mahjong

mah·jong

also mah·jongg (mä'zhŏng', -zhông') pronunciation

n.
A game of Chinese origin usually played by four persons with tiles resembling dominoes and bearing various designs, which are drawn and discarded until one player wins with a hand of four combinations of three tiles each and a pair of matching tiles.

[Chinese (Mandarin) má jiàng : má, spotted + jiàng, main piece in Chinese chess.]

Search unanswered questions...

Browse: Unanswered questions | Most-recent questions | Reference library

Mah-jongg

Top

Game of Chinese origin usually played by four persons with 144 domino-like tiles that are drawn and discarded until one player secures a winning hand. The object of play is similar to that of the rummy card games. It is probably of 19th-century origin. The name was coined by J. P. Babcock, who introduced the game to the West after World War I. The mah-jongg set includes a pair of dice, a quantity of tokens or chips used for scorekeeping, and a rack for keeping tiles upright and keeping their faces hidden from other players.

For more information on Mah-jongg, visit Britannica.com.

Game Categories:

Mahjong Games

Top

Rebuild the empire with tiles!

Over 300 layouts and 5 tile sets!

Over 500 challenging layouts!

Test your reflexes & intellect!

A Celtic take on mahjong!

Mahjongg solitaire with 3D visuals!

See more Mahjong games.

Columbia Encyclopedia:

mah jongg

Top

mah jongg (mä jông), four-handed game, probably of Chinese origin, popular in the United States. It is played in many variations throughout China. In 1920, Joseph P. Babcock, an American traveler in China, devised a set of rules for Western play and invented a complete terminology. He patented the game under the trademark Mah Jongg. The game enjoyed a remarkable popularity. The goal of the game, which is similar in principle to rummy, is to accumulate sets. The equipment for the currently popular mah jongg set consists of 152 tiles-small rectangular blocks of wood with ivory or bone faces. There are 108 suit tiles, 16 wind tiles, 12 dragon tiles, 8 flower tiles, and 8 jokers. The three suits are bamboo, or sticks; circles, or dots; and characters, or cracks. Both the distribution of tiles and succeeding play are complicated.

Random House Word Menu:

categories related to 'mah-jongg'

Top

Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier

For a list of words related to mah-jongg, see:

Board Games

Translations:

Mah-jongg

Top

Dansk (Danish)
n. - mah-jongg - eller mahjong (kinesisk spil)

Français (French)
n. - mah-jong

Deutsch (German)
n. - Mah-Jongg (chinesisches Gesellschaftsspiel)

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - μα-τζόνγκ, είδος κινέζικου ντόμινο

Italiano (Italian)
mah-jongg (gioco cinese a tessere figurate)

Português (Portuguese)
n. - xadrez chinês (m)

Русский (Russian)
китайская игра для четырех игроков

Español (Spanish)
n. - dominó chino

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - mahjong (sällskapsspel)

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
麻将牌

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 麻將牌

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 마작

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 麻雀
v. - 麻雀で勝つ

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮מה-ג'ונג (משחק סיני)‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.

Best of the Web:

mahjong

Top

Some good "mahjong" pages on the web:

Card Games
www.pagat.com

Related answers:

	What is the difference between mahjong and mahjongg? Read answer...
	What two mahjong tiles do not have to match? Read answer...
	How many players can play mahjong\'s? Read answer...

Help us answer these:

	How to pronounce mahjong?
	How do you cheat in mahjong?
	What is the mahjong made out of?

Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:

Copyrights:

		American Heritage Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 1994-2012 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Game Categories. © 2007 OberonMedia™. All Rights Reserved. Read more
		Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more
		Random House Word Menu. © 2010 Write Brothers Inc. Word Menu is a registered trademark of the Estate of Stephen Glazier. Write Brothers Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more

	Kung Fu Mahjong (2005 Action Film)
	Kung Fu Mahjong 2 (2005 Action Film)
	Ginnie Lo (children's author/illustrator)