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

Mahjong Mistress is run by four friends who’ve taken mah-jongg, a game played by parents, uncles and aunts, and made it the centerpiece of a chill new L.A. party.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026

While there were players drinking baijiu and gossiping as they shuffled tiles — traditional mah-jongg moments — a modern “third culture kid” spirit enveloped the event.

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

He jokes that he learned to play mah-jongg by “taking money from the aunties.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2023

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

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen