How people keep, give and retire a bujeok
Last updated: 2026-11-08
A talisman is meant to stay close to the wish it holds. Customs vary from family to family, but a few ideas come up again and again in Korea.
Where to keep it
- On you. The most common way. Paper talismans are folded small and kept in a wallet, a pencil case, a phone case or a pocket — somewhere they go everywhere you go.
- Near the wish. A talisman for a shop goes by the register or the entrance; one for a car stays in the glove box; one for study sits on the desk.
- Above the door. Protective talismans were traditionally pasted above the main door or on the gate, so that trouble would stop at the threshold.
- By the bed. Wishes for health, peace of mind or love are often kept under a pillow or on a nightstand.
The talismans you make here are digital, so the modern version of “keeping it on you” is a phone lock screen: you’ll see it many times a day, which is exactly the point. Each wish page suggests a place that suits it.
Keeping it respectfully
People who keep talismans tend to treat them with a little care: not crumpling them, not leaving them on the floor, not writing over them. Whatever you believe, it’s a nice habit — the talisman stands for something you care about.
Giving one as a gift
In Korea it’s common to get a talisman for someone: a parent for a child sitting the college entrance exam, a friend for someone starting a business, a grandchild for a grandparent who is unwell. If you make one for someone else, add a few words when you send it — the thought behind it is the real gift.
How long does it last?
There’s no single rule. Many people keep a talisman until the wish has come true, or for about a year, and then make a fresh one — often at Lunar New Year, when old protective papers were traditionally taken down and replaced.
Saying goodbye
Paper talismans are customarily not thrown away with the trash. Many people burn them, or take them back to a temple to be burned, as a way of letting the wish go with thanks. For a digital talisman, you can simply change your wallpaper, or delete it from its page, and make a new one for the next chapter.
Wishes are for good things
A talisman is for hoping for something good — for yourself or someone else. Wishing harm on anyone goes against the spirit of the tradition, and this site won’t accept unkind wishes.
Learn more
- Where Korean talismans come fromFolk belief, Buddhism and Taoism, and how bujeok became part of everyday Korean life.
- Yellow paper, red ink: colors and symbolsWhy talismans are yellow and red, and what the sun, moon, clouds, knots and coins stand for.
- The Korean zodiac and Lunar New YearThe twelve animals, how your animal is counted, and a table of years to find your own.
- Seasonal wishes in KoreaSeollal, Ipchun, Daeboreum, Dano and Chuseok — the days Koreans traditionally make wishes.