Mahjong has numerous regional varieties, like many other well-known games. This makes it challenging for someone who is new to the game and who wants to understand mahjong rules. We will help you learn how to play mahjong utilizing the fundamental principles and approaches that apply to most variations of the game.
A game of skill and chance, mahjong was introduced to the West in the 1920s after decades of development in China. Mah Jongg is a cooperative game that requires precision, skill, strategy and good luck. It might look complicated but once you get to know the elements of the game and its rules, you’ll to love it.
At the start of the game, it’s crucial that everyone is aware of the regulations and equipment you need, including any additional rules.
Equipment
- 36 Dots Tiles
- 36 Character Tiles
- 36 Bamboo Tiles
- 16 Wind Tiles
- 12 Dragon Tiles
- 4 Flower Tiles
- 4 Seasons Tiles
- 2 Dice
- 4 Scorecards
- Scoring Sticks or Coins
- 1 Wind Indicator (Optional)
- 4 Racks And Pushers (Optional)
- Mahjong Mat (Optional)
Mahjong Tile Count Per Set
Set | Count | |
Suited | Dots | 36 |
Bamboo | 36 | |
Characters | 36 | |
Honors | Winds | 16 |
Dragons | 12 | |
Bonus | Flowers | 4 |
Seasons | 4 | |
Total | 144 |
Game Objective
The goal of this classic board game is to complete a mahjong by arranging all fourteen tiles into four sets and one pair.
You can’t use a single tile in two sets at the same time.
Number Of Players
You usually play Mahjong with four people but as there are varieties, mahjong can be played by 2, 3 or even 5 players.
Mahjong Tiles
Mahjong sets contain 144 tiles, traditionally made of ivory or bone. Three basic suits (dots, characters and bamboos), two honor suits (wind and dragon tiles) and one optional suit (flowers) are included in each tile set. Read about the mahjong tiles in detail here.
Suit | Included Symbols | Number Of Tiles |
Circles | 1 – 9 | Four sets of 9, 36 total |
Bamboo | 1 – 9 | Four sets of 9, 36 total |
Chinese Characters | 1 – 9 | Four sets of 9, 36 total |
Winds | N, S, E, W | Four sets of 4, 16 total |
Dragons | Red, Green, White | Four sets of 3, 12 total |
Flowers | Plum, Orchid, Chrysanthemum, Bamboo | One of each, 4 total |
Seasons | Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn | One of each, 4 total |
Craks/Characters
On the surface of these Mahjong tiles is the character, which denotes 10,000. Each tile has a Chinese character with a number ranging from one to nine.
Bams/Bamboos
These Mahjong tiles have bamboo sticks that depict the strings that ancient copper coin sets of 100 or 1,000 coins were strung on. The tiles have sticks on them from two to nine.
There isn’t a bamboo stick on the tile number one.
Dots
This suit has a circular shape and the number of round shapes on the surface of each tile ranges from one to nine.
Dragons
There are four red dragons represented by a bright red character, four green dragons represented by a bright green character and four white dragons represented by a completely blank tile.
Winds
Seasons
Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter are each represented by one bonus tile. Red characters (or numbers) are frequently used to represent them.
No | Name | Character | Direction |
1 | Spring | 春 | East |
2 | Summer | 夏 | South |
3 | Autumn | 秋 | West |
4 | Winter | 冬 | North |
Flowers
The four flowers represent Confucian plants, bamboo, chrysanthemum, orchid and plum.
Mahjong Flowers
Flower | Season/Occupation | Number | Corresponding Wind |
Plum | Spring/Fisherman | 1 | East |
Lily/Orchid | Summer/Woodcutter | 2 | South |
Chrysanthemum | Autumn/Farmer | 3 | West |
Bamboo | Winter/Scholar | 4 | North |
Jokers
A joker cannot be used for a single or pair. You can replace any tile in a Quint, Kong, Pung or Sextet with a joker.
Dice
You’ll need two dice. By rolling the dice, you determine who will be the East Wind (dealer). The East Wind is whoever rolls the highest score on two dice.
Score Cards
The National Mah Jongg League determines a list of hands for scoring (NML). Each player keeps a card for reference when building hands and employing Mahjong strategies. To read more on the best mahjong strategies, click here.
