What is the origin of the word mahjong?

mah-jongg (n.)

tile-based game originally from China, 1922, from dialectal Chinese (Shanghai) ma chiang, name of the game, literally "sparrows," from ma "hemp" + chiang "little birds." The game so called from the design of the pieces.

Where does the word mahjong come from?

Etymology. In Chinese, the game was originally called 麻雀 (pinyin: máquè)—meaning sparrow—which is still used in some languages in southern China. It is said that the clacking of tiles during shuffling resembles the chattering of sparrows.

What does the name mahjong mean?

Word origin. from Chinese, literally: sparrows.

Is mahjong a Chinese word?

Mahjong (Chinese: 麻將; Pinyin: májiàng) is a traditional Chinese game for two to four players, though mostly played by four players. Sometimes it is played as a gambling game.

What is the origin of Chinese mahjong?

So, what are the origins of mah-jongg? Mah-jongg was a relatively modern game that was developed in the mid-to-late 1800s, around the Yangtze River Delta. By the end of the 1800s, it was spreading in popularity in China, but mostly only in specific urban centers like Shanghai and Beijing.

Learn how to play mahjong in 2.5 minutes

Is mahjong illegal in China?

Gambling is illegal in China, but mahjong – the tile-based game popular in the country – falls into a grey area. It is customary to bet a small amount of money as part of the game, but the amount that can legally change hands differs across China.

Who created mahjong?

One legend suggests that it was a Chinese nobleman in Shanghai, and another implies it was Chinese army officers during the Taiping Rebellion. A very popular theory is that it was two Chinese brothers (whose identities are now unknown) in the city of Ningpo who were ultimately responsible for creating mahjong.

Is there a difference between American Mahjong and Chinese mahjong?

What is the difference between American and Chinese mahjong? Traditional Chinese mahjong sets have 144 tiles, while American version is played with eight additional joker tiles and different score cards.

What is the American version of mahjong?

American mahjong is played with four players using mah jongg tiles. The goal of the game is to be the first, by picking and discarding, to match one's tiles to a specific hand from the annually distributed scorecard published by the National Mah Jongg League (NMJL) and American Mah-Jongg Association (AMJA).

What does Tai mean in mahjong?

The amount of money you win in a round of Mahjong depends on the number of Doubles (some people call them “tai” or “fan”) your combination entitles you to.

What is the emoji symbol for mahjong?

🀄 Mahjong Red Dragon

White, with red 中 character printed on it. Mahjong Red Dragon was approved as part of Unicode 5.1 in 2008 under the name “Mahjong Tile Red Dragon” and added to Emoji 1.0 in 2015.

What is the bird in mahjong?

The number one tile ​does not have a bamboo stick on it. Instead, it has a bird sitting on bamboo, so this set is sometimes also called "bird." There 36 bamboo tiles in a set.

Is mahjong a skill or luck?

Mahjong game is dependent on skills , not luck. Although sometimes , getting a wrong card can also result to winning a game. There are instances where a player have very poor basic cards but good skills, thus they utilized rigorous card control to prevent other players from winning.

Is mahjong good or bad?

People playing these games are known to develop better cognitive strength even if they decide to break off playing for as long as a month. It is to no surprise that Mahjong has been found to preserve function and delay decline in elderly individuals with dementia, even in those with significant cognitive impairment.

What do the symbols mean in mahjong?

Both the circles and bamboo represent ancient Chinese currency. The former represents a tong, a coin with a square hole in the middle, and the latter, strings of such coins.

What culture is mahjong?

Mahjong was first brought to the American public from China in the early 1920s. It was marketed as an ancient Chinese game, but it was actually created in the mid to late 1800s. The game consists of players competing to form distinct sets or pairs of tiles, similar to gin rummy.

Are there two types of mahjong?

This game features jokers, the Charleston, and five-tile melds. American Mahjong is therefore considered a separate game by purists. Mahjongg and mah-jongg (with two Gs) are other game variations that are only slightly different in their scoring.

Why is mahjong so popular in China?

The game has a long history and significance in many countries, particularly in Asia. Places like China and Japan have especially strong cultural ties to the game. In China, the game has evolved to represent peace and friendship. Inviting someone to a game of Mahjong is almost synonymous with friendship.

Which is harder American or Chinese mahjong?

A: There are around forty known mah-jongg variants - and more than a dozen Chinese variants! Those other variants are not harder to learn than American mah-jongg. American is the hardest to learn of them all.

Why is Japanese mahjong different?

Japanese mahjong (Japanese: 麻雀, Hepburn: Mājan), also known as riichi mahjong, is a variation of mahjong. While the basic rules to the game are retained, the variation features a unique set of rules such as riichi and the use of dora.

Can you play mahjong if you don't know Chinese?

There's no way around this, HSK haters: in order to play, you need to be able to read some Chinese and pronounce numbers in Mandarin, plus a few extra words to name the suits and announce your actions.

Why is mahjong so expensive?

Why are American mahjong sets the most expensive? American mahjong sets have 166 tiles (Chinese sets only have 144) and include a set of racks to hold the tiles. More tiles, the addition of racks, and a larger box makes the entire set more expensive.

What do you say when you win mahjong?

It is traditional when you win a game of mahjong to say: "Sik wu." In Western circles sometimes winners will instead announce "mahjong."

What is the philosophy of mahjong?

“Mahjong is a philosophy,” he claimed. “Through it, one understands the relationship between chance and inevitability; it's also dialectical…even if you have the worst hand, as long as you are strategic and methodical, the inferior will become superior; weakness will become strength.”

What are the tiles called in mahjong?

Mah-Jongg tiles are comprised of three suits of One through Nine: Craks (also called Characters, Wan, or Ten Thousand), Bams (also called Bamboos or Sticks), and Dots (also called Balls or Circles), and other tiles known as Winds, Dragons, and Flowers (in American Mah-Jongg, Seasons tiles are referred to as Flowers).