Mahjong Set and Red Leatherette Carrying Case

Mahjong is a tile-based game that was developed in the 19th century in China and has spread throughout the world since the early 20th century. The game is played with a set of 144 tiles based on Chinese characters and symbols, although many regional variations may omit some tiles or add unique ones. In most variations, each player begins by receiving 13 tiles.

The game was originally called 麻雀 (máquè)—meaning sparrow—which is still used in several Chinese languages, mostly in the south, such as Cantonese and Hokkien. It is said that the clacking of tiles during shuffling resembles the chattering of sparrows. It has also been suggested that the name came from an evolution of an earlier card game called Madiao from which mahjong tiles were adapted.