Taiwanese mahjong glossary

The three suits, characters (萬), dots (筒) and bamboo (索), each numbered 1 to 9 with four copies of every tile, 108 tiles in all. Tiles of different suits never combine, so 3萬 and 3筒 are unrelated.

The suit marked with the character 萬, from 1萬 to 9萬, four copies of each.

The suit drawn as circles, from 1筒 to 9筒, four copies of each.

The suit drawn as bamboo sticks, from 1索 to 9索, four copies of each. The 1索 is usually drawn as a bird.

The winds and dragons together: seven kinds, four copies of each. They have no numbers, so they never form runs, only triplets, kongs and pairs.

East (東), South (南), West (西) and North (北), four copies of each. A wind triplet scores only when it is your seat wind or the round wind.

Red (中), green (發) and white (白), four copies of each. A triplet of any of them scores, whatever seat you are in.

Eight bonus tiles, plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum plus the four seasons, that never stay in the hand: you lay one face up when you draw it and draw a replacement from the back of the wall. A flower matching your seat is worth tai, and holding none at all scores 無花.

All 144 tiles stacked two high in four walls. Normal draws come from the front; replacements for flowers and kongs come from the back.

The seat that is East for this hand. The dealer starts with one extra tile and makes the first discard, and any payment the dealer wins or pays is larger than one between two other players.

Taking the next tile from the front of the wall at the start of your turn. A flower is laid face up and replaced from the back.

Throwing one tile out after you draw, which brings your hand back to 16 tiles. Other players may claim it for a chow, pung, kong or win.

Calling for another player's discard because it completes a set in your hand. The set is laid face up and can't be broken up again; when several players want the same tile, a win comes first, then a pung or kong, then a chow.

Taking a numbered tile from the player on your left and combining it with two of your own to make a run. You can claim a chow only from that player.

Taking a discard that matches a pair in your hand to make a triplet. You can claim a pung from any player.

Completing five sets and a pair with one last tile and declaring it. The winning tile can be one you draw or another player's discard.

Winning on a tile you drew yourself. All three other players pay, and the self-draw itself is worth 1 tai.

Discarding the tile another player wins on. Only the player who dealt in pays; the other two pay nothing.

The dealer keeps the deal after winning or after an exhaustive draw; otherwise the next seat deals. Under the app's default rules a payment involving the dealer adds 1 tai, plus 2 more for each time the dealer has kept the deal.

A hand that ends with no winner because the wall has run down to its reserved tiles; the dealer keeps the deal. By default the app pays nothing on a draw and reserves 16 tiles, plus one more for each kong.

The two identical tiles a winning hand needs alongside its five sets. A hand has exactly one; it is not a set, but you can't win without it.

Three consecutive tiles of one suit, such as 3-4-5萬. Honors have no numbers, so they never make runs.

Three identical tiles, such as three East winds. A triplet you formed yourself is concealed (暗刻); one you claimed with a pung is exposed (明刻).

Four identical tiles, counted as one set. A kong can be exposed (明槓), concealed (暗槓) or added to a pung (加槓), and each one draws a replacement tile from the back of the wall.

A kong of four tiles you drew yourself. You declare it and draw a replacement, but because no discard was claimed the hand still counts as concealed (門清).

Any run, triplet or kong. A Taiwanese hand wins with five sets and a pair, one set more than 13-tile mahjong.

Two tiles one tile short of a set: an open run (6-7), a gap (6-8), an edge (1-2) or a pair.

A single tile that connects to nothing else in the hand, also called 孤張. Loose tiles are usually the first to go.

A hand one tile away from five sets and a pair. A ready hand is at 向聽 0.

A tile that would complete a ready hand. An open run waits on two kinds of tile, a gap, an edge or a single wait on one, and a long run in one suit can wait on three.

How many useful tiles a hand still needs before it is ready; a ready hand is 0 and one draw away is 一向聽. For 16 tiles it is (5 − sets) × 2 − partials − pair, taking the lowest result over every way of grouping the tiles.

Waiting with every set finished and one lone tile left, so only its match, which makes the pair, can win. At most three copies remain, which makes it the narrowest wait.

The unit a winning hand is counted in. Every matching pattern adds its tai, and each payer owes the base plus the total tai times the value of one tai.

A hand with no claimed chow or pung and no exposed kong; a concealed kong doesn't break it. Worth 1 tai by default, and a concealed hand that also wins by self-draw adds the 1 tai for 自摸.

Five runs and a pair of numbered tiles, never honors. Worth 2 tai by default.

Numbered tiles from one suit only, with the rest winds or dragons. Worth 4 tai by default.

Every tile, the pair included, from a single suit, with no honors at all. Worth 8 tai by default.

Five triplets or kongs and no runs. Worth 4 tai by default; if three or more of the triplets were formed in your own hand, add 三暗刻, 四暗刻 or 五暗刻.

A triplet or kong of 中, 發 or 白, worth 1 tai each (紅中, 青發, 白板). Two dragon triplets with the third dragon as the pair score 小三元 instead, and all three score 大三元.

The wind of your seat: the dealer is East, and South, West and North follow counterclockwise. A triplet of your seat wind is worth 1 tai, and another 1 if it is also the round wind.