Scoring Sticks And Coins
Quantity | Scoring Stick/Coin | Value |
1 | 9 Dot/Yellow | 200 Points |
2 | 5 Dot/Blue | 100 Points |
8 | 1 Dot/Red | 25 Points |
10 | 8 Dot/Green | 5 Points |
Mahjong Tile Racks And Pushers
Each player has tile racks and pushers to hold tiles. When you’re ready to play, the pusher is placed against the back of the rack and curtsies the tiles.
Mahjong Mat
Players frequently use mahjong mats to muffle the sounds of tiles hitting the table.
The Set-Up And Seating
To get ready to play, players should do the following:
- Place the mat on the table.
- Place the rack so that the pusher is away from each player.
- Shuffle the mahjong tiles.
- Each player constructs a wall against a pusher.
Building The Wall
When the tiles are shuffled, they are arranged in walls that are 17 tiles long and 2 tiles high. Each player pushes a wall to the front of the board, forming a square in the center of the board.
Breaking The Wall
The East Wind player throws the dice and counts off the resulting number from the tile stack in front of them, from right to left, before breaking the wall. Moving counter-clockwise, each player takes four tiles and continues where the dealer left off, picking two tiles from the top and two from the bottom.
Dealing The Tiles And Picking A Hand
After the breaking, you deal four tiles to each player, beginning with East and working anticlockwise until each player has 12 tiles. East then draws the next two tiles and South, East and North each take only a single tile. On each succeeding turn, a player takes a tile, plays a possible tile combination and then discards a tile.
Replacements
If the dealt hand contains flower or season tiles, they are placed face up above and to the side of the hand and replaced with regular tiles taken from the wall’s back end.
Drawing Tiles
When the game is ready, you’ll take new tiles from the “Wall” where the initial hand drawing ended. The game begins with the dealer who discards a tile face up in the center of the table. South is then the first to draw and discard a tile, followed by West and North.
Game Play
If any other players have a set that the discarded tile can complete, they may choose to take the discarded tiles when a player discards their one tile. The player must then expose the completed set to the others, allowing them to see what kind of hands they are making. A player can collect a discarded tile to complete one of the following sets.
Chow
Pung
A Pung consists of three matching tiles of identical suit and rank (when applicable).
Kong
A Kong consists of four identical tiles of the exact suit and rank. A winning hand requires four sets of chow, pung or kong and a pair.
A player cannot win with an unrevealed Kong in hand and must call and reveal it before winning.
Pair
Two identical tiles form a pair.
Pair | A set of two identical tiles. |
Pung | A set of three identical tiles. |
Kong | A set of four identical tiles. |
Quint | A set of five identical tiles, with the use of Jokers. |
Sextet | A set of six identical tiles, with the use of Jokers. |
Reading The Scorecard
When playing Mahjong, you need to learn to read the scorecards.
Categories
The National Mah Jongg League (NMJL) card is divided into nine categories.
Year | Hands that use tiles which make up a year. |
2468 | Only even numbers. |
Multiplication | Hands which consist of tiles that perform some type of multiplication. |
Quints | These hands contain five of a kind (quints). |
Consecutive Runs | Different patterns of sequential numbers. |
13579 | Only odd numbers. |
Wind And Dragon Tiles | Primarily winds and dragons. |
369 | Only hands with the numbers 3, 6 and 9. |
Singles & Pairs | No other groupings other than single tiles and pairs of tiles. |
Color
The cards are printed in three colors: blue, green and red. Each color can represent any of the available suits. On the card, all tiles of the same color should be in the same suit within a given hand.
Values
Each hand has an “X” or a “C” next to it, indicating whether it is exposed ‘’X’’ or concealed ”C” and a value.
A value that appears next to the “X” or “C” represents the score for the hand. More difficult hands have a higher value.
Hands
Each line on the card represents a winning hand, with 14 tiles in each hand. The hands are depicted in one, two or three colors, indicating the number of suits required.
Hand Combinations
The hand is over when a player makes the mahjong declaration and reveals a full 14-tile hand made up of four sets and a pair.
