also: ソウズ
noun
bamboo tiles
Mahjong term for the suit of tiles numbered 1–9, depicted with bamboo sticks. Often contrasted with 万子 (manzu, characters) and 筒子 (pinzu, circles).
from Chinese suǒ zi
See also: 万子
索子の一索は鳥の絵柄で、他の索子とはデザインが違う。
The 1-bamboo tile has a bird design, unlike the other bamboo tiles.
彼は索子の清一色を狙って、索子だけを集めて
He's aiming for a flush of bamboo tiles, collecting only bamboo tiles.
Katakana spelling is common in mahjong contexts.
Irregular kana reading; less common than ソーズ.
From Chinese 索子 (suǒ zi), referring to the bamboo suit in mahjong. The reading ソーズ reflects the Chinese pronunciation, while ソウズ is an irregular variant.