Pepero Day (빼빼로데이): Why Korea Gives Stick Snacks on 11/11
Written and reviewed by Jun and Jin, native Korean speakers
Published · Updated · How we write & review
After this page, you can explain why Koreans swap stick snacks on November 11, name the other occasions that share the date, and offer or ask about Pepero in casual Korean.
10-second answer
The short answer
빼빼로데이 (ppaepperodei, Pepero Day) is November 11, when people in Korea give each other Pepero — thin biscuit sticks dipped in chocolate — because 11/11 looks like four sticks standing in a row. The most common account traces it to schoolgirls in the 영남 (Yeongnam) region of southeastern Korea in the early-to-mid 1990s, who swapped the snack as a joking wish to grow tall and slim. It is not a public holiday. In 2026, November 11 is a Wednesday.
Quick check — did that land?
1. Why is Pepero Day on November 11?
빼빼로데이, 빼빼로, 선물, 고백! 한국에서는 11월 11일에 빼빼로를 주고받아요.
Why November 11, and Why Pepero
Pepero is a stick snack made by Lotte Wellfood (called Lotte Confectionery until 2023), first sold in April 1983. The name is usually explained by its shape: 빼빼 is a Korean mimetic word for being very skinny, as in 빼빼 마르다 ("to be skin and bones"). Put four of those sticks side by side and you get 11/11 — that visual pun is the whole reason the day lands on November 11.
Where the gift-giving began is less certain. The most common account, repeated by the company and by Korean newspapers, is that middle- and high-school girls in the 영남 (Yeongnam, southeastern Korea) region started it in the early-to-mid 1990s, handing each other Pepero with the wish "grow tall and slim like this stick." Accounts differ on the exact year and school — one English-language newspaper report places it at girls' schools in the Busan area in 1994 — and even Lotte says it has no record of how it started. What is documented: by November 1996 the national news agency Yonhap was already reporting on students exchanging long, thin snacks on 11/11, and a Lotte spokesperson said the company was fielding a flood of questions about the day.
Grassroots or marketing?
Both, depending on who you ask. Lotte describes the day as something that grew out of student culture, not a company invention — but it has marketed the day heavily since the late 1990s, and every November stores stack Pepero by the entrance. Critics have long called it a 상술 (sangsul, "sales gimmick"). You'll hear both views in Korea, so there's no need to pick a side to join in.
See also: Korean Public Holidays 2025–2030
Pepero Day 2025–2030: What Day of the Week?
| Year | November 11 falls on |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Tuesday |
| 2026 | Wednesday |
| 2027 | Thursday |
| 2028 | Saturday |
| 2029 | Sunday |
| 2030 | Monday |
Pepero Day is a fixed date and never a day off, so only the weekday changes from year to year — in 2028 and 2029 it falls on a weekend.
What Else Happens on 11/11
November 11 is a crowded date on the Korean calendar. Two official commemorations share it, and one of them comes with its own answer to Pepero.
| Name | Since | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| 농업인의 날 (nongeobinui nal) — Farmers' Day | 1996 | A government-designated day honoring farmers. The date was chosen because 十一 ("eleven" in Chinese characters) stacked together looks like 土, "soil" — so 11/11 reads as "soil month, soil day." |
| 가래떡데이 (garaetteokdei) — Garaetteok Day | 2006 | Named by the government in 2006 and promoted every year on Farmers' Day and encourage people to eat more rice: give 가래떡, long cylinders of white rice cake, instead of stick snacks. |
| 유엔참전용사 국제추모의 날 — UN Veterans International Memorial Day | 2020 (by law) | Remembers the UN soldiers who fought in the Korean War. At 11 a.m. there is a minute of silence facing Busan, home of the UN Memorial Cemetery ("Turn Toward Busan"). |
Many Koreans have heard of 가래떡데이, but few actually celebrate it. It looks like an effort to give the day a traditional Korean food of its own and keep older food culture alive — yet to most people, November 11 is simply 빼빼로데이.
None of these is a day off. Korea's public holidays are set by law, and November has none — so on Pepero Day everyone is at school or work, which is exactly where most of the snack-swapping happens.
