Korean Ddakji – an easy, cheap, and FUN game

My toddler is in a throwing things phase. It’s incredibly annoying!

Even though I’m happy he has a good throwing arm, it can be destructive at worst and disruptive at best. (I think our senior dog is going to have a heart attack!)

So I said to myself, ‘Self, what activity can we do that allows him to throw things and improve his aim but isn’t so destructive?’

The answer was staring me in the face! Literally, it was on tv! I was watching Running Man, per usual, and they were playing…

DDAKJI!

What’s Ddakji?

Ddakji is a Korean game that involves squares made of folded paper. There’s one on the floor and another one in the player’s hand. The goal is to throw the paper square down on the one on the floor so that the one on the floor flips over.

It sounds, and looks, deceptively easy. But I assure you it is not!

When I was a kid in the 90’s, I remember this game called Pogs was really popular. It had Pokemon characters on them and the game play was exactly the same.

But whether it’s called Pogs, milk caps, or slammers, it’s still the same. You’ve got to hit the one on the ground just right.

You can buy milk caps online or just make your own paper ones for ddakji. And I’m going to show you how!

How to Make a Ddakji Piece

 

1. Get at least four sheets of square paper.

Each ddakji piece requires two pieces of paper. Note that the large the square, the easier it is to fold. But not necessarily to play.

You can use regular old printer paper or notebook paper. Or you can use something fancier like origami paper.

I’m using two different colored craft papers so that it’s easier to illustrate what’s being folded. But you can use whatever color and paper you like. Just don’t use paper that’s too flimsy because ddakji pieces need to have a certain level of puffiness in order to flip over. If this doesn’t make sense, it will once you start playing!

 

 

 

 

 

2. Fold the square into thirds.

I do this by making an “s” with the paper to create three equal parts. Then I fold it down to make a crease on each side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Fold one corner up and one corner down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Repeat Steps 1-3 with another square sheet.

 

5. Lay one folded piece over the other.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Fold the flaps of the underlying piece over.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Fold in and tuck the two remaining flaps under the flaps in Step 6.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Repeat all steps to make another ddakji piece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All done? Now, you’re to play ddakji! Get ready to improve your eye-hand coordination and reach new levels of frustration! It’s so much fun though!

Let me know how it goes in the comments!

Oh, and if you like this game, check out these other traditional Korean games!