Yunnori

The board and pieces

The game requires a malpan, a board traditionally made of stitched cloth or sketched directly on the ground. Its path contains twenty-nine stations arranged in four perimeter lines and two diagonal crossings. Instead of numbered dice, participants throw four wooden sticks. Larger sets, called jangjak yut, measure about fifteen centimetres long and are carved from split birch or chestnut wood for a crisp clatter. A smaller variety, bam yut, uses tiny sticks shaken and tossed from a small bowl. Four markers, called mal or horses, belong to each team. These tokens can be anything from standard plastic discs to coins, buttons or pebbles.

Rules of play

Teams take turns casting the four sticks to advance their markers along the circuit. Scores depend on the balance of flat and curved faces facing upward. Outcomes range from a single step, called do, up to five steps, known as mo. Casting a yut of four steps or a mo earns an extra throw. When a token lands on a station held by an opposing marker, that rival piece returns to the start and grants the thrower an immediate bonus cast. Friendly pieces sharing a spot move together as a group, though they risk joint capture. The first side to steer all four tokens past the starting post wins.

Cosmology and divination

Early forms of yunnori functioned as spiritual ceremonies reflecting East Asian astronomical principles. The dual sides of the sticks evoke yin and yang, while the outer board represents the sky and its inner square denotes the earth. The counterclockwise path follows the movement of the Big Dipper around the North Star. Beyond recreation, the game holds deep ties to agrarian divination. Group contests called pyeon yut predicted crop abundance for the coming season. Historic texts such as the Dongguksesigi also record sixty-four distinct fortune-telling results drawn from New Year throws to guide personal conduct and predict the year's fortunes.

History and house rules

Physical records of the game date to the Three Kingdoms era, with petroglyphs found across the Korean Peninsula and Manchuria, as well as carved prayer markings in Buddhist temples. Over centuries, communities created regional variations by writing labels onto the flat side of specific sticks. In the Seoul variation, landing the marked stick alone allows a token to jump straight to the central hub. Under the Busan rule, a similar toss sends a piece directly to the far corner. A reverse rule penalises players by forcing a piece to retreat one station, creating fresh tactical choices.

How Yunnori is kept

Players form two or more teams, often gathering in large family groups where members discuss strategy. The team with the highest initial throw begins. In turn, a player casts four wooden sticks into the air. The resulting combination of flat and round faces dictates how many steps a token advances around the circuit. Landing on an opponent removes their marker, while landing on a teammate lets pieces travel together. Teams race to guide all four of their markers completely through the course, earning bonus throws on high scores or captures.

When and where

The game is played across the start of the lunar calendar, particularly during Korean New Year (Seollal) and Jeongwol Daeboreum on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Traditional custom discouraged playing after the fifteenth day to safeguard the harvest.

Yunnori is kept across the Korean Peninsula in homes, community spaces and family gatherings. Historical records and rock carvings show its presence across Korea and Manchuria, with related records documented in China and Japan.

What Yunnori means

The round and flat faces of the yut sticks represent yin and yang. The playing board reflects the cosmos, with the central point standing for the North Star and twenty-eight stations mirroring lunar constellations. Counterclockwise movements recall the turning of the Big Dipper. The five throwing scores carry names linked to Gojoseon tribes and domestic livestock, pig, dog, sheep, cow and horse.

Days Yunnori is marked

Questions people ask about Yunnori

See also

GanggangsullaeA Korean harvest dance where women hold hands and sing in circles under the full moonDaeboreumA Korean festival of the first lunar full moon, marked by fires, wishes and feastsChinese New Year's EveA reunion day for ethnic Chinese families before the Lunar New Year, marked by feasts, rituals, and staying up late.Korean New YearA three-day Korean festival celebrating the lunisolar new year with family and feasts

Good reading and sources

• Encyclopaedia BritannicaArticle

• Yunnori on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-04.