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mah-jongg

American

[mah-jawng, -jong, -zhawng, -zhong] / ˈmɑˈdʒɔŋ, -ˈdʒɒŋ, -ˈʒɔŋ, -ˈʒɒŋ /

Or mah-jong

noun

a game of Chinese origin usually played by four persons with 144 dominolike pieces or tiles marked in suits, counters, and dice, the object being to build a winning combination of pieces.

verb (used without object)

to win a game of mah-jongg.

Etymology

Origin of mah-jongg

1920–25; < dialectal Chinese; compare Guangdong dial. màh-jéuk, Chinese máquè literally, sparrow (depicted on the first tile of a set), equivalent to má hemp + què bird

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

mah-jongg

The family room is the only space with a television, but with a mah-jongg table, the TV hardly seems necessary.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026

Tony Lam, second from left, plays mah-jongg with his son-in-law James Do, left, grandson Patrick Do, second from right, and Lam’s wife, Hop Lam, in Huntington Beach.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2025

“Crazy Rich Asians” features an iconic scene where Constance Wu’s and Michelle Yeoh’s characters face off over mah-jongg.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2023

When they started the restaurant, they were primarily hoping they could host mah-jongg nights there.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2023

“Yes, and the taxicabs and the dinners. And mah-jongg all night sometimes.”

From "Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution" by Ji-li Jiang

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023