Hong Kong mahjong glossary: Cantonese terms

麻雀Jyutping: maa4 zoek2

Mahjong.The game itself. Hong Kong people say 打麻雀 (daa2 maa4 zoek2), "play mahjong"; Mandarin speakers say 麻將.

食糊Jyutping: sik6 wu4

Win.To win a hand, literally "eat the hand". Also just 食 (sik6): "I ate!"

自摸Jyutping: zi6 mo2

Self-draw.Winning on a tile you draw yourself. All three opponents pay. Worth 1 faan.

出銃Jyutping: ceot1 cung3

Deal in.Discarding the tile another player wins on. In Mahjong House's standard rules the discarder pays the whole amount.

碰Jyutping: pung3

Pong.Claiming a discard to make three of a kind, when you hold two. Anyone can pong.

上Jyutping: soeng5

Chow.Claiming a discard to make a run of three in one suit. Only the next player after the discarder may chow. Mandarin speakers say 吃.

槓Jyutping: gong3

Kong.Four of a kind. It counts as one set, and you draw a replacement tile from the back of the wall.

明槓Jyutping: ming4 gong3

Exposed kong.A kong made by claiming a discard when you hold three of the tile.

暗槓Jyutping: am3 gong3

Concealed kong.A kong of four tiles all drawn yourself, declared on your turn.

加槓Jyutping: gaa1 gong3

Added kong.Adding the fourth tile to a pong you've already exposed. Another player can rob it.

搶槓Jyutping: coeng2 gong3

Robbing the kong.Winning on the tile someone adds to make an added kong. Worth 1 faan; the kong player pays as the discarder.

叫糊Jyutping: giu3 wu4

Ready.Being one tile from a winning hand, also called 聽牌. The tiles you can win on are your waits.

眼Jyutping: ngaan5

The pair.The pair in a winning hand, literally "the eyes". Every standard hand needs exactly one.

詐糊Jyutping: zaa3 wu4

False win.Declaring a win with a hand that isn't one. Tables usually make the offender pay everyone heavily; Mahjong House doesn't let it happen.

莊家Jyutping: zong1 gaa1

Dealer.The East player, who starts with 14 tiles and discards first.

連莊Jyutping: lin4 zong1

Dealer repeats.The dealer keeps the deal after winning or a drawn hand.

圈Jyutping: hyun1

Round.One round of the table, during which every player deals at least once. A full game is four rounds: East, South, West, North.

圈風Jyutping: hyun1 fung1

Prevailing wind.The wind of the current round. A pong of it is worth 1 faan.

門風Jyutping: mun4 fung1

Seat wind.The wind of your seat. A pong of it is worth 1 faan.

上家Jyutping: soeng6 gaa1

Player before you.The player whose turn comes just before yours; you may chow their discards. The player after you is 下家 (haa6 gaa1), opposite you 對家 (deoi3 gaa1).

補花Jyutping: bou2 faa1

Flower replacement.Setting a flower or season aside and drawing a replacement from the back of the wall.

流局Jyutping: lau4 guk6

Drawn hand.A hand with no winner, because the wall ran out. Nobody pays and the dealer stays. Also 荒莊 (fong1 zong1).

枱例Jyutping: toi2 lai6

House rules.The rules a table agrees before playing: minimum faan, cap, payment and so on.

截糊Jyutping: zit6 wu4

Intercepting a win.When two players can win on one discard, the one next in turn after the discarder takes it. Mahjong House's standard rule.

一炮多響Jyutping: jat1 paau3 do1 hoeng2

Multiple winners.A house rule where every player who can win on a discard wins. A solo option in Mahjong House.

Every value below is Mahjong House's standard; the faan table lists them all.

番Jyutping: faan1

Faan.The scoring unit. Each pattern or situation is worth a number of faan; their total sets the payout.

起糊Jyutping: hei2 wu4

Minimum to win.The faan a hand needs before it can win: 3 in the standard rules (三番起糊).

滿糊Jyutping: mun5 wu4

Faan cap.The most a hand can score: 10 faan in the standard rules (十番滿糊).

爆棚Jyutping: baau3 paang4

Reaching the limit.Scoring the cap, literally "bursting the shed".

雞糊Jyutping: gai1 wu4

Chicken hand.A winning hand with no pattern faan. Under a 3-faan minimum it needs 3 faan from elsewhere.

門前清Jyutping: mun4 cin4 cing1

Concealed hand.A hand with no claimed sets. Worth 1 faan.

平糊Jyutping: ping4 wu4

All chows.Four chows and a pair (not a scoring honour), won on a two-sided wait. 1 faan.

對對糊Jyutping: deoi3 deoi3 wu4

All pongs.Four pongs or kongs and a pair. 3 faan.

