How To Talk About The House In Korean

What should you bring to a jip-deul-i (집들이), or a South Korean housewarming party? First off, bring yourself. After all, you're the guest of honor! Duh. And since you are a special guest to this celebration (moving into a new home is always kind of a big deal), you cannot and should not show up empty-handed. That would be just rude, ew.

Anyway, you gotta make sure you bring cleaning supplies, just like the rest of the attendees. No, not because this housewarming party doubles as a cleaning party. It is because a house is not a home until it’s stocked with cleaning stuff for a fresh start!

Most importantly: bring toilet paper. Lots of toilet paper. Or really just as much toilet paper as you can carry! But that actually means to bring an obligatory hamperful of toilet paper!

Gifting toilet paper is more than just a practical gesture. Because think about it this way, the unrolling of the mighty two-ply toilet paper symbolizes a wish for everything in the host's life to "unrooooll" smooooothly and easilyyyyyy. It’s a literal and fun way to wish them the best life ever.