M-League Dictionary

Most translations here should be considered unofficial

* indicates term uniquely used in the English community

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

• Akasaka Drivens (赤坂ドリブンズ): One of the M-League teams. Owned by Hakuhodo DY media partners
• ASAPIN: Nickname for Asakura Koushin (朝倉康心). Taken from his username on the online mahjong site Tenhou.net

B

• Beast Japanext: One of the M-League teams. Owned by BS Japanext
• Beat-kun (ビートくん, bīto-kun): The mascot for the BEAST Japanext
• Black Digital Mahjong: Nickname for Ishibashi Nobuhiro (石橋伸洋). Also the name of his book.
• Bullish Venus (強気のヴィーナス, Tsuyoki no vīnasu): Nickname for Kurosawa Saki (黒沢咲)

C

• Celeb (セレブ, serebu): Nickname for Kurosawa Saki (黒沢咲)
• Cinderella Story (シンデレラストーリー, shinderera sutōrī): Nickname for Maruyama Kanako (丸山奏子). Originating from her unlikely entry into M-League.

D

• Daily Double (デイリーダブル): Two games won (1sts) in a single day. First used by @mleague_results on Twitter on December 20, 2020
• Daimajin’s Descendant (大魔神の系譜, daimajin no keifu): Nickname for Kondo Seiichi (近藤誠一)
• Demon King (魔王, maou): Nickname for Sasaki Hisato (佐々木寿人)
• Devil (魔神, majin): Nickname for Shibukawa Nanba (渋川難波). Also the common title of Shibukawa’s mahjong book series.
• Double Duty* (連投, rentou): Playing two games in a single day.
• Double-Edged Bulldozer (二刀流ブルドーザー, nitōryū burudōzā): Nickname for Suzuki Daisuke (鈴木大介)
• Dragon Inheritor (龍を継ぐ者, ryū o tsugu mono): Nickname for Nakabayashi Kei (仲林圭)
• Drivlers: Name for Akasaka Drivens supporters. Originally used for their YouTube supporters before it was made official.

E

• EX Furinkazan (EX風林火山): One of the M-League teams. Owned by tv asahi

F

• Fastest and Strongest (最速最強, saisoku saikyō): Nickname for Ooi Takaharu (多井隆晴)
• Fastest Mermaid (最速マーメイド, saisoku māmeido): Nickname for Uotani Yuumi (魚谷侑未)
• Fully Armed Aphrodite (完全武装アフロディーテ, kanzen busō afurodīte): Nickname for Okada Sayaka (岡田紗佳)
• Futokunaio (太くないお, futokunaio): Nickname for Watanabe Futoshi (渡辺太)

G

• Gase (ガセ, gase): Nickname for Matsugase Takaya (松ヶ瀬隆弥)
• Genius Woman Mahjong Player (天才すぎるオンナ雀士, tensai sugiru on’na janshi): Nickname for Kayamori Sayaka (茅森早香)
• Gorilla Mahjong: Phrase coined by Mizuhara Akina (瑞原明奈) to describe her playstyle.

H

• Hanamaru Symphony (はなまるシンフォニー, hanamaru shinfonī): Nickname for Maruyama Kanako (丸山奏子)
• Headbump (頭ハネ, atamahane): When two players call ron, the player next in turn order to the discarder will win the hand. The most notable headbump in M-League occurred on March 6, 2023 when Nakabayashi Kei’s (仲林圭) kokushi was headbumped by a 3-han hand.
• Heracles’ Counterattack (逆襲のヘラクレス, gyakushū no herakuresu): Nickname for Asai Takaki (浅井堂岐)
• Honitsu Consultant (ホンイツコンサルタント, hon’itsu konsarutanto): Nickname for Sasaki Hisato (佐々木寿人)
• HoriShibu: Duo name for Hori Shingo (堀慎吾) and Shibukawa Nanba (渋川難波)

I

• Invincible Titan (無敵のタイタン, muteki no taitan): Nickname for Takeuchi Genta (竹内元太)
• Ishibashi Trap*: Discarding a red 5 and waiting on a tile surrounding it. Named after Ishibashi Nobuhiro (石橋伸洋) who popularized it in M-League after doing the technique on October 19, 2020.

J

• Jaga (じゃが, jaga): Nickname for Nakabayashi Kei (仲林圭). Also the word for a potato.
  • Full nickname: Jagabayashi (じゃがばやし, jagabayashi)
• JPML: Japan Professional Mahjong League (日本プロ麻雀連盟). One of the eligible professional organzations whose members can be chosen for M-League.
  • Synonyms: Renmei (連盟, renmei)

K

• Kadokawa Sakura Knights (KADOKAWAサクラナイツ): One of the M-League teams. Owned by Kadokawa
• Kaze (風, kaze): Japanese for wind. Used by commentator Hiyoshi Tatsuya to describe flow.
• Kobago (こばごー, kobagō): Nickname for Kobayashi Go (小林剛). Also the name of his YouTube Channel
• Konami Mahjong Fight Club (KONAMI麻雀格闘倶楽部): One of the M-League teams. Owned by Konami.
• Kuma Kuma Time (くまくまタイム, kuma kuma taimu): Nickname for Setokuma Naoki (瀬戸熊直樹)
• Kyuu-Pin Mayonnaise: A play of words on the 9-pin (九筒, kyūpin) tile and the brand Kewpie Mayonnaise. Often attributed to Sasaki Hisato (佐々木寿人)

