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Mahjong

Games
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A tile game in which players draw, discard, and assemble patterned combinations.

Detailed Definition
Mahjong is a traditional tile game for several players, built from suits, honors, chance, memory, and tactical reading of opponents. Players draw and discard while pursuing winning combinations, often concealing their intentions until a decisive declaration. In poetry, mahjong can evoke family ritual, crowded conversation, inherited customs, or the music of repeated handling. The clack of tiles gives the game a concrete soundscape for poems about chance and domestic history.
Example
Example in poetry:
Mahjong’s tiles can create a poem about chance, family, and repeated ritual; A poet might write, “Bamboo, circles, characters: my grandmother shuffles the seasons”; The drawing of a final tile can symbolize sudden insight or fulfillment; A poem can use Mahjong’s clicking tiles as sound imagery for a crowded kitchen or an old friendship.
Additional Notes
Mahjong is traditionally played with four players using suits, honor tiles, and sometimes bonus tiles. Players draw and discard to build a winning hand, commonly four sets and a pair. Rules vary by region, so terms such as chow, pung, kong, and mahjong may have local meanings.
Also Known As
Mah Jong
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