List of terminology translations
Mahjong is a game that has effectively crossed the borders of both countries and languages. Given this, many languages have taken liberties in translating terms however they felt like, borrowing from other variants' translations or from other games, with mixed results.
Below is a list aiming to provide a translation of all important mahjong terminology: as such, it will be presented in a lexical order by theme. This list aims not to catalog multiple variants but to present a structured translation consistent in all languages with a sufficient player base. Also, it will not present definitions. Translations that are only indicative are preceded by ***, as the Japanese word has been fully assimilated as a normally used word among players. French and German shall indicate gender and plural as appropriate.
List of terms
| Theme | Key | Japanese | Characters | English | French | German |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yaku | 10101 | Riichi | 「立直」 | {en} | {fr} | {de} |
| Yaku | 10102 | Ippatsu | 「一発」 | One-shot | [au] premier tour post-riichi | {de} |
| Yaku | 10103 | Menzenchin tsumohou | 「門前清自摸和」 | {en} | {fr} | {de} |
| Yaku | 10104 | Pinfu | 「平和」 | {en} | [la] main plate | {de} |
| Yaku | 10105 | Iipeikou | 「一盃口」 | Double sequence | [la] double séquence | {de} |
| Yaku | 10111 | Tanyao(chuu) | 「断幺九」 | Simple hand | [la] main simple | {de} |
| Yaku | 10112 | Yakuhai | 「役牌」 | Value tiles | [des] Tuiles de valeur | {de} |
| Yaku | 10113 | Rinshan kaihou | 「嶺上開花」 | {en} | [la] victoire sur la tuile de remplacement | {de} |
| Yaku | 10114 | Chankan | 「搶槓」 | {en} | [le] kan volé | {de} |
| Yaku | 10115 | Haitei raoyue | 「海底撈月」 | Last pick | [la] dernière pioche | {de} |
| Yaku | 10116 | Houtei raoyui | 「河底撈魚」 | Last discard | [la] dernière défausse | {de} |
| Yaku | 10201 | Double riichi | 「ダブルリーチ」 | {en} | [le] double riichi | {de} |
| Yaku | 10202 | Chiitoitsu | 「七対子」 | {en} | sept paires | {de} |
| Yaku | 10211 | Chanta | 「全帯幺九」 | {en} | tous terminales incluses | {de} |
| Yaku | 10212 | Sanshoku doujun | 「三色同順」 | {en} | [la] triple suite | {de} |
| Yaku | 10213 | Ittsu (Ikkitsuukan) | 「一気通貫」 | {en} | [le] serpentin | {de} |
| Yaku | 10221 | Toitoi | 「対々」 | All triplets | tous brelans | {de} |
| Yaku | 10222 | Sanankou | 「三暗刻」 | {en} | trois brelans cachés | {de} |
| Yaku | 10223 | Sanshoku doukou | 「三色同刻」 | {en} | [le] triple brelan | {de} |
| Yaku | 10224 | Sankantsu | 「三槓子」 | {en} | trois carrés | {de} |
| Yaku | 10225 | Shousangen | 「小三元」 | {en} | trois petits dragons | {de} |
| Yaku | 10226 | Honroutou | 「混老頭」 | {en} | tous terminales pures | {de} |
| Yaku | 10301 | Ryanpeikou | 「二盃口」 | {en} | [la] double double copie | {de} |
| Yaku | 10321 | Honitsu | 「混一色」 | Mixed flush | [la] couleur mixte | {de} |
| Yaku | 10322 | Junchan | 「純全帯么」 | {en} | tous extrémités incluses | {de} |
| Yaku | 10651 | Chinitsu | 「清一色」 | **** Flush | [la] couleur pure | {de} |
| Yaku | 10801 | Tenhou | 「天和」 | Miracle start (dealer) | [le] départ miraculeux (donneur) | {de} |
| Yaku | 10802 | Chiihou | 「地和」 | Miracle start (non-dealer) | [le] départ miraculeux (non-donneur) | {de} |
| Yaku | 10803 | Kokushi musou | 「国士無双」 | Thirteen orphans | treize orphelins | {de} |
| Yaku | 10804 | Chuuren poutou | 「九連宝燈」 | {en} | neuf lanternes | {de} |
| Yaku | 10805 | Suuankou | 「四暗刻」 | Four concealed triples | quatre brelans cachés | {de} |
| Yaku | 10881 | Ryuuiisou | 「緑一色」 | All green | [la] main verte | {de} |
| Yaku | 10883 | Tsuuiisou | 「字一色」 | All word tiles | tous vents et dragons | {de} |
| Yaku | 10884 | Shousuushi | 「小四喜」 | Four little winds | quatre petits vents | {de} |
| Yaku | 10885 | Daisuushi | 「大四喜」 | {en} | trois grands dragons | {de} |
| Yaku | 10886 | Chinroutou | 「清老頭」 | {en} | tous extrémités pures | {de} |
| Yaku | 10887 | Suukantsu | 「四槓子」 | {en} | quatre carrés | {de} |
| Yaku | 10888 | Daisangen | 「大三元」 | Big Three Dragons | trois grands dragons | {de} |
| Yaku | 10901 | Renhou | {jpKanji} | {en} | {fr} | {de} |
| Yaku | 10991 | Nagashi mangan | 「流し満貫」 | {en} | [la] pile fantastique | {de} |
| Yaku | 10992 | Kazoe yakuman | {jpKanji} | {en} | {fr} | {de} |
| Basic A | 20011 | hai / pai | 「牌」 | Tile(s) | [la] tuile | [der] Stein(e) |
| Basic A | 20021 | yama {fig.} | 「山」 | Wall | [le] mur | {de} |
| Basic A | 20022 | kabe {lit.} | 「壁」 | |||
| Basic A | 20031 | ton | 「幢」 | Stack(s) | [le] tas* | {de} |
| Basic A | 20041 | wanpai | 「王牌」 | Dead wall | Réserve | {de} |
| Basic A | 20051 | saikoro 🎲 | 「骰子」 | Die (Dice) | [le] dé(s) | {de} |
| Basic A | 20061 | tenbou | 「点棒」 | Point stick | [le] bâtonnet(s) de points | {de} |
| Basic A | 20071 | haipai | 「配牌」 | Starting hand | [la] main(s) initiale(s) | {de} |
| Basic A | 20081 | riipai | 「理牌」 | Hand sorting | [le] tri de la main | {de} |
| Basic A | 20101 | ban | 「jpKanji」 | Turn {to play} | {fr} | {de} |
