Terms

This page contains a short list of useful and necessary terms that you will definitely need for playing mahjong and further understanding the articles on this wiki.

Alphabet

A:

Term	JP	Explanation
Agari	和がり	Win
Agaripai	和がり牌	The 14th tile that completes a hand.
Aidayonken	間四軒	An interval of four between two discarded number tiles. Usually indicates dangerous waits. A discarded 1 and 6 make a 2—5 wait very probable.
An	暗	Closed
Anjun	暗順	Closed sequence
Ankan	暗槓	Closed quad
Ankou	暗刻	Closed triplet
Anpai	安牌	Safe tile, that can't be called as Agaripai (winning tile)
Ari ari	アリアリ	Ruleset which allows kuitan and atozuke. Most common basic set of rules in Japan.
Atamahane	頭跳ね	Rule that allows only one Ron at a time. the closest to the discarder in turn order takes priority.
Awaseuchi	合わせ打ち	Discarding the same tile as previous plyer to avoid dealing to any another players hand.

B:

Term	JP	Explanation
Ba(kaze)	場(風)	Wind round
Basengo	場千五	A rule where each honba counter is worth of 1500 points instead of the regular 300 points.
Betaori	ベタ降り	Strategy to avoid dealing to another player's hand. No intention of developing one’s own hand.

C:

Term	JP	Explanation
Chakan	加槓	Kan that was built from minkou.
Chi	チー	Calling sequence
Chombo	冲合,錯和	Penalty for special situations
Chunchan	中張	Zone of tiles, numbered from 2 to 8.
Chunchanhai	中張牌	Tiles, numbered from 2 to 8.

D:

Term	JP	Explanation
Daburon	ダブロン	A rule that allows two players to ron from the same discarded tile.
Daiminkan	大明槓	Open kan
Damaten	黙聴	Tactic of holding tenpai without calling riichi.
Dora	ドラ	Tile type that add to your hand 1 additional Han per tile.
Dorahyouji	ドラ表示	Dora indicator

E:

Term	JP	Explanation
Enchousen	延長戦	Extra game round, in the event where no player scores more than the target points.

F:

Term	JP	Explanation
Fu	符	Mini-points
Furikomi	振り込み	Payment
Furiten	振聴	Rule, when you can't ron from tile that you already discard.
Fuuro	副露	Calling discarded tile or closed kan.
Fuutei	副底	Base 20 fu

G:

Term	JP	Explanation
Genbutsu	現物	A 100% safe tile.
Goumii	ゴーミー	Cheapest tsumo
Gukei	愚形	Bad hand

H:

Term	JP	Explanation
Haipai	配牌	Start hand
Haiteihai	海底牌	Last drawable tile from the wall.
Haiyama	牌山	Wall
Han	飜	A yaku-based hand value count
Hanchan	半荘	Full East-South game
Hikkake	引っ掛け	Trap. Discard tiles indicating particular tiles as safe, when in fact, they are not.
Honba	本場	Repeat counter
Houjuu	放銃	To deal into a hand.
Houteihai	河底牌	Last discarded

I:

Term	JP	Explanation
Iichan	一荘	4-winds round game
Ikasama	イカサマ	Cheating

J:

Term	JP	Explanation
Jantou	雀頭	Pair
Jigokumachi	地獄待ち	Hell wait
Jihai	字牌	Honor tiles
Jikaze	自風	Self wind
Jun	巡	Turn number within a round

K:

Term	JP	Explanation
Kamicha	上家	Player in the left from the one perspective
Kandora	カンドラ	Dora that opening after kan
Kanchan	嵌張	Closed wait
Kazehai	風牌	Wind tiles
Kikenhai	危険牌	Dangerous tile
Kiriage Mangan	切り上げ満貫	A rule where 3 Han 60 Fu and 4 Han 30 Fu are rounded up to Mangan.
Kyoku	局	Hand session