hwatu
noun/ˈfwɑːtu/ · /ˈhwɑːtu/
Etymology Borrowed from Korean 화투 (hwatu), a Sino-Korean word from 花 (“flower”) + 鬪 (“fight”).
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Card games, Games Usually Hanafuda playing cards, especially hard plastic cards in a Korean style.
- One of the most visible Korean amusements, on the other hand, is hwatu, or playing cards.1979, Peter Hyun, editor, Introducing Korea: Historical Legacy, Acts of Creation, Way of Life, Food and Games, Discovering Korea, Jungwoo-sa, page 136:
- The most popular pastime game in Korea is called Hwatu. People play hwatu cards almost anywhere there is a gathering.2006, Ju Brown, John Brown, “Chapter Five: Points of Interest”, in China, Japan, Korea: Culture and Customs, BookSurge, →ISBN, page 171:
2 more examples
- The deck or Hwatu, is divided into twelve suits with four cards per suit. Each suit is decorated with a different flower or tree.2012, Matthew Waterhouse, “Everything but the kitchen sink”, in Konglish: The ultimate survival guide for teaching English in South Korea, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 281:
- Halmoni loved to smoke, drink, and gamble, and especially loved partaking in all three around a deck of hwatu. Hwatu are small hard plastic cards roughly the size of a matchbook. The backs are a solid, brilliant red, and the faces are decorated with colorful illustrations of animals, flowers, and leaves.2021, Michelle Zauner, “Double Lid” (chapter 3), in Crying in H Mart, Pan Macmillan, →ISBN, page 29:
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Card games, Games Usually Any game played using those cards, most commonly go-stop.
- Mother came and the four of us sat in a circle and played hwatu.2002, In-hun Ch'oe, translated by Shi Chung Park Moore, Stephen Moore, Reflections on a Mask, Homa & Sekey Books, →ISBN, “Christmas Carol”, chapter 1, page 134:
- In Korea we used to play Hwatu, which means, literally, “the battle of the flowers”, but there were also other games such as Koi-Koi and Go-Stop.2015, Anthony Horowitz, “ ‘Pick a Card...’ ” (chapter 10), in Trigger Mortis: A James Bond Novel, Orion, →ISBN:
2 more examples
- We played billiards during the daytime, and at night, he suggested me to play Hwatu (Korean poker).2020, David Choi, “Thinking about stealing $20.”, in The Autobiography of a 25-year-old: From Prison to Seoul National University, David Choi Publishing Company, →ISBN:
- "Have you ever played hwatu?" she asks as she deals their cards.2024, Elaine U. Cho, Ocean's Godori, Zando, →ISBN: