it required a lot of practice.

Hisbiscus Has Bloomed
무궁화 꽃이 피었습니다

Source: Netflix Squid Game

This is the first game the contestants play and is also known as Red Light, Green Light. 

This game is played with a lot of people.

While the tagger stands with their back faced towards the other players and shouts "Hibiscus has blossomed" (무궁화 꽃이 피었습니다), the players sneak up slowly behind them.

The tagger turns around whenever they are done saying the sentence, and the rest of the players are to stand there as still as possible.

If you move, you will be captured and held captive by the tagger!

Source: Dongyang Ilbo

Source: Netflix Squid Game

After repeating this a few times, when a player successfully taps the tagger on the back while they are faced toward the wall, the other players make a run for it!

The tagger must try to catch the players before they reach the starting line.

Whoever the tagger catches, is the next tagger.

Super simple and fun, right?

When I was young, there were many different versions that we liked to play.

If someone shouts, "Grandma flower has blossomed!", then all the players need to crouch their backs like a grandmother.

And if someone shouts, "Sunflowers have blossomed!", then the players must stand up straight like a sunflower.

Hit the Marbles
구슬치기

The opponent's marbles are placed on the ground and your marbles are thrown from a distance to hit the opponent's.

The game is simple, but can't be played well on a smooth floor, so children mostly play it on the dirt outside. The marbles are very pretty, and they are mainly sold in stationery stores. Even children who didn't play marbles collected marbles when they were young.

Source: Netflix Squid Game

This game appears in one of the most memorable and emotional episodes, Gganbu. Gganbu (깐부) is a Korean word meaning ally, brother, or partner.

Squid Game
오징어 게임

Source: Netfilx Squid Game

The squid game, which is where Netflix's "Squid Game" gets is name, is actually an old Korean game.

A squid-shaped outline is drawn and the attacker can only move on one foot until they reach the middle of the squid. The defenders in the pattern can move on both feet, but if they get dragged out of bounds they lose.

After getting into the squid, the attacker must regain his strength and successfully reach the head of the squid to win the game.

Source: Netflix Squid Game

Spinning Top Game
팽이 놀이 

Source: Yonhap News

A spinning top is made by sharply cutting one end of a small cylindrical piece of wood.

In Korea, people usually played with a spinning top on frozen ice in the winter.

They let the tops spin on the ice and they hit it with a stick that had a string attached to make it continue spinning.

Whoever spun their top the longest won the game.

Source: 대학내일

Later, julpang (줄팽) appeared.

Julpang (중팽) has a string wrapped around it and helped the spinning top gain momentum.

Since it had a sharp iron at the end, it could be played in the winter and summer as well.

Whoever made theirs spin the longest or hit the opponent's top won the game.

In the early 2000s, a Korean and Japanese animation called Top Blade appeared.

This animation was about spinning tops.

This was also when the spinning tops that appeared in the animation were being sold.

It had a shooter with a spinning gear, a long winder that helped spin it, and it looked very cool.

Three, two, one, shoot!

If you pull the winder vigorously while shouting the words from the animation, the top will shoot itself out from the shooter and spin.

The objective of the game is to make yours spin the longest or attack your opponent and knock theirs down.

Their top blades were incredibly popular because they were really cool and like nothing that has been released before.

BTS members in the show Run BTS! also played with this top in the 96th episode.

Gonggi
공기놀이

Gonggi (공기) is a traditional game where you throw five small, round stones into the air and catch them with your hands.

A long time ago, it was played with real stones but I used to play with plastic balls that were later being sold.

The rules differed from region to region.

But in general, there are levels one through five.

You start by placing all five stones on the floor, then throw one in the air and grab the other four quickly, and then catch the one in the air before it falls to the ground.

Two stones are thrown in the second level, and three are thrown in the third level.

From the fifth level, you throw 5 stones on the back of your hand and throw them in the air and catch them.

Whoever succeeds at the highest level wins the game.

This game is very simple, but you have to be good with your hands.

I used to sit on the floor of the classroom with my friends during break time and practice!

Folded Paper Crane
학종이 따기

Folded paper cranes (학종이) are a type of colored paper that was used to fold small paper cranes.

When I was young, I didn't have many friends around me that folded paper cranes, instead, we played a game.

It was played by stacking the paper up like a tower and either clapping in front of it or slamming your hands down on the table to flip the paper.

When clapping, you didn't want to clap too hard or soft.

You wanted to clap it just right, with the perfect amount of wind so that the paper would flip!

Even though this game was super simple, it was highly addictive.

Hopscotch
땅 따먹기

Source: 세이브더칠드런

Hopscotch is a simple game that you can play if you can draw lines on the ground.

Simply draw 8 blocks on the floor in a specific shape and write down the numbers from 1 to 8 in each block.

You can begin the game by throwing a stone into one of the eight blocks and jump in between them.

You must hop between 1 to 8 using one foot or by alternating both feet.

In the past, many children used to play this game so most playgrounds already had hopscotch drawn on the ground.

Rubber Band Game
고무줄 놀이

Source: 한국민족문화대백과사전

As you can guess from its name, the rubber band game is played with a rubber band.

Two people hold a rubber band that is about 2 to 4 meters long at their ankles on both sides, and the rest of the players will step on it or jump over it.

There was even a song that children used to sing when playing this game.

Each song had a different set of rules.

If you succeed without making a mistake, the height of the rubber hand will gradually go up from ankle to knee to waist.

As the height of the rubber band goes up, it becomes harder so it takes a lot of practice.

This game was mainly played by girls, and sometimes mischievous boys would come and cut the rubber band with scissors.

Knitting Thread
실 뜨기

This game was played by two people with a thread that was tied and wrapped around a player's hands.

The other player will then try to make several shapes with the thread.

There was a fixed shape you needed to create in each level, so it was important to memorize how to make the shapes.

You also had to move the thread from the other player's hands into your own hands at each level.

If you place your finger in the wrong place, the thread will loosen or get tangled so you couldn't play the game anymore.

This is a game you can play anywhere, anytime!

I remember secretly playing this under my desk with a friend in class.

Today we learned about some of the traditional games that Koreans used to play during their childhood.

Are there any similar games in your country that you used to enjoy playing? Let us know the differences and similarities down below!