The 144 Tiles
A standard Chinese Mahjong set has 144 tiles across several categories. Each numbered tile appears 4 times in the set.
Dots (็ญๅญ / Tวngzi)
Circles representing coins. Numbered 1โ9.
36 tiles total (4 of each)
Bamboo (ๆกๅญ / Tiรกozi)
Sticks of bamboo. Numbered 1โ9. The 1 often shows a bird.
36 tiles total (4 of each)
Characters (ไธๅญ / Wร nzi)
Chinese numerals for 10,000. Numbered 1โ9.
36 tiles total (4 of each)
Winds (้ฃ็ / Fฤngpรกi)
Four cardinal directions. These are honor tiles.
East, South, West, North โ 16 tiles total
Dragons (็ฎญ็ / Jiร npรกi)
Three dragon tiles. Also honor tiles.
Red, Green, White โ 12 tiles total
Bonus Tiles (่ฑ็)
Flowers and Seasons. Set aside when drawn for bonus points.
4 Flowers + 4 Seasons = 8 tiles (each unique)
๐ก Key Concept: Suits vs. Honors
Suited tiles (Dots, Bamboo, Characters) are numbered 1โ9 and can form sequences. Honor tiles (Winds, Dragons) cannot form sequences โ they can only form sets of three or four identical tiles.
Game Setup
Shuffle & Build the Wall
Turn all 144 tiles face-down and mix them thoroughly. Each player builds a wall of tiles in front of them: 2 tiles high and 18 tiles long. Push the four walls together to form a square โ this is "the wall."
Determine Seating & Dealer
Roll dice or draw wind tiles to assign seats. The player who rolls highest (or draws East) becomes the dealer (East). Seats go counter-clockwise: East, South, West, North. The dealer has an advantage โ they start first and their wins are worth more.
Break the Wall
The dealer rolls two dice. Count that many stacks from the right end of the dealer's wall. The wall is "broken" at that point โ dealing begins from there, going clockwise around the wall.
Deal the Tiles
Starting with the dealer, each player takes 4 tiles at a time (2 stacks), going around 3 times. Then each player takes 1 more tile. The dealer takes 1 extra tile (for 14 total). Other players have 13 tiles each.
14 tiles
Other players: 13 tiles each
Declare Bonus Tiles
If anyone has Flower or Season tiles, they place them face-up on the table and draw replacement tiles from the back end of the wall. These give bonus points at the end.
Gameplay Flow
Play proceeds counter-clockwise. The dealer goes first (they already have 14 tiles, so they start by discarding).
Each Turn
Draw
Take the next tile from the wall (or claim a discard โ see below).
Assess
Look at your hand. Can you complete a winning hand? Do you want to keep or discard?
Discard
Place one unwanted tile face-up in the center. Announce the tile name.
Claiming Discards
When someone discards a tile, other players can claim it โ but only for specific reasons. Claims take priority over normal drawing.
โถ Chฤซ (ๅ) โ Sequence Left player only
Only the player to the right of the discarder (next in turn order) can call Chi. You use the discarded tile to complete a sequence of 3 consecutive suited tiles (e.g., 4-5-6 of Bamboo).
You must reveal the completed sequence face-up on the table. Then discard one tile from your hand.
โถ Pรจng (็ขฐ) โ Triplet Any player
Any player can call Peng. You use the discarded tile to complete a set of 3 identical tiles. This takes priority over Chi.
Reveal the triplet face-up. Then discard one tile. Play continues from the claimer's position.
โถ Gร ng (ๆ ) โ Quad Any player
If you have 3 identical tiles and someone discards the 4th, call Gang. You can also declare Gang on your own turn if you hold all 4, or if you draw the 4th tile to an existing Peng.
Reveal all 4 tiles. Draw a replacement tile from the back of the wall. Then discard as normal.
Gang is valuable โ it gives bonus points and a replacement draw!
โถ Hรบ (่ก) โ Win!
