counter
counter for dot tiles
Used in mahjong to count tiles of the pin (dots) suit, e.g., 一筒 (イーピン) for one-dot tile.
一筒を捨てる。
Discard the one-dot tile.
筒子の三筒をツモった。
I drew the three-dot tile of the pin suit.
Counter for character tiles in mahjong; 筒 is for dot tiles.
The reading ピン comes from the Chinese word for 'pin' (circle/dot), reflecting the suit's appearance. The kanji 筒 (cylinder) is used for its visual similarity to the round dot tiles.