L

• Lady Berserker (淑女なベルセルク, shukujona beruseruku | レディベルセルク, redi beruseruku): Nickname for Takamiya Mari (高宮まり)
• Little Genius (小さな天才, chīsana tensai): Nickname for Hori Shingo (堀慎吾). Alludes to his 164cm (64.5in) height
• Lone Seeker (孤高の探究者, kokō no tankyū-sha): Nickname for Daigo Hiroshi (醍醐大)
• Love Phoenix (ラブフェニックス, rabu fenikksu): Nickname for Hinata Aiko (日向藍子)

M

• Maestro (マエストロ, maesutoro): Nickname for Uchikawa Kotaro (内川幸太郎)
  • Full nickname: Procedure Maestro (手順マエストロ, tejun maesutoro)
• Mahjong Alien (麻雀星人, mājan seijin): Nickname for Ooi Takaharu (多井隆晴)
• Mahjong Amazoness (麻雀アマゾネス, mājan amazonesu): Nickname for Wakutsu Akira (和久津晶)
• Mahjong Cyborg (麻雀サイボーグ, mājan saibōgu): Nickname for Kobayashi Go (小林剛)
• Mahjong Hybrid (麻雀ハイブリッド, mājan haiburiddo): Nickname for Shiratori Sho (白鳥翔)
• Mahjong IQ 220 (麻雀IQ220): Nickname for Katsumata Kenji (勝又健志)
• Mahjong Professor (麻雀プロフェッサー, mājan purofessā): Nickname for Daigo Hiroshi (醍醐大)
• Mahjong Sage (麻雀賢者, mājan kenja): Nickname for Sonoda Ken (園田賢)
• Mahjong Singularity (麻雀シンギュラリティ, mājan Shingyurariti): Nickname for Watanabe Futoshi (渡辺太)
• Mahjong Vagabond (麻雀バガボンド, mājan bagabondo): Nickname for Takizawa Kazunori (滝沢和典)
• Maruko: Nickname for Maruyama Kanako (丸山奏子)
• MFC: Short for (Konami) Mahjong Fight Club
• Miss Perfect (ミスパーフェクト, misu pāfekuto): Nickname for Tojo Rio (東城りお)
• Monkey Magic (モンキーマジック, monkī majikku): Nickname for Sarukawa Masatoshi (猿川真寿). Taken from the character 猿 (monkey) in his name.
• Mu (ミュー/μ!): Mahjong Union. One of the eligible professional organzations whose members can be chosen for M-League.
  • Synonyms: Mu, Mahjong Rengou, Rengou

N

• Naioton (ないおトン, naioton): Nickname for Watanabe Futoshi (渡辺太)
• Ninja (忍者, ninja): Nickname for Fujisaki Satoshi (藤崎智). Named such due to his preference to stay dama instead of calling riichi.
• No More Ura San: Reaction when someone wins with three uradora. Reaction image possibly originated from a response to the Konami Mahjong Fight Club
• Noble Female Pirate (気高き女海賊, Kedakaki on’na kaizoku): Nickname for Mizuhara Akina (瑞原明奈)
• NPM: Nihon Pro Mahjong (日本プロ麻雀協会). One of the eligible professional organzations whose members can be chosen for M-League.
  • Synonyms: Kyoukai (協会, kyōkai)

O

• Okapi (おかぴー, okapī): Nickname for Okada Sayaka (岡田紗佳). Also the name of a Central African animal.

P

• Perfect Beauty (天衣無縫, teni muhou): Nickname for Nikaido Rumi (二階堂瑠美)
• Pink Table*: A table with only female players. Named after the fact that M-League used to post the scheduled matchup with a pink background (first done on November 13, 2020) when they had a female matchup.
• Piiryan (ピーリャン, pīryan): Mascot for GONENGO, one of the sponsors for the U-Next Pirates
• Pure Table Influencer (純卓のインフルエンサー, juntaku no infuruensā): Nickname for Nakada Kana (中田花奈)

Q

R

• Raiden Universe (雷電ユニバース, raiden yunibāsu): Collective name for Team Raiden supporters
• Real Akagi (リアルアカギ, riaru akagi): Nickname for Hagiwara Masato (萩原聖人). Alludes to his role as the voice actor for Akagi in the anime series Akagi
• Riichi Superman (リーチ超人): Nickname for Murakami Jun (村上淳)
• RMO: Short for Raiden no Mahjong wa Omoshiroi desu! (雷電の麻雀は面白いんです！, Raiden Mahjong is Interesting/Exciting), the catchphrase for Team Raiden
• RMU: Real Mahjong Unit. One of the eligible professional organzations whose members can be chosen for M-League.
• Robo (ロボ, robo): Nickname for Kobayashi Go (小林剛)
• RumiAki: Duo name for sisters Nikaido Rumi (二階堂瑠美) and Nikaido Aki (二階堂亜樹)

