Go-Stop 고스톱
A cheat sheet for the Korean flower-card game played with a hwatu (화투) deck
A Short History화투의 역사
Portuguese sailors brought playing cards to Japan in the 1500s. When they were banned, card makers disguised the deck as 12 months of flowers: hanafuda. It reached Korea in the late 1800s as hwatu (화투, “battle of flowers”), and Go-Stop is now the game at Seollal and Chuseok family gatherings.
Fun fact: Nintendo was founded in 1889 to make hanafuda.
The Deck48장
There are 12 months with 4 cards each. Cards match by month (by the flower), not by type. Every card is also one of four types:
5
Gwang 광
“Bright” cards. Rare and valuable, marked 光.
9
Animal 열끗
Birds, beasts & objects. Also called yeol (10s).
10
Ribbon 띠
Poem slips (tti). Red, blue, or plain.
24
Junk 피
Pi: plain flower cards. Two of them count double.
Matching Cards by Month월별 패
1
January · Pine 송학Pine & crane
光
Crane & Sun
홍단
Red poem
피
Junk
피
Junk
2
February · Plum 매조Plum blossom & bird
G
열
Warbler
홍단
Red poem
피
Junk
피
Junk
3
March · Cherry 벚꽃Cherry blossom
光
Curtain
홍단
Red poem
피
Junk
피
Junk
4
April · Wisteria 흑싸리“Black bush clover”
G
열
Cuckoo
Plain red
피
Junk
피
Junk
5
May · Iris 난초Iris / orchid
열
Bridge
Plain red
피
Junk
피
Junk
6
June · Peony 모란Peony & butterflies
열
Butterflies
청단
Blue
피
Junk
피
Junk
7
July · Bush Clover 홍싸리“Red bush clover” & boar
열
Boar
Plain red
피
Junk
피
Junk
8
August · Moon 공산Pampas grass & full moon
光
Full Moon
G
열
Geese
피
Junk
피
Junk
9
September · Mum 국진Chrysanthemum & sake cup
×2?
열
Sake Cup
청단
Blue
피
Junk
피
Junk
10
October · Maple 단풍Maple leaves & deer
열
Deer
청단
Blue
피
Junk
피
Junk
11
November · Paulownia 오동Nicknamed 똥 (ttong)
光
Phoenix
×2
피
Double junk
피
Junk
피
Junk
12
December · Rain 비Rain, willow & umbrella man
光
Rain Man 비광
열
Swallow
Rain ribbon
×2
피
Double junk
Legend · Special sets
홍단 Hongdan “red ribbons”
1Jan2Feb3Mar
청단 Cheongdan “blue ribbons”
6Jun9Sep10Oct
초단 Chodan “grass ribbons”
4Apr5May7Jul
G
고도리 Godori “five birds”
2Feb4Apr8Aug
비띠 Bi-tti “rain ribbon”
12Dec· no set
×2
쌍피 Ssangpi “double junk”
11Nov12Dec· counts as 2
Reading the cards
- Gwang 광Has the 光 symbol光
- Animal 열끗Shows a creature or object열
- Ribbon 띠Has a hanging paper slip
- Junk 피Only plants피
Two tricky cards
- Sake cup (Sep) counts as an animal or double junk, your pick. Agree on it first.열
- Rain Man 비광 (Dec) is the weakest gwang: 3 gwang that include it score only 2, not 3.光
Go-Stop Guide · Page 1 of 2 · The Cards
How to Play 게임 방법
2–3 players. First to the target score may call Go or Stop.
Target
score33 players72 players
score33 players72 players
Setup & Deal패 돌리기
Deal in 2 passes · counter-clockwise from dealer’s right
| 1st pass | 2nd pass | You end up with | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Each player | Table | Each player | Table | Hand | Table | Pile | |
| 3 players | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 21 |
| 2 players | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 8 | 20 |
Hands face-down, table face-up. The dealer is dealt last but plays first, then turns go counter-clockwise. The last hand’s winner deals next.
Your Turn차례
- 1Play a card from your hand. If it matches a table card’s month, put it on that card; if not, leave it on the table.
