Is the tile game spelled mahjong or Mah-jongg?

There is a constant debate on the proper way to spell the beloved tile game here in America. Is the tile game spelled mahjong or Mah-jongg? Guess what? The correct spelling of the tile game can be either "Mah-Jongg" or “mahjong." That’s right… both ways are acceptable!

Is mahjong or Mah-jongg the correct way to spell the game? You decide.

According to the book Mahjong: A Chinese game and the making of modern American culture written by Annelise Heinz, the game name has a fascinating history. Joseph Babcock picked up mahjong in the 1910s in China. After playing multiple styles learned by natives, he created his own version of the game. When he came back to the United States in the 1920s, he brought his version of the game written with English rules and named it Mah- Jongg.

Joseph Babcock and his business partners created the "Mah-Jongg Company of China" and the "Mah-Jongg Sales Company of America." In 1922, Babcock filed for a patent and registered a trademark for the game and rule book with the name "Mah-Jongg." According to Heinz' book, the hyphen and the extra "g" was specifically added to indicate that the item was “genuine.” G for genuine!

Like many games, the game had many variations and no patent or trademark was effectively enforced. Despite the new name and legal mark, Babcock couldn’t do much to protect the exclusive spelling of his game.

The argument was made that mahjong was already a game in China with many sets and versions of the game that already existed. Parker Brothers had already had a similar fate to the game "Ping-Pong" which was a trademarked name for table tennis.

Babcock's name "Mah-Jongg" was broadly used alongside spellings like Mah Jong and mahjong. Today, the game can be spelled either way to describe the tile game.

I spell the game "mahjong." I like to pay homage to the original game and I am open to many variations and styles, whether they are American versions with a card or Filipino versions or traditional Chinese versions.

You spell the game how you like. Just remember, that the spelling of Mah-Jongg with the extra "g" for genuine began as a trademarked name from Mr. Joseph Babcock.

Source: Mahjong: A Chinese game and the making of modern American culture by Annelise Heinz

For more fun tips and tricks and lessons from me, subscribe to the NEWSletter here.