The Korean Drinking Game Behind Rosé And Bruno Mars' APT Song

Bruno Mars and Rosé, a member of the internationally famous K-pop group Blackpink, released a roaringly popular song called "APT." Its title and lyrics are directly inspired by the "Apartment Game," a Korean drinking game Rosé enjoys playing with friends.

For context, the Korean drinking culture is marked by an emphasis on social interaction. Friends, family, and even co-workers consume alcohol together to strengthen relationships and connect. While there are plenty of drinking games to bolster the fun and bonding, however, the younger generations are losing touch with them. That may change with the release of "APT." The single debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Global Chart and will undoubtedly inspire fans to go out and play.

Like most drinking games, the Apartment Game is easy enough to play at a table and requires only people and beverages. Rosé and friends demonstrated the game on Instagram prior to the song's release. Players start by chanting the game's name, and everyone stacks their hands in random order over the middle of the table. Then a designated group leader calls out a random number that represents the floor of an apartment, as big or small as they want. One by one, the player with their hand at the bottom of the stack pulls it out and puts it on top, counting each hand that moves. Whoever pulls their hand for the floor number chosen by the leader has lost and must drink.

The song "APT." has a catchy hook that captures the fun of the game that inspired it. In this pop-rock hit, Rosé chants, "Apateu," the Korean term for "apartment." A loanword taken from English, it has three syllables ("a-pa-teu") and is also chanted to start a round of the Apartment Game. In that sense, you could consider it art imitating a drinking game that itself imitates life.

Like many other Korean drinking games, the Apartment Game takes inspiration from the real world. Around 60% of the population lives in apartment buildings, according to the CIA World Fact Book, and the height of these structures can exceed 30 stories. Other games are inspired by Seoul's subway system and involve the Korean writing system, Hangeul.

Whether fittingly hosting friends inside your apartment, out at dinner, or having KBBQ, the Apartment Game is the perfect amount of fun. Plus, you only need two people to play! Try it with Korean soju, the best-selling liquor in the world, or with your favorite alcohol shot.