混一色Jyutping: wan6 jat1 sik1

Half flush.One suit plus honours. 3 faan.

清一色Jyutping: cing1 jat1 sik1

Full flush.All one suit, no honours. 7 faan.

混么九Jyutping: wan6 jiu1 gau2

Mixed terminals.Only 1s, 9s and honours, all pongs. 4 faan.

小三元Jyutping: siu2 saam1 jyun4

Little three dragons.Two dragon pongs and a pair of the third dragon. 5 faan.

大三元Jyutping: daai6 saam1 jyun4

Big three dragons.Pongs of all three dragons. 8 faan.

小四喜Jyutping: siu2 sei3 hei2

Little four winds.Three wind pongs and a pair of the fourth wind. 6 faan.

正花Jyutping: zing3 faa1

Seat flower.A flower or season numbered for your seat. 1 faan each.

一台花Jyutping: jat1 toi4 faa1

Full flower set.All four flowers or all four seasons. 2 faan per set.

無花Jyutping: mou4 faa1

No bonus tiles.Winning with no flowers or seasons. 1 faan.

槓上開花Jyutping: gong3 soeng6 hoi1 faa1

Win on kong replacement.Winning on the replacement tile after a kong. 1 faan, plus self-draw.

海底撈月Jyutping: hoi2 dai2 laau4 jyut6

Last tile of the wall.Self-draw on the wall's last tile, "fishing the moon from the sea bed". 1 faan.

包Jyutping: baau1

Full responsibility.Paying the winner's whole amount alone, for feeding the tile that made certain limit hands possible.

全銃Jyutping: cyun4 cung3

Discarder pays all.On a discard win, the discarder pays for the whole table. Mahjong House's standard rule.

半銃Jyutping: bun3 cung3

Half responsibility.On a discard win, the discarder pays double and the other two pay a single share each.

半辣上Jyutping: bun3 laat6 soeng5

Half-spicy.The payout table that doubles every two faan. Mahjong House's standard; 辣辣上 (laat6 laat6 soeng5) doubles every faan.

Each of these scores the 10-faan limit on its own.

十三么Jyutping: sap6 saam1 jiu1

Thirteen orphans.One of every 1, 9, wind and dragon, plus a pair of any of them.

九蓮寶燈Jyutping: gau2 lin4 bou2 dang1

Nine gates.1-1-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-9-9 of one suit, concealed, plus any tile of that suit.

大四喜Jyutping: daai6 sei3 hei2

Big four winds.Pongs of all four winds.

字一色Jyutping: zi6 jat1 sik1

All honours.A hand of winds and dragons only.

清么九Jyutping: cing1 jiu1 gau2

Pure terminals.A hand of 1s and 9s only.

坎坎糊Jyutping: ham2 ham2 wu4

Four concealed pongs.Four pongs all drawn yourself.

十八羅漢Jyutping: sap6 baat3 lo4 hon3

Four kongs.Four kongs: eighteen tiles, like the eighteen arhats.

天糊Jyutping: tin1 wu4

Heavenly hand.The dealer wins with the opening 14 tiles.

地糊Jyutping: dei6 wu4

Earthly hand.A player wins on the dealer's first discard.

八仙過海Jyutping: baat3 sin1 gwo3 hoi2

All eight bonus tiles.Collecting all eight flowers and seasons: an instant 8-faan win.

The tile guide shows every tile.

筒子Jyutping: tung4 zi2

Dots.The circles suit.

索子Jyutping: sok3 zi2

Bamboo.The sticks suit.

萬子Jyutping: maan6 zi2

Characters.The suit marked 萬, "ten thousand".

幺雞Jyutping: jiu1 gai1

One of Bamboo.The 1 of Bamboo, drawn as a bird.

字牌Jyutping: zi6 paai2

Honours.Winds and dragons.

紅中Jyutping: hung4 zung1

Red Dragon.The red 中 tile.

發財Jyutping: faat3 coi4

Green Dragon.The green 發 tile, "get rich".

白板Jyutping: baak6 baan2

White Dragon.The blank tile, usually a blue frame.

花Jyutping: faa1

Flowers (and seasons).The eight bonus tiles: 梅蘭菊竹 and 春夏秋冬.

玉Jyutping: juk6

Jade.Mahjong House's points unit. It has no cash value.

• 食！ (sik6!): "Win!", called when you take a discard to win.
• 自摸！ (zi6 mo2!): called as you show a self-drawn win.
• 碰！ and 上！: called to claim a pong or a chow.
• 開枱 (hoi1 toi2): "open the table", start a game.
• 幾多番？ (gei2 do1 faan1?): "How many faan?", asked after every win.

Mahjong House plays fully in English, Traditional Chinese or Simplified Chinese, so you can learn the words as you go. Read How to play for the basics.