Which game's name is derived from a Chinese word for sparrows?

Answer 1

Mahjong Cantonese: Màhjeuk; other common English spellings include mahjongg, majiang, and hyphenated forms such as mah-jong or mah-jongg) is a game for four players that originated in China. It is a game of skill, strategy, intelligence, calculation and luck. Depending on the variation which is played, luck can be anything from a minor to a dominant factor in success. In Asia, mahjong is as popular as gambling or computer gaming.

The object of the game is to build complete suits (usually of threes) from either 13 or 16 tiles. The first person to achieve this goal is said to have won the game. The winning tile completes the set of either 14 or 17 tiles.

Trivia: Nintendo made mahjong sets before it made video games. They are still sold today in Japan

In the very earliest known writings about the game (the 1890s), the game was referred to by various names, among them chung fa, que ma que or ma que (in Cantonese: mah cheuk or 麻雀). The game was not called "mahjong" by the Chinese who played it, and that name was not used until the early 1900s.

When Joseph Park Babcock undertook to introduce the game to the USA in 1920, he decided that it would be beneficial to give the game a name that he could trademark. (He was a pretty sharp cookie.) For reasons known only to himself, he decided "mahjong" would sound better (more Chinese-sounding, I guess) than mah que, and he decided to write it as "Mah-Jongg," with the hyphen and the two G's. So that's why today the game isn't called "Mah Que" - blame it on Babcock.

"Mah que" can be translated as "sparrow," "flax sparrow," or possibly as "hemp bird." Flax or jute or hemp are variegated (comprised of numerous colors, brown, gray, black, white), and variegated-color birds, "hemp birds," are... sparrows. So now you know that "Mah Jong" = mah que = sparrows, thus "Mah Jong" means "Sparrows!"

The mah-jongg tiles, when shuffled, make a melodious noise reminiscent of the noise of numerous sparrows squabbling over scattered food crumbs. This sound effect is most apparent when shuffling bone-and-bamboo tiles, and when you're hearing the sound from a small distance. And this is why the game was called Sparrows by the Chinese before Babcock came along.

When Babcock's efforts led to mah-jongg becoming intensely popular in the early 1920s, other entrepreneurs, authors, and companies made their own sets and books. These others could not use the name "mah-jongg" since it was trademarked by Babcock. So they came up with other names, among them Ma Chong, Ma Chiang, Ma Deuck, Pung Chow, Pe-Ling, and "The Game of a Thousand Intelligences." Over the course of a couple of years, it became common to refer to the game by the generic name "mahjong" (dropping the hyphen and the double G).

Answer 2

SPARROW: The Chinese Game Called MA-CH'IAU

Answer 3

Cantonese word Màhjeuk equivalent to Mahjong seems to be the answer.
(Hey guys, I will be taking some breath off Y! Answers, will be back sometime later. Just being tooooo busy sched. Seasons Greetings! Have a great time!)

Answer 4

Mah Jongg (or "Maajh", as it is usually called) is a rummy-like game played with tiles rather than cards. The game originated in China, dating back to the time of Confucius.

Answer 5

This is a challenging question, and one that has intrigued me for many years.

Answer 6

it depends...