What Is Mahjong? A Complete Beginner Guide

Mahjong Is a Four-Player Tile Game

Mahjong (麻将) is a tile-based game for four players that combines skill, strategy, and a little luck. Each player starts with thirteen tiles and takes turns drawing and discarding until someone completes a winning hand — traditionally four sets plus a pair.

It originated in China in the 19th century and spread across Asia, then the world, producing distinct regional rulesets. Today it is one of the most-played games in the world, and it is completely free to play online on sites like this one.

The Tiles

A standard mahjong set has 144 tiles: three suits of numbered tiles, honour tiles (winds and dragons), and bonus tiles (flowers and seasons, used in some rulesets).

The suits are: characters (万, tens), bamboo (条, bamboos) and dots (筒, circles), each numbered 1 through 9 with four copies of every tile. The honours are the four winds (East, South, West, North) and three dragons (Red, Green, White).

The Objective

The goal is to build a hand of four sets and one pair. A set is either a triplet (three identical tiles) or a sequence (three consecutive tiles in the same suit). A pair is two identical tiles.

Depending on the ruleset, a winning hand also needs a minimum number of points (called faan, han or points). This is what gives mahjong its depth — a complete hand is not always a winning hand.

The Main Variants

There are many ways to play mahjong, and the rules differ between regions:

• Chinese Mahjong (Hong Kong style): the most common outside Japan, with a three-faan minimum.

• Japanese Riichi Mahjong: the competitive ruleset with riichi declarations, doras and strict scoring.

• Chinese Official (MCR): the international tournament ruleset with an eight-point minimum.

• American Mahjong: uses jokers, flowers and an annual hand card.

• Taiwanese Mahjong: played with sixteen tiles instead of thirteen.

• Sichuan Mahjong: a fast "bloody battle" variant with no honours and continued play after a win.

Mahjong Solitaire vs. Four-Player Mahjong

Many western websites call the single-player tile-matching puzzle "mahjong" — this is actually mahjong solitaire, a completely different game. Solitaire asks you to match identical tiles in a layered layout. Real mahjong is a competitive game with drawing, discarding, calling and scoring.

Both are fun and both are free to play here. This guide is about the four-player game.

Is Mahjong Gambling?

No. Mahjong is a game of skill that can be played for fun or for money, exactly like poker or chess. On this site it is completely free — there is no wagering, no purchasable currency and no cash prize.

How to Start Playing

The best way to learn is to play. Start with our Hong Kong Mahjong table (the easiest ruleset to learn first), or read How to Play Mahjong for a step-by-step guide. When you are comfortable, try Japanese Riichi or Chinese Official for more depth.