sparrow dominoes

noun

The game of mahjong.

OriginChinese 麻將 /麻将 →
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Meanings

noun
  1. uncountableThe game of mahjong.

    Even "Mah-Jongg," for example, is called "sparrow dominoes"—and very rightly, since that is what the Chinese word means to the Chinese.

    1935, National Council of Teachers of English, Secondary Section, English Journal
  2. pluralplural onlyThe tiles used in this game.

    There is probably no town in China where the click of the Sparrow dominoes is so little heard.

    1921, John Dewey, “Impressions from Canton”, in China Monthly Review

Origin

  1. Chinese麻將 /麻将
  2. Englishsparrow dominoes

calque of Chinese 麻將 /麻将 (májiàng) + dominoes.

More words from Chinese

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

sparrow dominoes. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sparrow%20dominoes

MLA

“sparrow dominoes.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sparrow%20dominoes. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sparrow dominoes,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sparrow%20dominoes.

Source: sparrow dominoes on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.