편가르기

Korean

Etymology

From 편(便) (pyeon, “side”) +‎ 가르기 (gareugi, “separating”).

Pronunciation

(SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [pʰjʌ̹nɡa̠ɾɯɡi]
Phonetic hangeul: [편가르기]

Revised Romanization^?	pyeon-gareugi
Revised Romanization (translit.)^?	pyeongaleugi
McCune–Reischauer^?	p'yŏn'garŭgi
Yale Romanization^?	phyenkaluki

Noun

편가르기 • (pyeon-gareugi)

a game used to split teams

Usage Notes

In order to split teams, 편가르기 (pyeon-gareugi) involves one player saying a chant, then the group either facing their palms upwards or downwards. Teams are divided based on whether they face their palms upwards and downwards. It is played until there are two generally equal teams. The chant said differs depending on the province, city and even neighborhood (for example, the main chant in Seoul is 데덴찌 (dedenjji), while in Gunsan, it is 희둥이 검둥이 (huidung-i geomdung-i)).