Korean You'll Hear Around November 11
Pepero isn't only for couples. People hand it to friends and coworkers, and to seniors and juniors at school or at work — so you'll hear both casual speech (반말) and polite speech on the day. If you're not sure which level fits, see 반말 vs 존댓말. Nobody owes anyone a box: unlike the good-luck gifts adults give students before the 수능 (Suneung), this one is optional and playful, so a single box for a friend or desk-mate is plenty.
내일 빼빼로데이잖아.
Naeil ppaepperodeijana.
Tomorrow's Pepero Day, you know.
-잖아 reminds someone of something they already know — a natural way to bring the day up.
자, 빼빼로 줄게.
Ja, ppaeppero julge.
Here, I'll give you some Pepero.
-ㄹ게 announces what you're about to do for the listener. 자 is the "here you go" sound as you hold something out.
빼빼로 받았어?
Ppaeppero badasseo?
Did you get any Pepero?
The classic after-school question — asked about friends, and teasingly about crushes.
그거 누구한테 줄 거야?
Geugeo nuguhante jul geoya?
Who are you going to give that to?
한테 marks the person who receives something in speech; in writing you'll also see 에게.
편의점에 빼빼로 사러 가자.
Pyeonuijeome ppaeppero sareo gaja.
Let's go to the convenience store to buy Pepero.
Stick-snack displays go up in shops weeks before 11/11. For the counter itself, see convenience store Korean.
하나 드세요.
Hana deuseyo.
Please have one.
The polite way to offer a snack to someone older or senior. 드세요 is the honorific form of 먹어요.
빼빼로데이 축하해요!
Ppaepperodei chukahaeyo!
Happy Pepero Day!
축하해요 is the polite "congratulations / happy" — fine for coworkers and seniors.
이거 받아요.
Igeo badayo.
Here, take this.
A short, friendly way to hand someone a box without a speech.
달달한 하루 보내세요.
Daldalhan haru bonaeseyo.
Have a sweet day.
달달하다 means sweet in taste and, in casual speech, sweet in mood — a fitting wish on a chocolate holiday.
The Other "-데이" Days
Korean borrows the English word "day" as 데이 (dei) for a string of gift days that fall on the 14th of the month or on a date that looks like something. Pepero Day belongs to this family, not to the traditional holidays like Chuseok.
| Date | Day | What people do |
|---|---|---|
| February 14 | 발렌타인데이 — Valentine's Day | Chocolate gifts, typically from women to men |
| March 14 | 화이트데이 — White Day | The return gift, typically candy from men to women |
| April 14 | 블랙데이 — Black Day | Singles who got nothing on either day eat 짜장면 (black-bean noodles), half as a joke |
| November 11 | 빼빼로데이 — Pepero Day | Stick snacks for friends, coworkers, classmates, seniors and juniors — and partners |
The first three are explained in Valentine's Day in Korea. One spelling note: the standard Korean spelling is 밸런타인데이, but 발렌타인데이 is what you'll see on most shop signs.
Common Mistakes
- Expecting a day off. Pepero Day isn't a public holiday — it's an ordinary school and work day.
- Reading 11월 11일 with native numbers. Dates use Sino-Korean numbers: 십일월 십일일 (sibirwol sibiril), never 열한월. The Korean months and dates guide covers the pattern.
- Pronouncing 빼빼로 with a soft P. The ㅃ is a tense sound — tight throat, no puff of air — which is why the brand is spelled "Pepero" but sounds closer to "ppeh-ppeh-ro." See Korean double consonants.
- Calling it a couples' day only. The day is associated with couples, but the most common account of its origin is friends swapping snacks, and classmates still exchange it widely.
Want to count down? The Korea Trip D-Day Planner works for any date, and the Korean food culture list has more snacks and customs.
Mini Quiz
3 short questions — about 2 minute
2. Which of these is true about 빼빼로데이?
3. What does the government promote on November 11 instead of stick snacks?
4. How do you say 11월 11일 out loud?
Part of Korean Culture Explained — Etiquette, Concepts & Holidays
Related Knowledge
- Valentine's Day in Korea — 발렌타인데이, 화이트데이 and 블랙데이
- Korean Public Holidays 2025–2030
- Convenience Store Korean Phrases
- Korean Months and Dates
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