also: マン
counter
counter for character tiles
Mahjong counter used for the suit of character tiles (萬子). The reading ワン is standard when counting tiles, while マン appears in some contexts.
from Chinese wàn
一萬、二萬、三萬と並べてチーした。
I called chii with the one, two, and three of characters.
この手は萬子のホンイツだ。
This hand is a half-flush in the character suit.
From Chinese 萬 (wàn), meaning ten thousand, used in mahjong for the character suit.