- 2Flip the top card of the draw pile. If it matches a table card, put them together the same way.
- 3Capture every pair you made. Keep them face-up in front of you, sorted by type (see below).
- 4Two of your month on the table? Pick one to capture; the other stays. Three? Take all four cards (yours + 3). Same for the flipped card.
- 5Check your score. If you reached the target, or scored more since your last Go, call Go or Stop.
Example: your side of the tableTotal 12 pts
Gwang · 3
光
光
光
3 gwang = 3
Animals · 4
열
열
열
열
Godori = 5
Ribbons · 4
Cheongdan = 3
Junk · 9
피
피
피
피
피
피
피
피
×2
피
10 junk = 1
Special Plays특수 상황
- Ppeok 뻑
- You match, then flip the same month: all 3 stay stuck. Whoever captures them, each opponent gives them 1 junk (2 if it’s their own pile, 자뻑).
- Jjok 쪽
- No match, but the flip matches your card: take both; each opponent gives you 1 junk.
- Ttadak 따닥
- Play the 3rd of a month on the table, flip the 4th: take all 4; each opponent gives you 1 junk.
- Sseul 쓸
- You clear the table. Each opponent gives you 1 junk.
- Shake 흔들기
- 3 of a month in your hand? Show all 3 when you play the first one. If you win, score ×2.
- Bomb 폭탄
- Like Shake, but the 4th is on the table: play all 3 at once, take all 4. Each opponent gives you 1 junk; if you win, ×2. Later, take 2 flip-only turns (you’re 2 cards short).
- Chongtong 총통
- Dealt all 4 of a month? You win instantly (usually 10 pts).
- Bonus card 보너스
- A joker in some decks, worth 2–3 junk. Add it to your pile and draw a replacement.
How to Score점수
| Combination | You need | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| Gwang 광 | ||
| Sam-gwang삼광 | Any 3 gwang without Rain Man (Dec) | 3 |
| Bi-sam-gwang비삼광 | 3 gwang including Rain Man (Dec) | 2 |
| Sa-gwang사광 | Any 4 gwang | 4 |
| O-gwang오광 | All 5 gwang | 15 |
| Animals 열끗 | ||
| Animals | 5 animals, +1 pt for each extra | 1+ |
| Godori고도리 | All 3 birds (Feb, Apr, Aug) | 5 |
| Ribbons 띠 | ||
| Ribbons | 5 ribbons, +1 pt for each extra | 1+ |
| Hongdan홍단 | Red poems: Jan, Feb, Mar | 3 |
| Cheongdan청단 | Blue: Jun, Sep, Oct | 3 |
| Chodan초단 | Plain red: Apr, May, Jul | 3 |
| Junk 피 | ||
| Junk | 10 junk, +1 pt for each extra (×2 cards count as 2) | 1+ |
Everything adds up. A card can count toward more than one row: 5 animals that include the 3 godori birds score 5 + 1 = 6 pts.
Go or Stop?고 / 스톱
STOP스톱
The hand ends now. Everyone pays you your points × multipliers. This is the safe choice.or
GO고
Keep playing for a bigger payout. You can call again only after your score goes up.1 Go+1
2 Go+2
3 Go×2
4 Go×4
5 Go×8
Watch out: two ways a hand goes wrong
- Go-bak 고박
- You called Go, then someone else wins: you pay their winnings for everyone.
- Nagari 나가리
- Cards run out with no Stop: a draw. Nobody is paid, not even a Go-caller; next hand pays ×2.
Penalties for losers 박 · loser pays ×2
- Pi-bak 피박
- The winner scored with junk and you have fewer than 6 junk.
- Gwang-bak 광박
- Winner scored with gwang; you have none.
- Meong-tta 멍따
- Winner has 7+ animals: everyone pays ×2.
Example: You hit 3 pts and call Go. Your cards reach 4, so you choose again and Stop: 4 + 1 (for the Go) = 5 pts.
Go-Stop Guide · Page 2 of 2 · Rules & Scoring · House rules vary, so agree before the first deal
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