Gonggi Squid Game

Gonggi with Squid Game Theme, comes in a metal box.

Gonggi (Korean: , IPA: [koi]) is a popular Korean children’s game traditionally played with five or more small grape-sized pebbles. Nowadays, children buy colorful plastic pebbles instead of finding pebbles. It can be played alone or with friends. The pebbles are called gonggitdol (). Since only a few pebbles and a flat surface are needed for play, the game can be played by anyone almost anywhere. A similar game also exists in Nepal and is known as ‘gatti’.

The game is also called Jjagebatgi in North Gyeongsang Province, Salgu in South Gyeongsang Province, and Datjjakgeoli in South Jeolla Province.

The game
generally starts with each player throwing the stones from the palm of their hand into the air. While in the air, the player turns their hand back up. The Gonggi stones are then caught on the back of their hand. The person with the leading number plays first.

How to play gonggi
Level 1: The stones are thrown onto the playing surface and the player chooses a stone to throw into the air. While the stone is in the air, the player picks up one stone on the playing surface. The player then catches the stone. These steps are repeated until all the stones have been caught.
Level 2: The stones are thrown onto the playing surface again. At this level, however, the player picks up two stones at a time.
Level 3: The stones are thrown onto the playing surface. The stones are picked up once in a cluster of three, and the other time in a quantity of one.
Level 4: The player throws one stone into the air, places the others on the surface, and catches the airborne stone. The player then throws the same stone again, but this time the player collects the four clustered stones onto the playing surface and catches the airborne stone.
Level 5: The player throws the stones from the palm of the hand into the air. While in the air, the player turns the hand over to the back. The stones are then caught on the back of the hand. The player then throws the stones into the air and catches them. The number of stones caught counts towards the score. There are various tricks in this phase. Some examples are the “Dragon” and the “Clap-Throw”. However, such boasting is not allowed in the official game.

Various tricks in level 5
Dragon
While the stones are in the air, the player turns his hand face up, grabs more stones, turns his hand face down, and grabs the remaining stones.

Clap throw
While the stones are in the air, the player claps their hands before grabbing the stones.

Both “dragon” and “clap-throw” give the player twice as many points; twice as many stones.