📜 How to Play Kongki / Gonggi (공기놀이 규칙)

  • The Five Gonggidol (공기돌): Played with 5 small, weighted, round pebbles. Four rest on the table, and one is held in your hand to toss into the sky.
  • Stage 1 (일단 - 1-by-1): Toss 1 stone into the air. While it ascends and arcs down, click 1 stone from the table to pick it up, then hit CATCH (or Spacebar / click the hand) before the airborne stone hits the ground! Repeat 4 times until all table stones are scooped.
  • Stage 2 (이단 - 2-by-2): Toss 1 stone up. Rapidly pick up 2 stones together from the table, then catch the tossed stone before it falls. Repeat once more for the remaining 2 stones.
  • Stage 3 (삼단 - 3-by-3): Toss 1 stone up. Scoop 3 stones simultaneously, then catch! Next, toss 1 stone up and pick up the final remaining stone, then catch!
  • Stage 4 (사단 - All 4 Sweep): Toss 1 stone into the sky. Scoop all 4 remaining stones in one rapid sweep before catching the airborne stone!
  • Stage 5 (오단 꺾기 - Kkeokgi Finale): The ultimate climax! Toss all 5 stones from your palm into the air. In a swift motion, flip your hand over and catch as many stones as possible on the BACK of your hand (등손). Then, fling them up from the back of your hand and snap your palm down to snatch them all out of the air! Each stone caught in your palm earns a "Year" (년 / Nyun) and massive bonus points!
  • Timing & Lives: You have 3 lives (❤️❤️❤️). If the airborne stone hits the table or if you fail to scoop the required number of stones before catching, you lose a life.

🏛️ History & Cultural Heritage of Gonggi

Gonggi (공기놀이) is an ancient Korean folk game whose origins trace back to the Goguryeo Kingdom (37 BCE – 668 CE). Known historically as Jjojjigi or Salpan, village children originally selected smooth pebbles washed smooth by mountain streams.

In traditional Korean culture, Gonggi was not merely a leisure pastime; it was considered an essential training discipline for developing fine motor reflexes, spatial calculation, and composure under pressure. In modern Korea, colorful plastic Gonggidol filled with tiny steel pellets have made the game an enduring schoolyard and holiday classic played across generations.