| Basic A | 20111 | tsumo (n.) | 「jpKanji」 | Draw | pioche | {de} |
| Basic A | 20121 | hiku (v.) | 「jpKanji」 | piger | {de} | |
| Basic A | 20131 | suteru (v.) | 「jpKanji」 | Discard | écarter | {de} |
| Basic A | 20132 | sutehai (n.) | 「jpKanji」 | écart | {de} | |
| Basic A | 20141 | naku (v.) | 「jpKanji」 | Call | appeler | {de} |
| Basic A | 20142 | fuuro (n.) | 「jpKanji」 | réquisition | {de} | |
| Basic A | 20061 | tsumo | 「jpKanji」 | Draw | {fr} | {de} |
| Basic D | 50001 | . | {jpKanji} | {en} | {fr} | {de} |
| Japanese 101 | 60001 | . | {jpKanji} | {en} | {fr} | {de} |
| ... | 70001 | . | {jpKanji} | {en} | {fr} | {de} |
| ... | 80001 | . | {jpKanji} | {en} | {fr} | {de} |
| ... | 90001 | . | {jpKanji} | {en} | {fr} | {de} |
Controversial translation by language
French
Generally, there are two main sources for French terminology: the French Federation of Mah-Jong (FFMJ), and Club Riichi de Montréal (CRM), as well as various authors hailing from the spheres of influence of the two organizations. Some terms may not reflect the words in usage in either area and there is no sustained effort to either harmonize or even officialize the terminology used. While Senechal's point of view is heavily biased towards CRM, the goal is to maintain as much similitude as possible. French has a wide gamut of precise terms to describe more things than in English. The caveats to this are when a translation was poorly done on either end, or if a non-riichi version of mahjong introduces a term conflicting with Japanese mahjong.
Pinzu: Cercle versus sapèque
Pinzu have been referred to as "cercles" by the Réunion Federation of Mah-Jong (FRMJ), a sub-group of the FFMJ, as well as in books by Stéphane Parcollet. Everyone can understand that circles are round. The problem lies in the fact that circles are monolinear abstract objects, whereas the concrete objects represented are coins used in China, with holes in them. Whereas the English term for them (cash) has not caught on, the French language has the term sapèque, which is quite precise, unambiguous, and does not raise eyebrows related to anti-gambling prejudice like cash would in English.
As cercles would cause a shorthand conflict with caractères or chiffres (see below), it also poorly serves a disambiguative purpose.
Ruling: Use sapèque, never cercle (imprecise).
Manzu: Caractère versus chiffre, nombre
The word characters is a poor choice in any language, as Asian languages use characters for everything. Mahjong tiles themselves have 15 different tiles (from the base 34 types) that have Chinese characters on them. This leads to a lot of confusion with character, number, digit and word. All tiles from 1 to 9 (108 tiles) are called suupai (number tiles), and all other tiles (28 tiles) represent winds and dragons, called jihai (word tiles). But if words on word tiles are characters, then why call anything characters?
Note: TBD in English.
Ruling: Use chiffre in French, not caractère (imprecise) nor nombre (other use).
Cross-language issues
Pinzu versus Tonzu
The cash coins represented on mahjong tiles would be accurately described as tonzu. However, many areas in China, as well as the people who helped disseminate mahjong in Japan were using the term pinzu, representing barrels as opposed to coins. In the western world, there is no clear term used: circles and dots in English, cercles and sapèques in French, etc. While standardizing to one word per language serves a purpose, forcefully aligning every language to a singular concept may not be beneficial.
Ruling: pinzu in Japanese, sapèque in French, TBD in English.
Souzu versus Bamboo
Souzu in Japanese represents what it does in Chinese: string stacks of coins, representing 100 coins per stack. It in no way means bamboo (it's not called chikuzu), but as it has garnered overwhelming traction in all languages even by people uninterested in mahjong, it would be pointless to change a term that has garnered more acceptance than the game itself.
Terminals versus Ends
There is a dispute as whether to use terminals or ends for the terms yaochuuhai and routouhai. In English and French, the logic that applies is that a terminal must be at the start, finish, or sole point in a line, whereas an end must be at the start or finish of a non-zero length line. In German, there is an expression, "Alles hat ein Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei". It is important to consider the three suits (die Farbe) as being the sausage here.
Ruling: Yaochuuhai, even if it says "1-9-tiles" in Japanese and Chinese, means all of ones, nines, winds and dragons: it is thus translated as terminals.
Routouhai refers specifically to ones and nines exclusively: both honroutou and chinroutou require that consistency be kept among the terms (and tsuuiisou requires none), and thus, it should be translated as ends.