Play Jegichagi (제기차기), the Korean traditional kicking game, free in your browser. Tap the falling jegi to kick it up and keep it in the air as long as you can. No download required.
In Jegichagi you keep a small weighted shuttlecock, the jegi, from touching the ground by kicking it upward again and again. Here a little stick-figure kicker stands on the ground and you position it by tapping: tap a spot and the figure runs there, then swings its foot. When the jegi has dropped to foot height right above the kicker, the kick connects and boots it back up for a point; tap too far from where the jegi is falling and the foot swings through empty air. Gravity keeps pulling the jegi down and it drifts sideways and bounces off the walls, so you chase it across the screen. The run ends the instant the jegi reaches the floor, so your aim is to keep the longest unbroken streak of kicks you can.
The real game is played with the inner side of the foot, the player settling into a steady rhythm so the jegi rises to the same height each time. This digital version asks for the same blend of timing and footwork: watch where the jegi is drifting down, tap that spot so the kicker runs under it, and let the foot swing just as the jegi falls into reach. Tap too early and the foot swings through empty air; tap too late and the jegi has already hit the ground. Reading the sideways drift and moving the kicker to meet each descent is what separates a short run from a long one.
Jegichagi has been a beloved Korean folk game for centuries, played especially by children during the cold months and around Seollal, the Lunar New Year. A jegi was easily made at home by wrapping an old coin in paper or cloth and fraying the ends into a tail, so every child could have one. Played outdoors to stay warm and to show off footwork, it was as much a friendly contest as a game, with players counting their kicks aloud.
Traditional Jegichagi has many forms. The simplest is counting how many kicks you can manage before the jegi drops, but players also compete in teams, take turns in a circle, or set rules such as using only one foot, alternating feet, or never letting the jegi pass below the knee. Village and school competitions crowned whoever could sustain the longest streak. These variations all build on the same core skill — a controlled, rhythmic kick — which this browser version captures by letting you tap to run the kicker under the jegi and boot it back up.
Jegichagi (제기차기) is a Korean traditional game in which players keep a jegi — a coin wrapped in cloth or paper with a feathery tail — in the air by kicking it with the side of the foot. It is a classic winter and Korean New Year pastime.
Tap where the jegi is falling. A little stick-figure kicker runs to that spot and swings its foot; when the jegi has dropped to foot height right above the kicker, the kick connects and sends it back up for a point. Tap too far from the jegi and the kick whiffs. The game ends the moment the jegi touches the ground, so chase its drift and keep the longest run of kicks you can.
Each kick launches the jegi at a slightly random angle, and where the foot meets it nudges it left or right, just like a real kick. Part of the skill is reading that drift and tapping ahead of it so the kicker is already running to where the jegi will fall.
Your score is simply the number of successful kicks before the jegi drops. Your best run is kept on screen so you can try to beat it.
Yes. Jegichagi has been played in Korea for centuries, especially by children in winter and around Seollal (Lunar New Year). It needs only a small handmade jegi, which made it popular in every village.