Taiwanese mahjong · glossary

Mahjong terms: 中文, pinyin and English

Search in Chinese, pinyin or English. The words are Taiwan's own: 胡 not 糊, 台 not 番, 門清 not 門前清.

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Tiles

萬 · 筒 · 條wàn · tǒng · tiáocharacters · dots · bamboo筒 is also 餅, 條 is also 索.

字牌zìpáihonours (winds and dragons)

中 · 發 · 白zhōng · fā · báired · green · white dragon

花牌huāpáiflowers (春夏秋冬梅蘭菊竹)Each carries a seat number 1 to 4.

一條 · 么雞 · 小鳥yī tiáo · yāojī · xiǎoniǎothe one of bamboo (the bird)

The table

莊家zhuāngjiādealerIn Taiwan the dealer is not necessarily East.

閒家xiánjiānon-dealer

上家 / 下家 / 對家shàngjiā / xiàjiā / duìjiāplayer before you / after you / oppositeYou may only chow from 上家.

門風ménfēngseat windSet by the player whose wall the dice opened.

圈風quānfēnground wind

東家dōngjiāEast houseThe seat that is East this hand; flower 1 is theirs.

開門kāiménopening the wall; the dealer's 17th tile

牌尾 · 嶺上páiwěi · lǐngshàngthe tail of the wallWhere replacement tiles come from.

海底hǎidǐthe last drawable tile; also the discard area

流局liújúa drawn hand16 tiles stay undrawn. The dealer keeps the deal.

Actions

補花bǔhuāflower replacement

吃chīchowFrom 上家 only. Hong Kong says 上.

碰pèngpung

槓gàngkong

明槓mínggàngexposed kongNot off 上家's discard.

暗槓àngàngconcealed kongKeeps the hand concealed.

加槓jiāgàngadded kongThe only kong that can be robbed.

搶槓qiǎnggàngrobbing a kong

聽牌tīngpáiready (waiting on one tile)Hong Kong: 叫糊.

胡húwinTaiwan writes 胡; Hong Kong 糊; the mainland and Japan 和.

自摸zìmōself-drawAll three pay.

放槍 · 放炮fàngqiāng · fàngpàoto discard the winning tileThe discarder pays alone.

過水guòshuǐpassing a winAfter passing, no win at all, self-draw included, until you discard a non-winning tile.

截胡 · 攔胡jiéhú · lánhúfirst in turn order winsOnly one player wins off a discard.

相公xiànggōngdead hand (wrong tile count)Cannot happen in the app.

詐胡zhàhúfalse win

Shapes

順子shùnzichow (a run of three)

刻子kèzipung (three of a kind)

暗刻ànkèconcealed pung

將 · 眼jiàng · yǎnthe pair

五搭一對wǔ dā yī duìfive sets and a pair (17 tiles)The winning shape in Taiwanese 16-tile.

邊張 · 中洞 · 單吊biānzhāng · zhōngdòng · dāndiàoedge wait · closed wait · pair waitThe three single waits.

聽雙頭tīng shuāngtóutwo-sided waitRequired for 平胡.

門清ménqīngconcealed hand

Patterns

不求人bùqiúrénconcealed self-draw (門清自摸)

全求人quánqiúrénall melded

平胡pínghúall chows

碰碰胡 · 對對胡pèngpènghúall pungs

混一色hùnyīsèhalf flush

清一色qīngyīsèfull flush

字一色zìyīsèall honours

小三元 · 大三元xiǎo / dà sānyuánlittle / big three dragons

小四喜 · 大四喜xiǎo / dà sìxǐlittle / big four winds

槓上開花gàngshàng kāihuāwin on a replacement tile

海底撈月hǎidǐ lāo yuèself-draw on the last tile

河底撈魚hédǐ lāo yúwin on the last discard

天胡 · 地胡 · 人胡tiānhú · dìhú · rénhúheavenly · earthly · human win

天聽 · 地聽tiāntīng · dìtīngheavenly · earthly ready

八仙過海bāxiān guòhǎiEight Immortals (all eight flowers)

七搶一qī qiǎng yīseven robs one

Tai and stakes

台táitai (the scoring unit)Added, never doubled. Each payer pays base + tai × unit. Not "fan".

底dǐbaseThe flat amount every winning hand earns.

底台 · 100/20dǐ táistakes, e.g. 100/20A base of 100 and 20 per tai.

連莊liánzhuāngthe dealer keeps the dealAfter the dealer wins or the hand is drawn.

拉莊lāzhuāngthe streak bonus連N拉N is worth 2N tai.

下莊xiàzhuāngthe deal passes

屁胡pìhúa zero-tai winWins the base only.

正花正字zhènghuā zhèngzìown flowers and winds only (the default mode)

見花見字jiànhuā jiànzìevery flower and wind counts (the other mode)

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The terms come from the Taiwanese apps and tournament rulebooks; the English is what English-language sources use. The full rules are on the rules page.