List of terminology translations

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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.