The standard bonus for winning Mahjong is 20, although there are other situations when you can get extra points or double your money.
Type Of Hand | Description | Points |
Mahjong – Kong Box | Drawing the winning tile from the kong box. | 20 |
Mahjong – Player Discard | Winning with the last tile from the live wall discarded by another player. | 20 |
Mahjong – Wall | Drawing the last one from the live wall. | 22 |
Mahjong – Concealed | All Pungs and Kongs have to be hidden.
| 10 |
Last Wall Tile | A player completes the hand with the final tile before the dead wall. | Standard 20 points |
Last Discarded Tile | A player completes their hand by using the final tile from the opponent who drew the final tile from the wall. | Standard 20 points |
Robbing A Kong | Winning the tile that a player adds to a melded Pung in order to form a Kong. | Standard 20 points |
Heavenly Hand | On the very first draw, the dealer wins a hand. | Automatically score maximum points |
Earthly Hand | On the very first round of play, any non-dealer wins a hand. | Automatically score maximum points |
Special Hands
Special hands are uncommon tile combinations that also let the player proclaim a Mah-Jong victory.
Buried Treasure | Concealed Pungs are in a single suit, along with Winds/Dragons and a pair. No Kongs are permitted. Every tile must be removed from the wall. |
Heads And Tails | Four Pungs/Kongs of ones and nines, plus a pair. There are no Winds or Dragons. |
The Wriggling Snake | A run from 2 to 9 in the exact same suit, with each of the 4 Winds and a pair of ones. |
Three Great Scholars | All three Dragons’ Pung/Kongs, another Pung/Kong and a pair in a single suit. |
Four Blessings Hovering Over The Door | Pungs/Kongs of all four winds, as well as any pair. |
The Thirteen Unique Wonders | One of each significant tile (13 distinct tiles). Any major tile from the 14th tile’s discard pile. The final tile can be taken from the discard but the rest are all hidden. |
Heaven’s Blessing | East made Mahjong right away. |
Earth’s Blessing | Mahjong is immediately made by West, North or South using the first discard made by East. |
Gathering The Plum Blossom From The Roof | 5 circles drawn from the Kong Box which allows Mahjong. |
Plucking The Moon From The Bottom Of The Sea | 1 of the Circles drawn is the last tile drawn from the wall, which allows Mahjong.
|
The Charleston
The Charleston consists primarily of player exchanges of tiles. This allows players to get rid of unwanted tiles and improve their hands.
During the Charleston and courtesy pass, passing jokers is not allowed.
What To Pass
Players should pass tiles defensively by not passing the same numbers, pairs, flowers or dragons. A player should only pass one wind at a time when passing winds.
Blind Pass
A blind pass involves passing 1–3 tiles to the next player without letting them see them, leaving the remaining tiles in the player’s hand.
The Pause
Players can pause the game to take the most recently discarded tile. The player must announce “Pause” before the next player draws and places the tile in their rack.
The Joker
One of the most important Mahjong rules is that using a joker for a single or pair is not allowed. During their turn, a player can exchange a specific tile for an exposed joker.
When a player discards a joker, it is considered dead and another player cannot pick it up from the table.
Rotation And Rounds
There are four rounds in the game. Within each round, the winds and seating positions will alternate as follows: East, South, West and North. This also occurs in the case of a dead hand, where nobody wins. There are a total of 16 hands.
Scoring
Each hand’s value is listed next to the “X” or “C” on the card. The winner receives the value indicated on the NMJL card for basic scoring.
Basic Scoring
Add up the points listed below for each combination and the pair to start scoring a hand.
4 Pungs In A Hand | 6 points |
4 Chows In A Hand | 2 points |
1 Dragon Pung Or Kong | 2 points |
A Pair Of Dragon Pung | 6 points |
Pung/Kong Of Winds That Matches The Round Or Seat | 2 points |
Flowers/Seasons Tile | 1 point each |
Win By Self-Drawn | 1 point each |
Kind Of Mahjong And Payouts
The payout to the winner is determined by the hand value and how the mahjong was created.
