What do all the Squid Game symbols mean?

By Lauren Morris

Published: Thursday, 07 October 2021 at 12:00 am

Since arriving on Netflix at the end of September, Korean drama Squid Game has taken over the world, becoming the streamer’s biggest series ever and inspiring countless fans to start searching for Squid Game costumes online in time for Halloween.

The hit show follows Seong Gi-hun (played by Squid Game cast lead Lee Jung-jae), a chauffeur with huge gambling debt, as he agrees to take part in a mysterious game for the chance to win a prize jackpot of 45.6 billion won – however he soon realises that losing the game will cost him his life.

Those who’ve been watching Squid Game will have noticed three symbols pop up throughout: a square, a triangle and a circle.

They’re first seen when a man in a suit gives Gi-hun a calling card with the three symbols on after playing him in ddaji and when Gi-hun calls the number and goes to the game’s facilities, the symbols are seen on the masks of jump-suit wearing workers at the tournament.

While the playstation controls immediately come to mind when you see the square, circle and triangle, the three symbols are actually all found within the diagram needed to play the squid game, the sixth round of the deadly competition. But what do they each mean when it comes to the workers? And what is the shape seen on the ground in the final episode?

Read on for everything you need to know about the Squid Game symbols.

What do the Squid Game symbols mean?

Circle

"Squid
Netflix

The workers wearing circle helmets tend to be the lowest rank. They cannot speak unless a worker with a higher ranking speaks to them first. They are given the job of carrying away dead bodies after the contestants are killed.

Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-jun), the detective who sneaks into the Game facility and masquerades as a worker, starts off with a circle mask before taking the square mask of a dead worker.

Triangle

"Squid
Netflix

Those with triangle masks seem to be a higher rank than circle employees, but they must still obey orders given to them by those with square masks.

Workers wearing triangle masks appear to have the authority to hold guns and shoot contestants who fail the games.

Square

"Squid
Netflix

Employees with square masks hold the highest authority out of the workers in pink jumpsuits and they answer to the Front Man. They are allowed to man the CCTV cameras dotted around the game’s facilities and are often the ones speaking to the contestants behind the start of each round.

When Jun-ho picks up a square mask and begins wearing it, he is expected to lead a group of triangles.

What does the symbol on the ground in the final game mean?

"The
The squid game
Netflix

The symbol on the ground in the final game is the outline for the titular squid game, a Korean children’s game also known as ojingeo.

In the sixth round of the competition, the finalists must play the squid game, which gets its name from the shape of the diagram drawn on the floor. Those who’ve seen the last episode of Squid Game will know that its Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) and Cho Sang-woo (Park Hae-soo) who make it to the final game where they must play Squid – a throwback to the first episode where we watch them play it as children.

In a similar way to how shapes are used to play games like hopscotch, squid needs a triangle and a square, both with small circles on either end, drawn on the ground for it to be played.

To play the game, players are divided into an offensive team and a defensive team. The offensive team can only move around on one foot until they cut through the waist of the squid. To win, the attack must tap the circle on the other side of the diagram, while the defense win if they can push the attackers outside of the squid’s boundaries.

Read more about Squid Game:

Squid Game is available to stream on Netflix. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the best TV series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix, or visit our TV Guide.