If someone's discard completes your winning hand, call "Hu!" This always takes priority over Chi, Peng, and Gang. If multiple players can Hu on the same discard, the player closest in turn order wins.
Open vs. Concealed
Open (ๆ)
When you claim a discard (Chi, Peng, or open Gang), those tiles are placed face-up. Your hand is "open" and certain bonus-scoring hands may not be available.
Concealed (ๆ)
Tiles drawn from the wall stay hidden. A fully concealed hand (no claimed discards) often scores higher. A concealed Gang still counts as concealed.
Winning Hands
To win (Hu), you need 14 tiles arranged into 4 sets + 1 pair. A set is either a sequence (Chi) or a triplet/quad (Peng/Gang).
Example Winning Hand
Sequence
Sequence
Triplet
Sequence
Self-Drawn Win (่ชๆธ Zรฌmล)
You draw the winning tile yourself from the wall. This is worth more points! All three other players pay you.
Discard Win (็น็ฎ Diวnpร o)
Someone else discards the tile you need. Only the discarder pays you (though amounts vary by house rules).
Scoring Basics
Chinese Mahjong scoring uses a system called "Fan" (็ช) โ multipliers based on patterns in your hand. The more fan, the higher your score. House rules vary widely, so agree on these before playing!
Common Scoring Patterns
| Pattern | Chinese | Description | Fan |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Sequences | ๅนณ่ก | Hand made entirely of sequences + pair | 1 |
| All Triplets | ๅฏนๅฏน่ก | Hand made entirely of triplets/quads + pair | 6 |
| Half Flush | ๆททไธ่ฒ | One suit + honor tiles only | 6 |
| Full Flush | ๆธ ไธ่ฒ | All tiles from a single suit, no honors | 24 |
| Self-Drawn | ่ชๆธ | You drew the winning tile yourself | 1 |
| Concealed Hand | ้จๅๆธ | Win without having claimed any discards | 2 |
| Dragon Triplet | ็ฎญๅป | A set of any dragon tile | 1 |
| Seat/Prevailing Wind | ้ฃๅป | A set of your seat wind or the round wind | 1 |
| Thirteen Orphans | ๅไธๅนบ | One of each terminal & honor tile + 1 duplicate | MAX |
๐ House Rules Matter!
Scoring varies hugely between regions and families. Common house rules include: minimum fan to win (e.g., must have at least 3 fan), maximum payout caps, and whether multiple fan are additive or multiplicative. Agree on your scoring rules before the first hand!
Quick Reference
Key Numbers
- Total tiles
- 144
- Players
- 4
- Tiles per player
- 13 (dealer: 14)
- Winning hand size
- 14 tiles
- Sets needed
- 4 + 1 pair
- Wall per player
- 18 stacks ร 2 high
Calls Quick Guide
- ๅ Chi โ Sequence
- Next player only
- ็ขฐ Peng โ Triplet
- Any player
- ๆ Gang โ Quad (4)
- Any player
- ่ก Hu โ Win!
Turn Flow Reminder
- Draw a tile from the wall
- Check if you can declare a win (Hu) or Gang
- Discard one tile face-up, announce it
- Other players check if they can claim it
- If no claim, next player draws from wall
When the Hand Ends
- Win: Someone declares Hu โ score the hand
- Draw: Wall runs out with no winner โ no one pays
- If the dealer wins, they stay dealer for the next hand
- If someone else wins, dealership passes to the next player
Beginner Strategy Tips
Keep your hand concealed as long as possible. Claiming discards reveals information and may reduce your score.
Watch the discards. If many tiles of one suit are discarded, don't chase sequences in that suit.
Discard honor tiles early if you only have 1 โ they're hard to complete and risky to hold.
Don't fixate on one hand. Stay flexible and be willing to change strategy as tiles appear.
Discard safely. Late in the game, prefer discarding tiles that others have already discarded โ they can't Hu on those.
Count suits. If you're close to a Half Flush or Full Flush, it might be worth going all-in on one suit.