Devlog #2 — Korean Rebus Puzzles Vol.1

I’ve just released Korean Rebus Puzzles Vol.1, a printable puzzle pack inspired by Edo-era Hanji-e — traditional Japanese picture riddles that mix drawings and wordplay.

What it is

Each puzzle combines images and Korean words to create a visual riddle — similar to Hanji-e, but written in Hangul.
They’re not serious logic puzzles, but small pieces of “language art.”
Think of them as visual dad jokes, or playful puns you can solve through drawings.

The pack includes:

• Illustrated puzzles (A4 printable)

• Answers and cultural notes

• Difficulty labels (L/M/H)

🆓 Try the free demo (Vol.0) → https://ponomae.itch.io/korean-rebus-vol0

Why I made this

Working at an escape-game company in Japan, I collaborate with puzzle designers — but I realized how hard it is to discuss puzzles if you’ve never made one yourself.
So I started creating my own, and along the way discovered Hanji-e.

Then I wondered:

“What if this existed in Korean?”

Korean turned out to be perfect for this: short syllables, flexible pronunciation, and a balance between logic and play.
That’s how this series began — as an experiment to see language differently.

What’s next

Vol.1 focuses on simple Korean words, but I’d like to expand the series into new directions.
I’m also exploring the idea of a “wordplay game written entirely in Hangul” — inspired by 文字遊戯 (Moji-Yūgi), but uniquely Korean.

If you enjoy puzzles, languages, or the humor hidden inside everyday words, I hope you’ll enjoy these.

Further reading

Short note on the blog, in Korean → https://moimoo.tistory.com

Case studies / Works → https://ponomae.com/case-studies/