7 Korean Drinking Games That Make Soju Nights Unforgettable

Korean drinking culture doesn’t do “let’s just sit and drink.” There’s always a game, a challenge, or a ritual happening around the table. The games aren’t optional accessories — they’re the actual point. They create equal footing at the table, give people something to talk and laugh about, and (let’s be honest) get the soju flowing at a pace that keeps the night energetic.

These are the seven games you’ll encounter most often at Korean tables, from 삼겹살 restaurants to rooftop gatherings to the pojangmacha at 1am.

1. 소맥 탑 쌓기 (Somaek Tower) — The Glass Balancing Act

What it is: A somaek (soju + beer) game that’s equal parts drinking challenge and performance art.

How to play: Place two chopsticks across the top of a beer glass like a bridge. Balance a shot glass of soju on the chopsticks over the beer. Players take turns flicking the chopsticks one at a time, trying not to be the one who drops the shot glass into the beer.

The person who drops the shot glass has to drink the entire somaek — soju shot and beer combined.

The trick: Flick the chopstick quickly and cleanly from the end, not from the middle. A confident, decisive flick usually removes the chopstick without disturbing the glass. A tentative tap is almost always worse.

Why it works: The game is short, suspenseful, and involves a genuinely satisfying consequence. And somaek — soju mixed into beer — is actually delicious, so the “punishment” feels more like a reward.

2. 눈치게임 (Nunchi Game) — Read the Room or Drink

What it is: A psychological speed game based on 눈치 (nunchi) — the Korean concept of reading social situations and reacting appropriately. The name of the game is literally “social awareness.”

How to play: Everyone sits in a circle. Someone starts by saying “one.” Then anyone at the table can say “two,” then “three,” and so on. There’s no turn order — anyone can say the next number at any time. The rules:

If two people say the same number simultaneously, both drink
If one person says two numbers in a row (hogging the count), they drink
If there’s a long silence and no one speaks, the person who caused the last awkward pause drinks
The game ends when you reach the total number of players — whoever says that final number dramatically stands up and announces the count. Everyone applauds.

Why it works: It sounds simple but becomes genuinely tense. Too eager and you clash with someone. Too passive and you’re the one creating silence. Real nunchi — reading the group’s rhythm, knowing when to speak and when to hold back — is exactly what makes someone good at this game. And terrible at it.

3. 바니바니 (Bunny Bunny) — Hand Gestures at Speed

What it is: A fast-reflex hand gesture game that’s embarrassing to be bad at.

How to play: Everyone puts their fists in front of them. The person in the “hot seat” makes bunny ears (two fingers up on their head with both hands) while the people on either side of them each make one bunny ear toward them. The hot seat person then “passes” by pointing both hands at someone else at the table, who immediately becomes the new bunny. The two people flanking the new bunny each make one ear. Wrong gestures, wrong direction, wrong timing — you drink.

Why it works: It’s a game that almost everyone plays badly when they’re new to it, which means early rounds involve lots of drinking. Once the table gets into a rhythm, it becomes extremely fast and the failures become increasingly funny. Speed up gradually to find people’s limits.

4. 이미지 게임 (Image Game) — Who’s Most Likely To…

What it is: A social reveal game that exposes what everyone actually thinks about each other.

How to play: One person asks a question: “Who in this group is most likely to cry at a movie?” Everyone counts down from three, then simultaneously points at the person they think fits the description. The person with the most fingers pointed at them drinks.

Questions escalate in specificity and teasing accuracy as the game goes on. Early questions are light (“Who would survive a zombie apocalypse?”). Later questions get sharper (“Who has definitely sent a drunk text they regret?”).

Why it works: It’s a mirror. The person who gets pointed at for every awkward question learns something about their reputation. The person who never gets pointed at learns something too. It’s equal parts roast and bonding exercise, and Koreans are very good at the gentle version of this.

House rule: Never ask questions designed to genuinely humiliate someone. The game should leave everyone laughing, not one person feeling exposed.

5. 딸기게임 (Strawberry Game) — The Rhythm Challenge

What it is: A rhythmic word game based on the Korean word for strawberry (딸기) and its syllable count.

How to play: Players clap a steady rhythm around the table. When it’s your turn, you say a word — then the next player must say a word that starts with the last syllable of your word. The catch: you have to say as many syllables worth of the word “딸기” (or any agreed word) as the chosen word has syllables. So if you say a three-syllable word, the next person has to say “딸-기-딸” before saying their word. Mess up the rhythm or the count, drink.

Simpler version for mixed groups: Just do the syllable count without the directional element — everyone in circle says their word plus the corresponding number of syllables. Easier to learn, still requires focus.

Why it works: Rhythm games break down fast when people are talking, laughing, and drinking. The game gets harder as the evening goes on for purely biological reasons.

6. 플리커 (Flicker) — The Soju Cap Game

What it is: A solo skill challenge embedded in a group ritual — and probably the most iconic Korean drinking game moment.

Background: Every soju bottle cap has a small metal strip attached to the inside rim. After opening the bottle, Koreans always roll this strip into a tight spiral. The game is to flick the spiral off the cap with your finger. If you flick it off successfully, pass the challenge to the next person. The person who flicks and fails — or who straightens the strip instead of flicking it clean — pours drinks for the table.

Why it works: It rewards a very specific, learnable skill — the flick angle, the finger tension, the follow-through. Watching a veteran flick the strip off perfectly with one finger on the first try is weirdly impressive. It also gives everyone something to do with their hands in between conversations.

Pro tip: Curl your index finger, place the nail under the spiral, and flick upward and outward in one motion. Don’t push — snap.

7. 369 게임 (3-6-9 Game) — Clap Don’t Say

What it is: A counting game with a deceptively simple rule that becomes very hard to follow.

How to play: Go around the circle counting up from one. The rule: any number containing 3, 6, or 9 is replaced by a clap. So instead of saying “three,” you clap once. Instead of saying “six,” you clap once. “Nine” — one clap. “Thirteen” — one clap (has a 3 in it). “Thirty-three” — two claps (two 3s). Say the number instead of clapping, or clap the wrong number of times, and you drink.

Why it works: The early numbers are easy. But somewhere around the thirties and sixties, when almost every other number needs a clap, concentration fails spectacularly. The number 66 (two claps) coming after 65 (one clap) coming after 64 (no clap) is a massacre. In a good way.

Variations: Speed up the pace. Add a rule that anyone who hesitates too long also drinks. Use 369 as an elimination game where the loser each round drinks and drops out.

Pro Tips from Korean Nightlife Veterans

Know the pace of the table. Games should elevate the energy, not exhaust people. If a game is dragging, kill it and move on. The best Korean drinkers can feel when a game has run its course.

Never target one person repeatedly. The social function of these games is integration, not humiliation. Pointing at the same person every round in the Image Game, or engineering scenarios where one person always drinks — this kills the mood and marks you as someone people don’t want to sit with.

The game is not the point. The game creates conversation, laughter, and shared experience. If a really good conversation breaks out mid-game, pause the game. The conversation is more valuable.

Match food to the pace. Heavy drinking games without anju (food) is a bad time. Koreans always have snacks on the table during games — it slows down the alcohol and gives people something to do in between rounds.

One More Thing: Know Your Limits

Korean drinking games are genuinely fun, but they’re designed to get alcohol into people. Before your next soju night, use our Soju Calculator to figure out how many bottles fit your group, how to pace the rounds, and how to get home safely. The best soju nights are the ones everyone remembers fondly the next morning.

건배.