Sparrows and hemp
In Cantonese, Shanghainese and several other Chinese dialects the game is called by words meaning "sparrow" (麻雀, literally "hemp sparrow"). In Mandarin it is májiàng (麻將), a closely related name in which the second character is pronounced differently. Japanese borrowed the sparrow characters and reads them mājan.
Why sparrows? Common explanations include the chattering sound of tiles being shuffled, the bird on the one-bamboo tile, and the bird's reputation for cleverness. Which came first is uncertain.
How it became "Mah-Jongg"
When the game reached the United States in the early 1920s, Joseph Park Babcock — an American working in China — published rules under the name Mah-Jongg and registered it as a trademark. Rival companies, unable to use his name, sold sets as Pung Chow, Ma Chiang, Mah Diao, Mah-Jong and other variations.
The spelling "Mah Jongg", with two g's, is still used by the National Mah Jongg League and by American players. Elsewhere "mahjong" is the most common English spelling.
Other names around the world
In Japanese the word is written 麻雀 but pronounced mājan; the Japanese competitive game is often called riichi mahjong or simply riichi. Korean speakers say majak. Vietnamese call it mạt chược. Filipinos often say mahjong or majong. In Chinese-speaking regions, players also refer to it affectionately with slang, such as "building the Great Wall" (砌長城), a nod to stacking the tiles into walls.
Spelling it on this site
This site uses "mahjong" for the game in general, "Mah Jongg" for the American style that keeps that spelling, and local names such as riichi where they are standard. When you search for teachers or clubs, try all the spellings — American groups usually write "mahj" or "Mah Jongg".
