Japanese Mahjong Japanese Mahjong Japanese Mahjong (Japanese: 麻雀, 麻将 or マージャン; "mājan"), also known as Rīchi Mahjong, is a variation of mahjong. While the basic rules to the game are retained, the variation features a unique set of rules such as "rīchi" and the use of "dora". The main mahjong article contains general terms, but only English and Japanese terms are used here. Terms like "chow," "pung," and "kong" are not used in this variation, yet their functions are still used. Instead, they are referred to in Japanese as "chī", "pon", and "kan". In 1924, a soldier named Saburo Hirayama brought the
Chow-chow (food) origin of the term "chow-chow" is obscure. The term "chow-chow" is sometimes used interchangeably with the term "piccalilli" (an English version of Indian-style pickles). It has also been suggested that the name "chow-chow" is rooted in the French word "chou" for cabbage; however, despite the geographic affinities as well as a similarity in the written forms, food nomenclature is mostly transmitted orally: the fundamental difference in pronunciation makes this a weak theory. Food historian Luis W. Fernandez claims a connection with Chinese cuisine as an origin. In Nepal and some other Asian countries, chow chow can refer to instant noodles.