What you need
Four players and a standard Chinese mahjong set of 144 tiles:
- Suits: dots (circles), bamboo and characters, each numbered 1 to 9, four copies of each: 108 tiles.
- Honours: the four winds (east, south, west, north) and three dragons (red, green, white), four copies of each: 28 tiles.
- Bonus tiles: four flowers and four seasons, one of each: 8 tiles.
You also need dice and some way to keep score. This page covers Hong Kong rules, the simplest common style and the usual starting point. American mahjong, standardised by the National Mah Jongg League, and Japanese riichi follow different rules.
Setup
Each player takes a seat wind; East is the first dealer and play runs counter-clockwise (east, south, west, north). Shuffle all tiles face down. Each player builds a wall 18 tiles long and two tiles high in front of them, and the four walls are pushed into a square.
The dealer throws the dice to choose where the wall is broken. Starting there, players take tiles in blocks of four until each has 12, then one more each, so everyone holds 13. The dealer takes a 14th tile. Anyone holding a flower or season sets it aside and draws a replacement from the end of the wall.
How to play
A turn
The dealer begins by discarding one tile face up into the centre. Then each player in turn draws one tile from the wall and discards one, so their hand is always 13 tiles between turns.
Sets (melds)
- Pung: three identical tiles.
- Kong: four identical tiles. Declare it, lay it out, and draw a replacement tile from the end of the wall.
- Chow: three tiles of the same suit in sequence, such as 3-4-5 of bamboo. Honours cannot form chows.
- Eyes: a pair, needed once in a winning hand.
Claiming a discard
When a tile is discarded, other players may claim it to complete a set, which they then lay face up:
- A player who can win with it has first priority.
- Next, a player who can make a pung or kong with it, from any player’s discard.
- Last, the next player in turn may take it for a chow, and only from the player directly before them.
After claiming, you discard, and play continues from your seat, so players in between lose their turn. Sets you make from your own draws stay hidden in your hand.
Scoring and winning
You win by completing a 14-tile hand of four sets and a pair, either from a discard or by drawing the tile yourself (“self-draw”). Special hands such as thirteen orphans are exceptions. Only the winner scores.
The hand is valued in faan. A few examples from the Hong Kong tables: all chows (common hand) 1 faan, all pungs 3 faan, a flower or season of your own seat wind 1 faan, no bonus tiles at all 1 faan. Pungs of dragons and winds also add faan. Most tables require a minimum of 3 faan to declare a win. Faan are converted into points on a doubling table, and the other players pay the winner: under a common Hong Kong rule the discarder pays alone, while a self-drawn win is paid by everyone at a higher rate.
If the dealer wins, they deal again; otherwise the deal passes to the right. A full match is four rounds, with the prevailing wind changing from east to south, west and north.
Common variants
- No minimum or a 1-faan minimum makes winning easier for beginners.
- Faan limit: 13 faan is the usual maximum, but many tables cap it at 8 or lower to reduce stakes.
- Discarder pays all or half: tables differ on who pays for a win by discard.
- Fewer tiles: some groups play without flowers and seasons.
Tips for first games
- Play your first rounds without scoring: just race to four sets and a pair.
- Keep pairs and two-tile sequences; discard isolated honours early, before they become dangerous.
- Watch the discards. Tiles that have appeared three times cannot be ponged.
- Claiming many discards is quick but shows your hand and lowers its value.
Frequently asked questions
How many tiles do you hold? Thirteen between turns, fourteen at the moment you win. Kong tiles and bonus tiles do not count.
Can I chow from anyone? No. Only from the player directly before you, unless the tile completes your winning hand.
What happens if nobody wins? When the wall runs out, the hand is a draw and is replayed.
What are flowers for? They are set aside when drawn, replaced from the wall, and add faan if you win.
Is this the same as American mahjong? No. American mahjong is a separate derivative with its own tiles, hands and scoring, regulated by the National Mah Jongg League.
