NadeSeollal & Tteokguk: A Bowl That Adds a Year to Your Age설날과 떡국: 한 그릇에 나이 한 살
In Korea, 'How many bowls of tteokguk have you eaten?' is a playful way of asking your age.
Seollal, the Lunar New Year, is one of Korea's two biggest holidays, and its signature dish is tteokguk — a clear soup filled with thin, coin-shaped slices of white rice cake. Eat a bowl on New Year's morning and, as the saying goes, you have grown one year older. Elders still tease children by asking, 'How many bowls of tteokguk have you eaten?' — a roundabout way of asking their age.
The saying made literal sense under Korea's traditional age system: a baby was counted as one year old at birth, and everyone in the country gained a year together on New Year's Day, not on their birthday. (In June 2023, Korea legally standardized to the international age system, making most people one or two years 'younger' on paper — but the tteokguk custom lives on.) The symbolism runs deeper than counting: the white broth and rice cakes signify a pure, clean start, while the round slices resemble old coins, a wish for prosperity.
During the Seollal holiday, hanok villages and folk museums in and around Seoul hold free traditional games, performances, and rice-cake making, making it one of the best times for a visitor to touch living tradition — just note that many shops close on the day itself.
설날은 한국의 양대 명절 중 하나이고, 그 상징 음식이 떡국이다. 얇게 엽전 모양으로 썬 흰 가래떡을 맑은 장국에 끓여낸 음식으로, 설 아침에 한 그릇을 먹으면 나이를 한 살 더 먹는다고 말한다. 어른들이 아이에게 '떡국 몇 그릇 먹었니?' 하고 묻는 것은 곧 나이를 묻는 정겨운 표현이다.
이 말은 한국의 전통 나이 셈법에서 왔다. 태어나면 한 살, 그리고 생일이 아니라 새해 첫날에 온 국민이 함께 한 살을 더 먹었다. (2023년 6월부터는 법적으로 만 나이로 통일돼 서류상 한두 살 '어려졌지만', 떡국 풍습은 그대로 이어진다.) 상징은 나이 셈을 넘어선다. 흰 국물과 흰 떡은 깨끗한 새 출발을, 둥근 떡 조각은 옛 엽전을 닮아 재물운을 기원한다.
설 연휴에는 서울 안팎의 한옥마을과 민속박물관에서 무료 전통놀이·공연·떡 만들기 행사가 열려, 여행자가 살아 있는 전통을 만나기 가장 좋은 때다. 다만 설날 당일에는 문 닫는 가게가 많다는 점만 기억하자.
If you go가신다면
Getting there.가는 법. Namsangol Hanok Village: Subway Line 3 or 4 to Chungmuro Station, Exit 4, about a 3-minute walk. Korean Folk Village: bus 5001-1 from Gangnam Station (about 1 hour) or a local bus/taxi from Suwon Station. National Folk Museum: Line 3 to Anguk Station, walk through the Gyeongbokgung grounds.
Tips.팁. Seollal is a family homecoming holiday: intercity trains sell out weeks ahead and highways jam, so stay in Seoul rather than traveling between cities. Many restaurants and small shops close on Seollal day itself — palaces and holiday event venues are your best bet, and royal palaces often offer free entry during the holiday (check official notices). If you are invited to a Korean home, the New Year greeting is 'Saehae bok mani badeuseyo' (May you receive many blessings in the new year).
Best time.가기 좋은 때. Seollal holiday (the lunar new year, falling between late January and mid-February; in 2026, mid-February)
Places in this story이야기 속 장소
- Namsangol Hanok Village (Chungmuro, Seoul)
- Korean Folk Village (Yongin)
- National Folk Museum of Korea (Seoul)
Sources (5)출처 (5)
- Tteokguk is eaten on Seollal (Lunar New Year), and tradition holds that eating a bowl adds one year to your age; asking 'how many bowls of tteokguk have you eaten' is a way of asking someone's age. — The Soul of Seoul (https://thesoulofseoul.net/how-many-bowls-of-tteokguk-have-you-eaten/) / VisitKorea
- Under the traditional Korean age system, a baby was one year old at birth and everyone aged one year together on New Year's Day rather than on their birthday. — CNN (https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/09/asia/south-korea-international-age-law-intl-hnk/index.html) / U.S. Library of Congress Law Blog
- On June 28, 2023, South Korea's law standardizing the international age system took effect, making many Koreans one or two years younger on paper. — Seoul Metropolitan Government (https://global.seoul.go.kr/web/news/senw/bordContDetail.do?post_no=FFC8FBFA445D0162E053C0A8A023740D&lang=EN)
- The white broth and rice cakes of tteokguk symbolize a pure new start, and the round slices resemble old coins, symbolizing wealth and prosperity. — Korea.net / The Soul of Seoul (Korean culture references on Seollal foods)
- During the Seollal holiday, Namsangol Hanok Village runs traditional folk games, workshops and performances (e.g., Feb 16–18, 2026, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.), and the Korean Folk Village in Yongin holds annual Seollal folk-game and performance events. — The Korea Herald (https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10675684) / VisitKorea
Read next이어서 읽기
Go see it for yourself
Nadeuri maps the places behind these stories — with real directions, local context, and answers from people who speak your language.
직접 가서 보세요
나들이는 이 이야기 속 장소들을 지도에 담았습니다. 진짜 가는 법, 현지 맥락, 그리고 당신의 언어로 돌아오는 답변까지.