How to pronounce "mahjong" in English
mɑˈd͡ʒɔŋ
mah·D͡ZHAWNG
Primary stress: D͡ZHAWNG
Hear native speakers say mahjong in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “mahjong”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
mah
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
D͡ZHAWNG
Elevated pitch, sustained vowel length, and full acoustic clarity.
Primary emphasis falls on the second syllable ("D͡ZHAWNG"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels.
How Native Speakers Say It: Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When "mahjong" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "mahjong is" sounds like "mahjong-iz").
In natural sentences, avoid over-stressing "mahjong" unless it conveys the core contrast or focal point of your message.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“And the people who are doing Mahjong and, you know, all the rest of them.”— StanfordWatch clip
“It's not a concept at quite as contemporary a game as mahjong, for instance.”— MIT OpenCourseWareWatch clip
“Jing-Mei feels this pressure as she plays mahjong with her mother’s friends.”— TED-EdWatch clip
“mahjong, and I joined that group.”— TEDx TalksWatch clip
“Mahjong originated in China in the 1800s and spread across the world, evolving into at least 40 variations.”— PBS NewsHourWatch clip
“equipment when Brand he stack week bending mahjong don't Crux wholesale box hmm hi”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “mahjong”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
And the people who are doing Mahjong and, you know, all the rest of them.
Hear it in context: “mahjong”
74 clipsThe English word “mahjong” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as mɑˈd͡ʒɔŋ (phonetic respelling: mah-D͡ZHAWNG). Phonologically, it consists of 2 syllables (mah · D͡ZHAWNG), with primary lexical stress placed on the 2nd syllable (D͡ZHAWNG). Grammatically, “mahjong” functions as a noun, interjection. SayItVid indexes 74 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “mahjong” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from Stanford, MIT OpenCourseWare, TED-Ed.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USStanfordClip #1 · @128:42
“No one knew that until they started following the bingo players. And the people who are doing Mahjong and, you know, all the rest of them. Everyone wrote them off like, you know, a bunch of silly little people.”
- 🇺🇸 USMIT OpenCourseWareClip #2 · @13:54
“but you're playing it for historical reasons. It's not a concept at quite as contemporary a game as mahjong, for instance. for instance.”
- 🇺🇸 USTED-EdClip #3 · @2:14
“and high expectations. Jing-Mei feels this pressure as she plays mahjong with her mother’s friends. She worries, “In me, they see their own daughters, just as ignorant,”
- 🇺🇸 USTEDx TalksClip #4 · @2:59
“sophisticated women who played cards and mahjong, and I joined that group. I enjoyed this phase in my life.”
- 🇺🇸 USPBS NewsHourClip #5 · @50:51
“I don't know if I'm going to be able to do this. And then they leave and they love it. Mahjong originated in China in the 1800s and spread across the world, evolving into at least 40 variations. evolving into at least 40 variations.”
Definition & Meaning: “mahjong”
- A game (originally Chinese) for four players, using a collection of tiles divided into five or six suits.
- A solitaire game using the same tiles, where the player wins by removing pairs of matching exposed tiles until none remain.
- A call declaring a winning hand in the game of mahjong.
Example Sentences (3)
- “Miss Ganett drank coffee whilst Caroline got out the Mah Jong box and poured out the tiles upon the table.”
- “And the people who are doing Mahjong and, you know, all the rest of them.”
- “It's not a concept at quite as contemporary a game as mahjong, for instance.”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “mahjong”
- Pronunciation:
- mah-D͡ZHAWNG
- Syllables:
- mah · D͡ZHAWNG
- Written Hyphenation:
- mah · jong
- Primary stress:
- D͡ZHAWNG
- IPA:
- mɑˈd͡ʒɔŋ
- Hear it in context
- mahjong
Words that Rhyme with “mahjong”
-ɔŋWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"mahjong" (⁄mɑˈd͡ʒɔŋ⁄) has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "mahjong" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about mahjong
How do you pronounce “mahjong”?
“mahjong” is pronounced ⁄mɑˈd͡ʒɔŋ⁄ (mah-D͡ZHAWNG). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “mahjong”?
“mahjong” has 2 syllables: mah · D͡ZHAWNG.
Where is the stress in “mahjong”?
The primary stress in “mahjong” is on “D͡ZHAWNG”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “mahjong” mean?
A game (originally Chinese) for four players, using a collection of tiles divided into five or six suits.
How can I hear “mahjong” used in real sentences?
This page has 74 real-world video examples of “mahjong” with synchronized subtitles. Use Previous / Next (or ← / → keys) to hear each one at the exact moment it is spoken.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “mahjong”?
Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels. Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).