윷놀이 (yunnori)

윷놀이 (yunnori) means a game in which players split into teams and take turns throwing yut sticks, moving their pieces around the yut board to compete for the win. All you need is four wooden sticks and one board — and the moment this simple game starts, a quiet living room suddenly gets loud.

Picture an afternoon on 설날 (seollal, Lunar New Year). The 떡국 (tteokguk, rice-cake soup) table is cleared away, a blanket goes down on the living room floor, and the board is spread out on top of it. The grown-ups perch on the edge of the sofa handing out advice, and the kids shriek every time a stick goes flying off the blanket. Anyone who has spent even one holiday in Korea remembers 윷놀이 (yunnori) by that noise long before they remember the rules. Which is why 윷놀이 (yunnori) is less a single word than a single scene.

Each yut stick is flat on one side and rounded on the other. You throw all four, and how many flat sides land face up decides both the name of the throw and how many spaces you move.

1 flat side → 도 (do), one space
2 → 개 (gae), two spaces
3 → 걸 (geol), three spaces
4 → 윷 (yut), four spaces
0 (all rounded sides up) → 모 (mo), five spaces

Throw 윷 (yut) or 모 (mo) and you get to throw again. Capture an opponent’s 말 (mal, game piece) and you throw again too. That’s how a game you were sure you’d won gets flipped over completely on one last throw. This is exactly why 윷놀이 (yunnori) has survived every single holiday — it takes almost no skill, so a five-year-old nephew and an eighty-year-old grandmother can genuinely compete on the same team.

Here’s the one spot where learners always get tripped up. 윷 (yut) is the word for the four wooden sticks, and it’s also the word for one of the results you can throw with them (the four-space one). Once a game gets going, somebody will shout — 윷이야! (yusiya!) That isn’t about the sticks; it means a four-space result just came up.

It’s worth memorizing the phrases that travel with this word as whole chunks: 윷놀이를 하다 (yunnorireul hada, to play yunnori), 윷놀이에서 이기다·지다 (yunnorieseo igida·jida, to win / lose at yunnori), 윷판을 펴다 (yutpaneul pyeoda, to spread out the yut board), 윷을 던지다 (yuseul deonjida, to throw the yut sticks), 말을 업다 (mareul eopda, to stack two pieces and move them together), 말을 잡다 (mareul japda, to knock an opponent’s piece back to the starting point).

Checking It in the Basic Korean Dictionary

The National Institute of Korean Language’s 《한국어기초사전》 (Basic Korean Dictionary) defines 윷놀이 (yunnori) like this.

윷놀이 「명사」 (noun) 편을 갈라 교대로 윷을 던져 윷판 위의 말을 움직여 승부를 겨루는 놀이. A game in which players split into teams and take turns throwing yut sticks, moving the pieces on the yut board to compete for the win. — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)

Notice that the very first words of the definition are 편을 갈라 (pyeoneul galla, splitting into teams). The idea of 편 (pyeon, a side/team) is already baked into the definition of the game itself. Sitting by yourself throwing sticks is, by definition, not 윷놀이 (yunnori).

Here are the same dictionary’s translations into other languages.

[en] yunnori — playing yut; game of yut: A game in which players compete with pieces to reach the finish line first, as they throw a set of four yut sticks and move the pieces. [ja] ユンノリ — チーム分けして交互にユッを投げて、ユッパン上の駒を動かして勝負を競う遊び。 [es] yunnori, juego del yut — Juego tradicional coreano que consiste en lanzar dados para mover las piezas sobre la tabla de acuerdo al número indicado por los dados y llegar primero al punto de partida para ganar. [zh] 掷柶游戏，柶戏，掷柶戏，翻板子游戏，尤茨游戏 — 一种游戏，游戏双方分别投掷半圆形木棍做成的毂子，根据出现的点数来移动棋子，以此来决出胜负。 — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)

Portuguese isn’t carried in this dictionary, so we should be upfront that the line below is our own translation.

[pt] yunnori — jogo tradicional coreano em que duas equipes se revezam lançando quatro varetas de madeira e movem suas peças pelo tabuleiro; vence quem completar a volta primeiro. (our own translation)

Now let’s look at the actual example sentences the dictionary lists. All four sentences below are exactly as they appear in the original.

민준이는 모나 윷은 한 번도 못 던지고 계속 개만 던져 윷놀이에서 꼴찌를 했다. Min-jun never once threw a mo or a yut and just kept throwing gae, so he came in last at yunnori. — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)

This is a sentence about someone whose luck simply refused to turn. The five-space 모 (mo) and the four-space 윷 (yut) never came up even once; it was the two-space 개 (gae) over and over. It’s the most common lament you’ll hear at a real game, so it’s worth memorizing whole — 계속 개만 나와 (gyesok gaeman nawa, I keep getting nothing but gae).

