Korean Playing Cards: "Hwa-Tu"
Korean Playing Cards: "Hwa-Tu"

Korean Playing Cards: "Hwa-Tu"

Collection: Everyday Connections

Object Category: Games
Object Type: Card Games

Continent: Asia
Geographic Region: Eastern Asia
Materials: Plastic

These Korean playing cards, called "Hwatu," is also known as Korean flower cards. The deck of 48 cards is divided into twelve suits representing the months of the year. Each suit is represented by a different flower and contains four cards: a "bright" card, an "animal" card, a "ribbon" card, and a "plain" card.

The cards are similar to those used in the Japanese game Hanafuda. When Japan colonized Korea, their card games were introduced to Korea and several composite games emerged. "Go-Stop" is a very popular modern game.
Source:
https://fudawiki.org/en/hanafuda/hwatu#:~:text=Hwatu%20%7C%20Fuda%20Wiki&text=Hwatu%20(Hanja:%20%E8%8A%B1%E9%AC%AA%2C,the%20Japanese%20standard%20month%20arrangement.