How The Game Ended | Player Payment |
Dealer exits by drawing from the wall. | Every player must pay two times the amount of points. |
The dealer exits by taking a player discard. | The discarding player is required to pay twice. |
Using a drawing from the wall, the non-dealer goes out. | Discarder pays the winner four times the hand’s value. |
The non-dealer exits by taking a player discard. | Each player pays four times the hand’s value. |
Additional Rules
Occasionally, errors occur and penalties can be imposed in such cases.
Error | Penalty |
A dropped tile has either touched the surface of the table or been announced. | Tile cannot be taken back. |
A tile has been announced incorrectly. | Tile is not available for claim. |
No exposure has been made when a tile is called. | You could withdraw the call. |
An incorrect exposure has been made. | Before discarding tiles, the exposure can be corrected. |
One player either has too few or too many tiles. | The winner will receive payment from the other players at the conclusion of the game even though the player’s hand is dead. |
Three players either have too few or too many tiles. | The game needs to be replayed. |
Another player sees that a player’s hand is impossible based on the tiles that are exposed on their rack. | The player’s hand is dead. |
Mahjong is announced in error but the hand has not been revealed. | The game goes on without a penalty. |
Mahjong is declared in error and the hand is revealed. | The player’s hand is dead. |
Variations Of The Game
There are some variations of the game if you want to play Mahjong with fewer or more than four people.
Mahjong For 2 Players
This is a great option if you are a beginner and want to practice. One player plays East, while the other plays West.
- Chows are not permitted. A player must collect four Pungs or Kongs plus a double. Alternatively, you can collect a limit or half-limit special hand.
- East Wind does not pay or receive double when scoring.
- If the player going Mahjong has a lower score than the player’s opponent, the player going Mahjong receives the normal total score plus the difference between the scores.
Mahjong For 3 Players
- Construct four walls.
- Deal no tiles to the empty seat.
- Each of the three players takes 12 tiles.
- The players take turns taking a tile from the wall until the non-dealers have 13 tiles and the dealer has selected the 14th tile.
Mahjong For 5 Players
By changing the rules, you can play Mahjong with five people too.
- There are East, South, West and North and one person who will sit out.
- Decide who’s going to play and who’s going to sit by rolling the dice. The lowest roll sits and the highest roll becomes East.
- After the first hand is over, the player from East bows out and is replaced by the player who chose to sit out this hand.
- Everyone rerolls to determine who is East and the next hand setup begins.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Play Mahjong Step By Step?
You can play Mahjong step by step like this: firstly, shuffle the tiles. Then choose the dealer by rolling the dice. The first player selects a tile from the pool. You can choose a brand-new tile or a player’s discarded tile. Once a player’s set of tiles has four suits and a pair, they win.
How Do You Play Mahjong For Beginners?
You can play Mahjong as a beginner by playing with just one more player. Deal 13 tiles to both your opponent and yourself. Keep the tiles face down and place them between the two of you. Your opponent can either pick up the new or discarded tile. A player must construct a winning hand of four sets and one pair to win a game.
Are There Different Mahjong Rules?
Yes, there are different mahjong rules. The mahjong rules stipulate the standard types of melds that are allowed, how the tiles are dealt, how to draw and discard a tile and how many tiles you need. There are many mahjong game variations that have different standards for legal melds and winning hands, scoring systems and even additional regulations that are quite complicated.
Is Mahjong Difficult To Learn?
Mahjong is not difficult to learn but it might be challenging to master the game. You can’t learn how to play it in one sitting but after a couple of weeks of practicing, you will surely be able to become better at playing mahjong. It typically takes a few weeks to understand it because there is so much to learn.
What Does Mahjong Mean In English?
Mahjong means sparrow in English. The game was invented in China and the original name in Chinese was “máquè”. It is still often used in several Southern Chinese languages, including Cantonese and Min Nan, as well as in Japanese. But most Chinese who speak Mandarin now refer to the game as “májiàng” (Mahjong).
Conclusion
You’ll need to learn these Mahjong rules to play and win the game of mahjong. Start with the basics by learning about dots, characters, bamboos, wind, dragon, flower and season tiles. Take your time, use our guide to the game rules and be persistent because you can’t learn it all after a single game.