나는 윷놀이에서 세 칸 앞에 있던 상대 팀 말을 걸로 잡았다. At yunnori I caught the other team’s piece, three spaces ahead of me, with a geol. — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)

This one has the beating heart of the game in it: capturing. If an opponent’s piece is sitting exactly three spaces ahead of you and you throw a three-space 걸 (geol), you get to send that piece all the way back to the starting point. This is the moment the living room erupts.

설날인데 가족끼리 윷놀이를 하는 게 어떨까? It’s Seollal — how about the family plays some yunnori? — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)

This is a suggestion, and it’s also the single most common line for getting relatives who are sitting around awkwardly on a holiday to actually move. ‘-는 게 어떨까?’ is casual speech, but it’s a soft, gentle way of proposing something, so you’d use it with people your own age or with close family.

설을 맞아 민속촌에서 윷놀이, 연날리기, 널뛰기 등 다채로운 민속놀이 체험 행사가 열린다. To mark Seol, the folk village is holding a colorful program of traditional-game experiences including yunnori, kite flying, and neolttwigi. — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)

This time it isn’t a person speaking — it’s a line from an event announcement. Here 윷놀이 (yunnori) is bundled together with 연날리기 (yeonnalligi, kite flying) and 널뛰기 (neolttwigi, a game where two people take turns springing up from opposite ends of a plank, like a standing seesaw) and presented as 민속놀이 (minsongnori, traditional folk games). When you run into 윷놀이 (yunnori) in the news or on a poster, it’s usually inside a sentence like this one.

Seeing It in a Real Conversation

Situation: A Seollal afternoon. The tteokguk table has just been cleared and a blanket is being spread out on the living room floor. The cousins will be arriving any minute.

Jun-kyung: 상 다 치웠으면 담요 좀 깔아 줘. 사촌들 오면 바로 윷놀이 시작할 거야. If you’re done clearing the table, spread the blanket out. When my cousins get here we’re starting yut right away.

Emily: 아, 편 짜는 거 있잖아. 나 작년에 도만 나와서 꼴찌 했단 말이야. Ugh, about the teams — last year I only ever rolled “do” and came in dead last.

Jun-kyung: 그러니까 올해는 나랑 같은 편 해. 던지는 법 알려 줄게. So be on my team this year. I’ll teach you how to throw.

Emily: 던지는 법이 어딨어. 윷놀이는 그냥 운이지. There’s no “how to throw.” Yut is pure luck.

Jun-kyung: 야, 그 말 어머니 앞에서는 하지 마. 우리 어머니 윷놀이 지면 삼 일 가. Hey, don’t say that in front of my mom. When she loses at yut she sulks for three days.

Emily: …나 그냥 말만 옮길게. …I’ll just move the pieces then.

These Sound Wrong

✗ 윷놀이를 던졌는데 모가 나왔어. ✓ 윷을 던졌는데 모가 나왔어. (I threw the yut sticks and got a mo.) → 윷놀이 (yunnori) is the name of the whole game; the thing you throw with your hand is the four wooden sticks, that is, 윷 (yut). You can’t throw a game. Almost everything said during play uses 윷 (yut) — 윷 던져 (yut deonjyeo, throw the sticks), 윷 굴러갔다 (yut gulleogatda, the stick rolled away), 윷이야! (yusiya!).

✗ 어제 심심해서 혼자 윷놀이 했어. ✓ 어제 심심해서 혼자 윷 던지기 연습했어. (I was bored yesterday, so I practiced throwing yut sticks by myself.) → Remember that the dictionary definition opens with 편을 갈라 (pyeoneul galla, splitting into teams). 윷놀이 (yunnori) is a word that only holds together when there are teams, so attaching it to one person sitting alone tossing sticks sounds oddly lonely — and just plain off — to a Korean ear.

Example Sentences by Situation

① Inviting an elder to a round at the head family’s house

작은아버지, 저희랑 윷놀이 한 판 하실래요? 편은 남자 여자로 가르고요. (jageunabeoji, jeohuirang yunnori han pan hasillaeyo? pyeoneun namja yeojaro gareugoyo.)

Uncle, want to play a round of yut with us? Let’s split into a men’s team and a women’s team.

Since you’re inviting an elder, you use -하실래요? (-hasillaeyo?). And it’s natural to say how you’re dividing the teams in the same breath. At an actual holiday gathering, teams get split up as men vs. women, adults vs. kids, or the husband’s family vs. the in-married daughters- and sons-in-law. Picking the teams is half the game.

② A facilitator making an announcement at a company workshop

오후 첫 순서는 팀별 윷놀이입니다. 진 팀이 저녁 설거지 담당이에요. (ohu cheot sunseoneun timbyeol yunnoriimnida. jin timi jeonyeok seolgeoji damdangieyo.)

The first item this afternoon is a team yut tournament. The losing team is on dish duty tonight.

This is the classic setting where 윷놀이 (yunnori) escapes the holidays. It shows up constantly as an icebreaker at company workshops, university club trips, church retreats, and senior center events. The rules take thirty seconds to explain, and people who just met start yelling the moment they end up on the same team. Because this is an official announcement, -입니다 / -예요 (-imnida / -yeyo) are used.

