Mahjong glossary
This page aims to be a list of all japanese mahjong terminology. Please contact me if something is missing.
| Name | Japanese | Meaning | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| A ruuru | Aルール | Ruleset A | JPML competition ruleset, which does not include rules like Dabuuru Riichi, Ura Dora, Kan Dora and Ura Kan Dora |
| Agari no katachi | 和がりの形 / あがりの形 | Winning form | The form of a winning hand in mahjong. (e.g. 4 sets and a pair) |
| Agaru | 和がる / あがる | Go out | To win a hand by Ron (ron agari) or Tsumo (tsumo agari) |
| Aidayonken | 間四軒 | Gap of four | An interval of four between two discarded number tiles. Usually indicates dangerous waits. |
| Akapai | 赤牌 | Red Tile | Red tiles that count as Doras. An optional rule. Usually the red tiles are 5's. |
| Anjun | 暗順 | Concealed Shuntsu | A concealed Shuntsu (sequence). |
| Ankan | 暗槓 | Concealed Kan | A concealed, claimed Kantsu. |
| Anko | 暗刻 | Concealed three of a kind | A concealed Koutsu. |
| Anpai | 安牌 | Safe tile | A tile that can be safely discarded with no risk of benefiting other players. |
| Anzenpai | 安全牌 | Safe tile | A tile that can be safely discarded with no risk of benefiting other players. |
| Aotenjou | 青天井 | Skyrocketing | Playing with no score limits. Meaning that hand scores are not capped to Mangan, Haneman, etc. |
| Atama | 雀頭 / あたま | Head | The Jantou (pair) of the hand. |
| Atamahane | 頭跳ね | Head hit | A rule that doens't allow multiple Rons. Only the player nearer in turn to the discarder wins. |
| Atari hai | あたり牌 | Hit tile | The discarded tile that is claimed for Ron win. |
| Atozuke | 先付け | Appetizer | A rule that allows a hand without a Yaku to Ron only if the winning tile would create a Yaku. |
| Awaseuchi | 合わせ打ち | Joint discard | Discarding the same tile as someone else to avoid dealing into someone hand. |
| B rules | Bルール | B ruleset | JPML competition ruleset, which include rules like Dabuuru Riichi, Ura Dora, Kan Dora and Ura Kan Dora. |
| Ba | 場 | Round | Round of play |
| Baiman | 倍満 | Double Mangan | Limit hand worth 24000/16000 (dealer/nondealer). |
| Bakaze | 場風 | Prevailing wind | The prevailing wind of the round. The wind that counts as everyone's bonus tile. Denoted by dealer indicator. Usually east and south. |
| Barai | 払い | Payment | A payment. |
| Bazoro | 場ゾロ | Bazoro | The two base Han given by default used when calculating score. In score tables they are usually omitted. |
| Betaori | ベタ降り | Folding | Focusing only on avoiding to dealing in opponents hand, without trying to win. |
| Chankan/Kakan | 加槓 | Kan aggiunto | A Kantsu that was upgraded from a Minkou. |
| Chii | チー | Chow | The call used to make a Minjun from an opponent discard. |
| Chiicha Maaku | 起家マーク | Dealer indicator | A plate indicating the current prevailing wind and the first dealer. |
| Chombo | 冲合 | Penalty | A penalty that results in a payment to the other players and restarts the current round. |
| Chunchan | 中張 | Inside tiles | The numbered tiles from 2 through 8. |
| Daburon | ダブロン | Double Ron | A rule that allows two players to declare Ron simultaneously on the same discard. |
| Daiminkan | 大明槓 | Open Kan | An open Kantsu made by calling a discard. |
| Damaten | 黙聴 | Silent Tenpai | Being in Tenpai without calling Riichi. |
| Dora Hyouji | ドラ表示 | Dora Indicator | The tile that is the dora indicator. |
| East | 東 | East | East. |
| Fanpai | 翻牌 | Bonus tiles | Set of Wind tiles that are your Jikaze or Bakaze, or set of Dragons. |
| Fu | 符 | Base points | The base points of the hand. |
| Furiten | 振聴 | Furiten | A rule that prevents winning by Ron if you are waiting on a tile that you have already discarded. |
| Fuuro | 副露 | Meld | Exposed Mentsu. |
| Fuutei | 副底 | Default base points | The 20 base points given by defaults to the winning hand. |
| Genbutsu | 現物 | Goods | A tile that is 100% safe to discard. |
| Gyakuten | 逆転 | Upset | A win from behind. |
| Hai | 牌 | Tile | Tile(s) used in mahjong. |
| Haipai | 配牌 | Tile distribution | The initial hand at the beginnign of the round. |
| Haitei | 海底 | Ocean Bottom | The last drawable tile from the wall. |
| Han | 翻 / 飜 | Han | Multiplier used to calculate the score. The value of a yaku is measeured in Han. Also the dora value is one Han. |
| Hanchan | 半荘 | Half Game | A game consisting of one east and one south round. |
| Haneman | 跳満 | Haneman | Limit hand worth 18000/12000 (dealer/nondealer). |
| Harabote | 腹ボテ | Pregnant | A Shanpon or Tanki wait embedded inside a Shuntsu (ex. 3445 waiting on 4). |
| Honba | 本場 | Continuance count | The number of consecutive Ren Chans. |
| Houjuu | 放銃 | Shoot | Dealing into an hand. |
| Houra | 和了 | To Win | To win a hand. |