Mahjong Guide
Quick Links:
newbie guide
chinese characters subtitle
→ hk points guide ←
Newbies check out this amazing youtube video.
For players who know the basics already, here is a great intro to points.
Mahjong 101
NEWBIE GUIDE
Every winning hand has the same structure — four sets of three, plus one matching pair. For basic mahjong, the four sets can each be a different type.
The pair
Two identical tiles. Every winning hand needs exactly one.
Identical 3 Pong 碰
Three of the same tile.
Identical 4 Kong 槓
Four of the same tile. Counts as one set.
Consecutive 3 Chi 上
Three consecutive tiles in the same suit.
You build sets by drawing from the wall — or by calling the most recent discard. Only the last tile discarded can be called. Four moves to know.
Chi 上
Three consecutive tiles, same suit. Only from the player before you.
Pong 碰
Three identical tiles. From any player.
Kong 槓
Four identical tiles. From any player. Draw a replacement after declaring.
Pair
Two identical tiles. You can only take a pair from a discard if it’s your winning tile — otherwise you have to draw it yourself.
Okay, time to meet the cast. A full mahjong game uses 144 tiles split into three suits (each numbered 1–9), honour tiles (winds & dragons), and bonus flower tiles. Don’t worry about memorising, you’ll pick them up as we play.
Numbers 萬子 · Man
“Ten thousands”
Dots 筒子 · Tung
Coins / circles
Bamboos 索子 · Sok
Sticks (the 1 is a bird)
Winds 風 · Fung
East · South · West · North
Dragons 三元 · Saam Yuen
Red 中 · Green 發 · White (blank)
Bonus tiles 花 · Fa
Drawn & replaced — see all 8 below
All eight bonus tiles
The four seasons (number on left, season character on right) and four flowers (flower character on left, number on right). When you draw one, set it aside and draw a replacement tile.
Pick the dealer
All four players take turns rolling the dice . Whoever rolls the highest total is the dealer for the first round.
Build the walls
Each player builds a wall 18 tiles wide × 2 rows tall (= 36 tiles per player) face-down in front of them. The four walls form a square in the centre of the table.
Top row = upper layer · bottom row = lower layer · 18 tiles wide
Dealer rolls to pick a wall
The dealer rolls three dice to decide which wall to draw from. Count anti-clockwise the total rolled, starting from the dealer.
Find the start tile & deal
On the chosen wall, count the same number from right to left. The dealer takes the next 2 stacks (= 4 tiles) — both the top and bottom tile from each stack.
e.g. total rolled = 5 → start at the 5th stack from the right and take 2 stacks (top + bottom = 4 tiles)
Anti-clockwise from the dealer, each player takes their next 2 stacks (4 tiles). Repeat until everyone has 12 tiles. Then the dealer takes 2 extra tiles by “jumping” — they grab the top tile of the 1st stack and the top tile of the 3rd stack (skipping over the middle). All other players take 1 more tile each in order.
The dealer “jumps” over the 2nd stack and grabs the top tile from the 1st and 3rd. That’s the dealer’s 13th and 14th tiles.
Final tile count: Dealer = 14 · Everyone else = 13
Begin
The dealer discards one tile to start the game. Play continues anti-clockwise. Enjoy!
Option 1 — Draw from the wall
Take the next tile on the wall.
Option 2 — Pick up the most recent discard
Only if it completes a set, a run, or your winning hand. Call Pong, Kong, or Chi, and lay the completed set face-up on the table.
End of your turn: discard one tile you don’t need — unless you’ve won.
Calling out of turn
Pong / Kong
Call at any turn if a discard lets you form the set. Play continues from you.
Mahjong
Call when the most recent discard wins your hand — declare it and reveal.
Chi
Only if the person directly before you discards the tile.
Hold tiles that can complete multiple sets. Your odds of finishing go way up.
Say you have a pair of 2 bamboos:
You can finish a set three different ways:
Make a Chi
with 1 + 3 bamboo
Make a Pong
with one more 2 bamboo
Make a Kong
with two more 2 bamboo
The number tiles (Man / 萬) use Chinese numerals. Learn these nine and you’re set for life. Top character = the number, bottom character (萬 / “maan”) = ten thousand.
A round ends when someone calls Mahjong and reveals a winning hand — or when the wall runs out (a draw). What happens next depends on whether the dealer won.
Dealer wins
The dealer stays as dealer for the next round. Reset the walls and play on.
Dealer loses
The dealer role passes to the player on their right. Reset the walls — that player is now East.
Lucky Tiles Social Club · @luckytiles.social · luckytilesocialclub.com