③ Right before the game turns over, speaking casually to a friend

한 칸만 더 가면 나는데 걸로 잡혔어. 윷놀이는 진짜 끝날 때까지 모르는 거야. (han kanman deo gamyeon naneunde geollo japyeosseo. yunnorineun jinjja kkeutnal ttaekkaji moreuneun geoya.)

One more space and I’d have finished, but they caught me with a “geol.” With yut you really never know until it’s over.

When a piece completes its lap around the board and comes out, you say it 나다 (nada). The moment a piece you thought was as good as home gets captured at the last second is the loudest scene in all of 윷놀이 (yunnori).

Polite vs. Casual, and Similar Expressions

윷놀이 (yunnori) is a noun, so there’s no honorific level built into the word itself. Politeness is decided by the verb that follows. To a friend, 윷놀이 하자 (yunnori haja); to an elder, 윷놀이 하실래요? (yunnori hasillaeyo?), or a bit more formally, 윷 한 판 하시죠 (yut han pan hasijyo). Those three will cover you for inviting an elder to play over the holidays.

Here’s a comparison of expressions that look similar but belong in different places.

Expression	Tone / intensity	Where it’s used
윷놀이 (yunnori)	Neutral. The standard name of the whole game	Anywhere. Dictionaries, news, announcements, everyday conversation
윷 (yut)	The in-game word. Both the equipment and the name of a result	While a game is underway. 윷 던져, 윷이야!
윷 한 판 (yut han pan)	Light, inviting	Suggesting a game to family or peers. 우리 윷 한 판 할까?
민속놀이 (minsongnori)	A formal umbrella term, slightly stiff	Event posters and articles. Never used mid-game

Calling it 윷놀이 (yunnori) over and over while the game is actually happening sounds awkward. Once play starts, people just say 윷 (yut). The full name 윷놀이 (yunnori) is for talking about the game, from outside it.

Cultural Background — All It Takes Is One Blanket

The original home of 윷놀이 (yunnori) was the courtyard and the village hall. You can still see traces of that in the dictionary’s example sentences — 마당에 큰 말판을 놓고 (madange keun malpaneul noko, “setting a big board out in the yard”), 정월을 맞아 마을 회관에 모여서 (jeongworeul maja maeul hoegwane moyeoseo, “gathering at the village hall for the first lunar month”). From the first day of the first lunar month through 대보름 (daeboreum, the first full moon), the dead of winter when farm work paused, was 윷놀이 season. Today the courtyard has simply become an apartment living room; the part where one blanket and four sticks are enough to open a game hasn’t changed at all.

It’s clear why 윷놀이 (yunnori) has held onto its spot as the holiday game. First, it takes thirty seconds to learn. Second, skill barely enters into it, so generations and ages mix completely. Third, because you play in teams, you suddenly find yourself on the same side as a relative you’d normally never exchange a word with. This game is the fastest device there is for stirring together a room of people who were sitting around awkwardly.

As for where the names 도·개·걸·윷·모 (do, gae, geol, yut, mo) come from, the most widely repeated explanation is that they refer to a pig, a dog, a sheep, a cow, and a horse. The reading is that the spaces increase from the slowest-moving animal to the fastest — but it’s not settled fact, so it’s best filed away as “here’s a story that gets passed down.” Still, once you’ve heard it, remembering why 도 (do) is one space and 모 (mo) is five gets a whole lot easier.

In the holiday episode of a Korean drama, the 윷놀이 (yunnori) scene is practically a formula. The whole family sits in a ring on the living room floor, the sniping starts while the teams are still being divided, and eventually somebody flips the board over and long-buried grievances come pouring out. Writers love the scene for the same reason it works in real life — 윷놀이 (yunnori) briefly erases rank and age, which makes it the perfect setting for things people normally can’t say.

If you get invited to a Korean friend’s home for a holiday, it’s fine not to know all the rules. Sit down in front of the blanket, take the four sticks you’re handed, and throw them — everyone around you will fill in the rest. That’s just how this game works.

Today’s Quiz

Emily has gone to Jun-kyung’s head family’s house for Seollal. The grown-ups are laying a blanket on the living room floor and spreading out the board. Jun-kyung hands her the four wooden sticks and says, “You throw first.” What’s the most natural thing for Emily to say here?

① 제가 먼저 윷놀이를 던질게요. ② 제가 먼저 윷을 던질게요. ③ 제가 먼저 말판을 던질게요.

Answer: ②

What you throw with your hand is the four wooden sticks — 윷 (yut). You can’t throw the name of the game as in ①, and the 말판 (malpan) in ③ is the board you lay out on the floor, so throwing that would cause real trouble. Also note that since she’s speaking in front of elders, she uses -ㄹ게요 (-lgeyo) to sound polite.

Definitions and example sentences are from the National Institute of Korean Language’s Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr); that portion of this post, including our translations, is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 KR.