1.
point sticks; scoring sticks used in mahjong
Narrow stick-shaped tokens used to keep score in mahjong. Each player starts with a set number of points represented by these sticks, which are exchanged when a hand is won or lost.
点棒を配ってゲームを始める。
Distribute the point sticks and start the game.
負けた人は勝った人に点棒を渡す。
The loser passes point sticks to the winner.
点棒が全部なくなると飛びとなり、その時点で対局は終了する。
When all point sticks are lost, it's called tobi (bust), and the game ends at that point.
A compound of 点 (points) and 棒 (stick/rod). Standard mahjong sets include four denominations of point sticks, each distinguished by colored dots: 100 points, 1,000 points, 5,000 points, and 10,000 points.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 点棒を払う: pay point sticks
- 点棒を受け取る: receive point sticks
- 点棒がなくなる: run out of point sticks
- 点棒を数える: count point sticks
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 持ち点: one's current point total
- 配給原点: starting point allocation (typically 25,000 or 30,000 points)
- 牌: mahjong tiles
CULTURAL NOTE:
In Japanese mahjong (麻雀), physical 点棒 are used in live play to track scores. Online mahjong games display the score digitally but the terminology remains the same. The expression 点棒が飛ぶ (point sticks fly) means to go bankrupt in a game.