also: せんパイ
noun
shuffling of mahjong tiles
Only with reading シーパイ
Standard mahjong term for the shuffling process at the start of a game. Read as シーパイ.
from Chinese xǐ pái
対局の前に、全員で洗牌を行う。
Before the game, everyone shuffles the tiles together.
noun
cleaning mahjong tiles
Only with reading せんパイ
Rare sense referring to physically washing or wiping mahjong tiles. Read as せんパイ.
古い牌は洗牌してから保管する。
Old tiles are cleaned before being stored.
From Chinese 洗牌 (xǐ pái), literally 'wash tiles'. The reading シーパイ is based on the Chinese pronunciation, while せんパイ is a rare Japanese reading.