How to Play Mahjong: Complete Beginner's Guide

Mahjong is a captivating tile-based game that originated in China and has spread worldwide. Whether you've seen it played in movies or heard friends talking about it, learning mahjong opens up a rich strategic gaming experience. This guide will teach you everything you need to start playing.

What is Mahjong?

Mahjong is a game of skill, strategy, and calculation played with tiles instead of cards. The goal is to be the first player to complete a legal hand of 14 tiles by drawing and discarding tiles in turns.

Think of it as a combination of rummy and poker - you're trying to form specific combinations while reading your opponents and managing risk.

Equipment Needed

A standard mahjong set includes:

136 tiles (144 in some variants)
- 108 suited tiles (36 each of Characters, Bamboo, Dots)
- 28 honor tiles (16 winds, 12 dragons)
- Optional: 8 bonus tiles (flowers and seasons)
Dice for determining the dealer and wall break
Wind/dealer markers
Score sticks or chips (for tracking points)

The Mahjong Tiles

Suited Tiles (108 total)

There are three suits, each numbered 1-9 with four identical tiles of each:

Characters (萬 Wan) - Also called "Cracks"

Represented by Chinese characters
Four tiles each of 1萬 through 9萬

Bamboo (索 Sou) - Also called "Bams"

Depicted as bamboo sticks
Four tiles each of 1索 through 9索
Note: The 1 Bamboo usually shows a bird instead of one stick

Dots (筒 Tong) - Also called "Circles"

Shown as circular coins
Four tiles each of 1筒 through 9筒

Honor Tiles (28 total)

Wind Tiles (16 total)

East (東), South (南), West (西), North (北)
Four of each wind

Dragon Tiles (12 total)

Red Dragon (中), Green Dragon (發), White Dragon (白)
Four of each dragon

Number of Players

Mahjong is traditionally played with four players, though three-player variants exist. Each player represents a wind direction: East, South, West, and North.

Basic Objective

The goal is simple: Be the first to complete a winning hand of 14 tiles.

A standard winning hand consists of:

Four sets (each can be a sequence or triplet)
One pair (two identical tiles)

Understanding Sets

Sequence (Chow/順子)

Three consecutive tiles of the same suit:

Example: 3萬 4萬 5萬
Must be same suit
Cannot wrap around (9-1-2 is invalid)

Triplet (Pung/刻子)

Three identical tiles:

Example: 7筒 7筒 7筒
Can be any tile type

Quad (Kong/槓子)

Four identical tiles:

Example: 東東東東
Special declaration required
Counts as a triplet + bonus

Pair (Eyes/雀頭)

Two identical tiles:

Example: 5索 5索
Every winning hand needs exactly one pair

Example Winning Hands

All Sequences:

1萬 2萬 3萬 | 4萬 5萬 6萬 | 7萬 8萬 9萬 | 2筒 3筒 4筒 | 5索 5索

Mixed Hand:

1萬 2萬 3萬 | 6筒 7筒 8筒 | 9索 9索 9索 | 中中中 | 東東

All Triplets:

3萬 3萬 3萬 | 7萬 7萬 7萬 | 2筒 2筒 2筒 | 南南南 | 發發

Basic Gameplay Flow

1. Setup and Dealing

Shuffle tiles face-down on the table
Each player builds a wall of tiles (2 high, 17-19 long depending on variant)
Walls are pushed together to form a square
Determine dealer (East) using dice
Break the wall at designated position
Deal tiles: Each player receives 13 tiles; dealer gets 14

2. Turn Sequence

The dealer (East) starts, then play continues counter-clockwise:

On Your Turn:

Draw one tile from the wall
Evaluate your hand (do you have a winning combination?)
Discard one tile face-up in the center
Announce your discard clearly

3. Claiming Discards

Before the next player draws, you can claim the discard to:

Mahjong (Win): Complete your hand
Pong: Form a triplet with two tiles in your hand
Kong: Form a quad with three tiles in your hand
Chow: Form a sequence (only the next player can do this)

When you claim (except for winning), you must reveal the set and cannot change it.

4. Winning

When you complete a legal 14-tile hand, declare "Mahjong!" or "Hu!"

You can win by:

Self-draw (Tsumo): Drawing the winning tile yourself
Discard (Ron): Claiming someone else's discard

Reveal your tiles to verify the winning hand.

Key Rules for Beginners

Hand Concealment

Concealed hand: All sets formed by self-draws (worth more points)
Open hand: One or more sets claimed from discards (easier but fewer points)

Dead Tiles

Once discarded, tiles generally cannot be taken back unless claimed immediately.

Furiten (Important in Riichi/Japanese Mahjong)

If you've previously discarded a tile you could win with, you cannot win on another player's discard of that tile. You can only self-draw.

Scoring Basics

Scoring varies significantly by variant (Japanese Riichi, Hong Kong, American, Chinese Official). The general principle:

Harder hands = more points
Concealed hands = more points
Special patterns = bonus points
Dealer wins = typically 1.5x points

Beginners should start by just playing for completion before worrying about maximizing points.

Common Beginner Mistakes

Holding onto safe tiles - Don't be afraid to discard honor tiles early
Calling too much - Opening your hand limits your options
Not planning ahead - Think about which tiles bring you closer to winning
Forgetting the pair - You need exactly one pair to win
Poor tile efficiency - Keep tiles that work with multiple draws

Tips for New Players

Start simple: Focus on completing hands, not scoring big
Count tiles: Pay attention to what's been discarded
Stay flexible: Don't commit to one hand pattern too early
Learn one variant first: Rules differ between Japanese, Hong Kong, and American mahjong
Practice tile reading: Get comfortable recognizing tiles quickly

Next Steps

Now that you understand the basics:

Practice hand recognition - Can you identify a winning hand?
Learn basic strategy - Which tiles to discard first?
Study scoring - Understand how points are calculated
Play regularly - Experience is the best teacher

Key Takeaways

✓ Mahjong is played with 136-144 tiles by four players ✓ Goal: Complete 14 tiles (4 sets + 1 pair) ✓ Sets can be sequences (123) or triplets (111) ✓ Take turns drawing and discarding ✓ You can claim discards to form sets ✓ First to complete a legal hand wins

Ready to learn more? Check out our guide on Understanding Mahjong Tiles to master tile recognition, or dive into Basic Scoring to learn how points work.

Welcome to the fascinating world of mahjong!