mah-jongg

American  

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

Or mah-jong

noun

1. 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.

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verb (used without object)

1. 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

She loves to talk about how mah-jongg is often mischaracterized as an ancient game played by Chinese emperors when it was really invented in the mid-1800s.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2023

The mistresses recruit volunteers like Eric Kwok to help them teach mah-jongg to the crowd, which varies from two dozen to three dozen players at a time.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2023

On a warm summer evening, the backyard of a Melrose photo studio was transformed into a moody mah-jongg parlor with a Wong Kar-Wai aesthetic.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2023

These are trade-offs you really should consider before giving up on your book club or your mah-jongg group, or discouraging your friends and family from dropping in.

From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2023

His claws, clattering across the linoleum, sounded like mah-jongg tiles in play.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen