right-hand opponent; player to one's right
Mahjong term for the player sitting to one's right, who is the target for discards and the next in turn order. Contrasts with 上家 (かみチャ, left-hand opponent) and 対面 (トイメン, opposite player).
from Chinese xiàjiā
See also: 上家 (かみチャ) · 対面 (トイメン)
I discard tiles carefully so as not to deal into my right-hand opponent's hand.
下家がリーチをかけたので、安全牌を選んだ。
Since the player to my right declared riichi, I chose a safe tile.
Katakana spelling used in mahjong contexts, especially in rulebooks or casual writing.
From Chinese 下家 (xiàjiā, 'lower house/player'), adapted into Japanese mahjong terminology. The reading しもチャ combines native Japanese 下 (しも, 'lower') with the Chinese-derived チャ (家).