S

• Saikouisen: Saikouisen Japan Professional Mahjong Organization (最高位戦日本プロ麻雀協会). One of the eligible professional organzations whose members can be chosen for M-League.
• Scarlet Valkyrie (朱きヴァルキュリア, akaki varukyuria): Nickname for Date Arisa (伊達朱里紗)
• Seeker of the Snowfields (雪原の求道者, setsugen no kyūdōsha): Nickname for Hagiwara Masato (萩原聖人)
• Sega Sammy Phoenix (セガサミーフェニックス): One of the M-League teams. Owned by Sega Sammy Holdings
• Sensitive Super Cannon (繊細なる超巨砲, sensainaru chō kyohō): Nickname for Matsugase Takaya (松ヶ瀬隆弥)
• Sexy Seiichi: Nickname for Kondo Seiichi (近藤誠一). Given to Kondo during the first game on March 4, 2021, but most often attributed to his South 4 4th-to-1st baiman win in the second game.
• Shaa Tanki: A pair wait on the west (西, shaa). The most famous example is Kurosawa Saki’s (黒沢咲) winning a suuankou tanki waiting on the west, dealt in by Uchikawa Kotaro (内川幸太郎) on February 26, 2020
• Shibuya Abemas (渋谷ABEMAS): One of the M-League teams. Owned by CyberAgent
• Shortcut to Haneman*: Term used to describe Chiitoi. The original image comes from an English translation of the manga Ten (Chapter 73, Page 18, Panel 4)
• Smart Support (聡明なるバイプレイヤー, sōmeinaru baipureiyā): Nickname for Asami Maki (浅見真紀). Literally “A wise supporting actor”.
• Sonoken (その研, sonoken): Nickname for Sonoda Ken (園田賢). Also the name of his YouTube channel
• Sonoken-Time Attack (STA) (ソノケンタイムアタック, sonoken taimu atakku): The speedrunning category for how long it takes Sonoda Ken (園田賢) to finish a post-game interview (which is typically long). Coined by @mleague_results on October 4, 2022. Current record by Sonoda is 7’22” achieved on January 29, 2024. Overall record is by Mizuhara Akina (瑞原明奈) of 7’29”, achieved on November 17, 2024
• Sunshine Smile (笑顔のサンシャイン, egao no sanshain): Nickname for Hinata Aiko (日向藍子)

T

• Tabletop Dancer (卓上の舞姫, takujō no maihime): Nickname for Nikaido Aki (二階堂亜樹)
• Tabletop Hitman (卓上のヒットマン, takujō no hittoman): Nickname for Matsumoto Yoshihiro (松本吉弘)
• Tabletop Magician (卓上の魔術師, takujō no majutsu-shi): Nickname for Sonoda Ken (園田賢)
• Tabletop Tyrant (卓上の暴君, takujō no bōkun): Nickname for Setokuma Naoki (瀬戸熊直樹)
• TakiHisa (タキヒサ, takihisa): Duo name for Takizawa Kazunori (滝沢和典) and Sasaki Hisato (佐々木寿人). Also the duo name used on their YouTube channel
• Takki (タッキー, takkī): Nickname for Takizawa Kazunori (滝沢和典)
• Team Raiden (TEAM雷電): One of the M-League teams. Owned by dentsu
• Triple Crown (トリプルクラウン): Winning all three individual awards (MVP, Highest Hanchan, 4th Avoidance). Only accomplished by Date Arisa (伊達朱里紗) over three years

U

• U-Next Pirates: One of the M-League teams. Owned by U-Next
• UK: Duo name for Suzuki Yu (鈴木優) and Nakabayashi Kei (仲林圭). Taken from their given names Yu and Kei.
• Unfinished Masterpiece (未完の大器, mikan no taiki): Nickname for Mizuhara Akina (瑞原明奈). Her Tenhou.net username is also a pun on the name (みかん太, mikan tai, lit. Fat Mikan Orange)

V

W

• Warrior Race (戦闘民族, sentō minzoku): Nickname for Suzuki Yu (鈴木優)
• Winning Water (ウイニング水, uiningu mizu): Oftentimes, players will drink water immediately after a hanchan, dubbed as drinking the “Winning Water”. Most often associated with Date Arisa (伊達朱里紗).

X

Y

• Yakuman Body (役満ボディー, yakuman bodī): Nickname for Okada Sayaka (岡田紗佳)
• Yakuman Prince (役満プリンス, yakuman purinsu): Nickname for Honda Tomohiro (本田朋広).
  • Full nickname: Hokuriku’s Yakuman Prince (北陸の役満プリンス, hokuriku no yakuman purinsu)

Z

• Zeus (ゼウス, zeusu): Nickname for Suzuki Taro (鈴木たろう)
  • Full nickname: Zeus’ Choice (ゼウスの選択, zeusu no sentaku)