also: せんパイ
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
Before the game, everyone shuffles the tiles together.
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.
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.