Korean Drinking & Social Culture · Part 4
Toasts, Cheers, and Drinking Games: What to Say
Every Korean drinking occasion starts with a toast, and often turns into a game not long after. Here’s what to say for both. Tap any phrase below to hear it spoken.
Toasting is a genuine ritual in Korean drinking culture — it marks the real start of the evening.
A round rarely starts without a toast, and Korean has a few standard phrases for the moment glasses go up. There’s also a lively tradition of drinking games at more casual gatherings — here’s the core vocabulary for both.
The Toast Itself
Standard Toast
geonbae
Cheers (the standard toast word — say it and clink glasses)
A Bit More Formal
wihayeo
“For the sake of…” — often said before naming what you’re toasting to
“위하여” is often used as part of a longer toast — someone might say “우리의 건강을 위하여!” (for the sake of our health!) or something similar, then everyone answers with “위하여!” together. It’s a nice custom to know, even if you’re just responding along with the group.
Joining in on the group toast, even with just “건배,” is an easy way to feel part of the moment.
Drinking Games
Korean social gatherings often include simple drinking games, especially among friends and younger colleagues. One of the most common is 눈치게임 (nunchi-gemeim), the “reading the room” game: players take turns calling out numbers in sequence with no set order, and whoever calls a number at the same time as someone else, or hesitates too long, loses that round. It sounds simple, but it genuinely rewards paying close attention to the group’s rhythm — which, fittingly, is also what the Korean concept of 눈치 (nunchi) is all about.
Reading the Room
nunchi-gemeim
A popular counting-based drinking game
These Small Rituals Add Up to Real Cultural Fluency
Knowing how to join in on a toast or a game makes you feel like a genuine part of the group, not just a spectator. Here’s the step-by-step system we recommend for building that confidence.
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