Surviving Korean Drinking Games (Part 2)

Last summer we brought you an intro to Korean drinking games. We covered a few of the basics, including Ttalgi (딸기), Baskin Robbins 31, and the bottlecap game to name a few. What we gave you was a good foundation for Korean drinking games and chants, but we’ve only scratched the surface. Here are four other games that will be sure to take your nights out in Korea up a few notches.

딸기 (Ttalgi) Game 2.0

This takes the basic beat we learned with the first ttalgi (딸기) we’ve learned and takes it up a notch by introducing other Korean fruit names into the mix. There are plenty of fruits, so there is practically no limit to how many people can play this game, with one fruit assigned to each person. For example:

딸기 (Ttalgi/Strawberry)

바나나 (Banana)

당근 (Tanggeun/Carrot)

수박 (Subak/Watermelon)

메론 (Melon)

As well, the first version of the game usually goes up to a complete 8-count, where you have to clap out “ttalgi” eight times in order. However, instead of going in an increasing or decreasing order, the first player, will clap out one beat, but instead of saying “ttalgi,” they will say their assigned fruit, and in the next beats, say someone else’s assigned fruit and a number. Then, the person whose assigned fruit was said, needs to clap out that many beats while saying their fruit.

This cycle continues until someone messes up their counting, or takes too long to recognize it was their turn to clap. Like the first Ttalgi game, this one is a bit difficult, especially with all the fruit names in Korean and the quick speed that this game is normally played in.

Bottlecap 2.0

This is less of a 2.0, and more of a continuation of what happens when the tin strip from a soju bottle cap has been flicked off. Underneath the bottle cap, there is a number between 1-100 printed. The person who previously won the bottlecap flicking game is the only one who gets to see the number (let’s call this person the “it” person), and everyone else in the group each has one guess of what number it is.

Every time someone guesses an incorrect number, the “it” person has to give the rest of the group a hint as to whether the bottlecap number is higher or lower. If the group is able to guess then the number, then the “it” person has to take a drink. If the group is unable to guess the right number, then everyone except the “it” person drinks.

https://youtu.be/yr0Flrnt7sg?t=1m6s

The video above is an example of Bottlecap 2.0 from timestamp 1:06 – 2:02.

삼 육 구 (Sam Yuk Gu)

Another counting game, while this game can be played in English, this is a fun way to practice your counting in Korean. The game is quite simple and starts off with the little repeated chant:

삼-육-구 (Sam-Yuk-Gu)

One-Two-Three x3

Afterwards, each person says one number, and the group begins counting in sequential order. The only catch is, if the number that someone is supposed to say has a 3, 6, or 9 in it (삼, 육, or 구), then the person has to clap.

With five people playing, it would look like this:

Person 1: 일 (il/one)

Person 2: 이 (ee/two)

Person 3: *CLAP*

Person 4: 사 (sa/four)

Person 5: 오 (oh/five

Person 1: *CLAP*

Person 2: 칠 (chil/seven)

Person 3: 팔 (pal/eight)

And so on. If anyone says a number they were supposed to clap out, or the order in any way is messed up, the person who disrupts the flow of the game has to drink. Things get a lot more interesting when you reach 30, where every number is clapped, except “33” which is clapped twice.

Check out the images below for some visuals for the game (Source: https://www.10mag.com/10-korean-drinking-games-you-have-to-try/).

Bunny Bunny

Another simple to play with a large group of people would be Bunny Bunny. This game begins with someone who is “it.” The “it” person begins with two beats of saying “bunny bunny” and can pass being “it” to someone else in the group. The new “it” person has to say “bunny bunny” themselves and pass it along to someone else in the group, and the two people directly beside them have to do a little dance and say “당근” (tang-geun/carrot). In reality, the game moves very fast, so if an “it” person fails to say “bunny bunny,” or if the people beside them don’t say “당근” then the whoever disrupted the flow of the game would have to drink.

Check out the video and images below for a visual of how the Bunny Bunny game works! )Image source: https://www.10mag.com/10-korean-drinking-games-you-have-to-try/)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MrdU0A_Y6k