Korean Board Games Vocabulary: 30 Words with Romanization and Audio

Korean Board Games Vocabulary at a Glance

This list has 30 words in five groups of six. It belongs to Games and goes deeper than the board and traditional game groups on that page. The first two groups cover games played at a table: those with a board and pieces, and those with cards. The next two are games linked to New Year or to childhood playgrounds. The last group has the words every game needs: rules, turns, fouls and teams.

Names of traditional games follow patterns, and the patterns help you guess. Many end in 기, the noun ending that turns a verb into an activity: 제기차기, 연날리기, 줄넘기. Others end in 놀이 (play): 윷놀이, 고무줄놀이. A few are plain nouns, like 바둑 and 장기. The page describes the games only in outline, because the aim is the words, not a rule book. If you play any of them with Korean friends, they will gladly explain the rest.

Which Board and Traditional Games Should You Learn First?

Learn 바둑, 장기, 윷놀이, 규칙 and 차례 first. With those five you can name the best-known games and ask who goes next: 누구 차례예요? (Whose turn is it?). Then add 술래잡기, 줄넘기 and 연날리기, which every Korean child knows. The verbs matter as much as the nouns. Games with pieces on a board take 두다 (바둑을 둬요), most other games take 하다 (윷놀이를 해요) and cards take 치다 for hwatu or 하다 for card games in general.

• Words to say. 바둑, 장기, 윷놀이, 규칙, 차례. They cover the best-known games and the question about turns.
• Words to recognise. 화투, 고스톱, 제기차기, 술래잡기, 반칙. You hear these in family stories and see them in dramas.
• Words to add later. 말뚝박기, 딱지치기, 숨바꼭질, 승부. They are childhood words that make your Korean sound lived-in.

The scene below shows a family table with games laid out, with twelve numbered objects that match words in the tables.

Word · 12

1. 1

   바둑

   Play

   baduk

   baduk (Go)

2. 2

   바둑판

   Play

   badukpan

   baduk board

3. 3

   바둑돌

   Play

   badukdol

   baduk stone

4. 4

   장기

   Play

   janggi

   janggi (Korean chess)

5. 5

   오목

   Play

   omok

   omok (five in a row)

6. 6

   카드

   Play

   kadeu

   card; playing card

7. 7

   포커

   Play

   pokeo

   poker

8. 8

   윷놀이

   Play

   yunnori

   yutnori (stick-throwing board game)

9. 9

   윷가락

   Play

   yutgarak

   yut sticks

10. 10

    술래잡기

    Play

    sullaejapgi

    tag (chase game)

11. 11

    숨바꼭질

    Play

    sumbakkokjil

    hide-and-seek

12. 12

    차례

    Play

    charye

    turn; order

Board Games

The board games group begins with 바둑, an old strategy game for two with black and white stones placed on a grid. 장기 is a Korean game of pieces on a board, often compared with chess, and 오목 asks players to line up five stones. The pieces in these games are called 말, a word with other meanings too.

The verb 두다 (to place) is the one to remember for baduk and janggi, because it matches the act of putting a piece on a board. For omok and board games sold in shops, 하다 also works. English speakers who say "play" for all of them can start with 하다 and add 두다 for baduk and janggi.

Example Sentences

The examples use three frames. The first is noun + 을/를 + verb, as in 말을 옮겨요. The second is noun + 이/가 + descriptive verb, as in 규칙이 쉬워요. The third is noun + 에서 + verb for where or in what, as in 딱지치기에서 땄어요. The particle follows the last sound of the noun: 바둑을 (consonant, so 을), 오목은 (consonant, so 은), 고스톱은 (consonant, so 은) and 포커는 (vowel, so 는). Say each sentence aloud after the audio and replace the noun with another from the table.

How Do You Say Card Games in Korean?

Card words split into two sets. 카드 and 트럼프 name the Western deck, and 포커 is a game played with it. 화투 is a different deck of small cards printed with flower pictures, and 고스톱 is a game played with it. The word 패 names the cards in your hand in both. Hwatu is mentioned here only as vocabulary you will see in dramas and hear in family talk.

Notice the verb 치다 (to hit) with 화투, as in 화투를 치다. It is the normal verb for hwatu and for some other games with small tiles or cards, even though nobody hits anything. Many people also say 카드를 치다 or 포커를 치다 for Western cards, and 카드 게임을 하다 is the neutral choice. If you are unsure, use 하다.

Holiday Games (윷놀이)

Holiday games are the ones families play when they gather. The best known is 윷놀이 (yutnori), a team game in which players throw four sticks and move pieces round a board. It is closely tied to the New Year holiday, 설날. Jegi kicking and kite flying are also linked to New Year, and the top game belongs to the cold months. For the holidays themselves, see holidays.

The five throws in yutnori have names: 도 (do, one step), 개 (gae, two), 걸 (geol, three), 윷 (yut, four) and 모 (mo, five). A common explanation links them to a pig, a dog, a sheep, a cow and a horse. The table gives the Revised Romanization of each.

