Three suits and seven honors
Characters, Bamboo, and Dots run from 1 to 9. East, South, West, North, Red, Green, and White are honor tiles.
See all 34 tile facesRules without pretending every table is the same
Chinese Mahjong Rules
Chinese Mahjong is played by four people who build a hand by drawing one tile and discarding one. A common winning shape is four melds and a pair, using sequences, triplets, or Kongs. The shared structure is simple; scoring, Flowers, dealer rules, special hands, and minimum requirements depend on the named ruleset.
The shared core
Five ideas are enough to follow a first hand.
Learn the common turn structure first, then name the scoring rules before comparing points.
Draw one, discard one
A normal turn gives the active player a fourteenth tile. Keep what improves the hand, then discard one tile so play continues.
Make melds and one pair
A Chi is a suited sequence, a Pong is three identical tiles, and a Kong is four identical physical tiles counted as one meld.
A normal turn
Every decision follows the same small loop.
Draw
Take the next wall tile unless a legal call has moved the turn to you.
Check the hand
Decide whether the new tile completes a win, improves a group, or should be released.
Discard
Place one tile face up. Other players receive only the claim opportunities allowed by the chosen rules.
Calls
Taking a discard changes the normal turn order.
- Chi forms a three-tile suited sequence and normally comes from the player immediately before you.
- Pong forms three identical tiles and can generally claim an eligible discard from another player.
- Kong declares four identical tiles, then requires a replacement draw before play continues.
- Hu declares a legal winning hand under the selected rules.
- Pass declines the current opportunity without exposing hidden information.
What changes
Agree on these before keeping score.
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| 136 or 144 tiles? | Flowers and Seasons may be used, replaced, and scored differently. |
| Which hands are legal? | Special hands and local restrictions are not universal. |
| What is the minimum? | MCR uses an eight-fan minimum; other tables may use points, doubles, fan, or no minimum. |
| How does the dealer move? | Repeats, draws, and match length vary by ruleset. |
| Who pays whom? | Self-draw and discard-win settlements can differ substantially. |
Choose a named path
Learn the shared game, then keep scoring families separate.
Learn the rhythm first
Use transparent training points while learning tiles, turns, calls, and the standard hand shape.
See beginner practiceStudy MCR fan
Build toward a legal hand worth at least eight qualifying fan and keep Flowers outside that minimum.
Read the MCR scoring guideName the rules before comparing
Hong Kong, Sichuan, Taiwanese, Riichi, and American Mahjong each need their own explanation and should not inherit MCR claims.
Sources and scope
Where to verify the rules behind this guide
Product behavior is checked against the current immahjong Beta. Independent references below support the broader game and rules context.
The Strong National Museum of PlayMahjong oral history collection
Independent context for the four-player game, its draw-and-discard rhythm, tile set, and meld-building objective.
European Mahjong AssociationMahjong Competition Rules (MCR)A named competition ruleset showing why scoring claims must be attached to a specific Mahjong family.
Plain answers
Chinese Mahjong rules beginners ask about
Are there universal Chinese Mahjong rules?
No. Chinese Mahjong is a family of regional, household, and competition rules. Many versions share the same suits, honors, draw-and-discard rhythm, calls, and common winning shape, but tile count, Flowers, dealer behavior, legal hands, scoring, and minimum requirements can differ.
How many tiles does Chinese Mahjong use?
A common core set has 136 tiles: four copies of 34 faces. Many physical sets add four Flowers and four Seasons for 144 tiles. Whether bonus tiles are used depends on the chosen rules.
How many tiles does each player start with?
Players commonly hold 13 tiles. The dealer begins the first turn with 14 and discards one; later turns normally draw one tile and discard one, temporarily returning the active hand to 14.
What is the usual winning hand?
The standard shape is four melds plus one pair. Melds can be three-tile sequences or matching triplets, while a Kong is four matching physical tiles that still counts as one meld. Named rules may also allow special hands.
When can I call Chi, Pong, Kong, or Hu?
Chi normally claims a suitable discard from the player immediately before you; Pong, Kong, and Hu can generally use an eligible discard from another player. Exact claim priority, timing, and restrictions belong to the selected ruleset.
Turn the common rules into one complete hand.
Start with the interactive course, then practice the same decisions against three patient bots.