テンパる

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

to be one tile away from winning (mahjong)

Mahjong term: the state of needing only one more tile to complete a winning hand. Derived from 聴牌 (テンパイ).

See also: テンパイ

• あと一いー牌ぱいでテンパる。

  I'm one tile away from being ready to win.

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

to be at one's wits' end; to be about to lose it

Colloquial extension of the mahjong sense: describes a state of mental overload, panic, or extreme stress where one is about to snap.

• 仕し事ごとが多おおすぎてテンパってる。

  I'm so swamped with work I'm about to lose it.

• 急きゅうに質しつ問もんされてテンパった。

  I panicked when I was suddenly asked a question.