The throw 개 also means "dog" and is a general counter, so the context tells you which it is.

How Do You Say Playground Games in Korean?

Playground games are the ones children play at school or in the street. Their names follow the same two patterns, 기 and 놀이, and two of them, tag and hide-and-seek, have a 술래, the person who is "it". These words are close to what you hear in dramas about school days, and Koreans of all ages recognise them.

Several of these names have a sound change inside them, which the next section covers. They also share a family trait: they need no equipment beyond a rope, a rubber band or folded paper, which is why they are remembered as street games.

Rules and Players

The last group is the one you can use with any game, traditional or not. These six words let you ask whose turn it is, explain a rule, call a foul and name your side. Most are Sino-Korean, and 판 and 편 are short everyday words used in many other contexts too.

The question 누구 차례예요? asks "who", so the question word 누구 carries the stress and the voice does not climb sharply at the end. Answer with a name and 차례예요: 민지 차례예요 (It is Minji's turn). With these six words, you can join any game with a group of Korean friends.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Many game names are compounds, and compounds are where sound changes happen. The Hangul shows the written form, while the spoken form shifts where a final consonant meets the next sound. Standard pronunciation follows the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) rules, and the romanization follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which writes double-letter tense consonants but does not show tensing caused by a neighbouring sound.

The RR of these words follows the spelling, not the tense sound, so 숨바꼭질 is written sumbakkokjil and 딱지치기 is written ttakjichigi. In 줄넘기 and 고무줄놀이 the ㄹ sound is doubled, which is why they are written julleomgi and gomujullori. Press the audio button to hear the length of that doubled l.

Audio and Slow Playback

Every headword and every example sentence has its own audio. The five clips below replay the hardest words slowly. Play one, repeat it aloud, then play it again and compare.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Board and Traditional Games?

Five mistakes appear often.

1. Using 하다 for baduk and janggi. The natural verb is 두다: 바둑을 둬요, 장기를 둬요. 하다 is understood but sounds less natural.
2. Reading 말 as only "horse" or "speech". In a board game, 말 is a game piece. The topic tells you which meaning is used, as in 말을 옮겨요.
3. Not knowing the counter 판. 한 번 더 해요 (let's do it once more) is fine, but players usually count rounds of a game with 판: 한 판 더 해요 (one more round).
4. Calling every card a 카드. 카드 is the general word, and 트럼프 and 화투 are two different decks. Use the specific word when it matters.
5. Looking for an English-like word for a traditional game. Names such as 제기차기 and 딱지치기 have no single English word. Learn them as Korean words and explain them in a short sentence.

If you only fix one, fix the verb for pieces on a board: 바둑을 둬요 is what a Korean would say.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Study in three steps. First, run the flashcard deck in recognition mode until you recognise all 30 words. Second, switch to listening mode and answer from the audio alone. Third, take the quiz. The deck covers all 30 words with audio, and your progress stays in your browser. The vocabulary flashcard decks page lists the other decks.

A printable worksheet for these words (word list, matching, writing practice, fill-in-the-blank exercises and answer key) is available in A4 and US Letter from the download card on this page. For practice, write three sentences about a game you know in Korean: its name, how many people play it and whose turn comes first.

Where to Go Next

After this page, continue with Korean Video Games Vocabulary for the newer side of Korean play. For the holidays when many of these games are played, see holidays. To move up a level, return to Games.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Baduk in Korean?

Baduk is 바둑 (baduk). English calls the same game Go. Say ba-duk, with a plain ㅂ and a final ㄱ that you do not release. Play it with the verb 두다: 바둑을 둬요 (badugeul dwoyo) means "I play baduk". Press the audio button to hear it.

How Do You Pronounce 장기 (janggi)?

Say jang-gi in two beats. The final ㅇ of 장 is the ng sound, as at the end of "song", and 기 follows with a plain g. Do not say "jan-gi" with an n. The word 장기 also means "long term" in other contexts, so the topic decides which one is meant.

How Many Board and Traditional Games Should I Learn First?

Five first: 바둑, 장기, 윷놀이, 규칙 and 차례. At five new words a day, the 30-word list takes six days plus review. Add the three childhood games 술래잡기, 줄넘기 and 연날리기 in the second week, because Korean friends will recognise them at once.

Where Can I Practise Board and Traditional Games with Flashcards?

Use the vocabulary flashcard decks. The deck for this page holds all 30 words with Hangul, romanization and audio, and it offers recognition and listening modes. Your progress stays in your browser, so return daily and review the cards you missed.

Is the Romanization on This Page Official?

It follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which South Korea adopted on 7 July 2000 and whose rules the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) publishes. It is a learning aid and does not show every sound change, so rely on the Hangul and the audio.

Is There a Printable Worksheet for Board and Traditional Games?

A printable worksheet for these words (word list, matching, writing practice, fill-in-the-blank exercises and answer key) is available in A4 and US Letter from the download card on this page. For practice, copy the tables on this page by hand or use the flashcard deck, which carries the same 30 words.

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