The basic rules of mahjong are the same in most styles: four players take turns drawing and discarding, and the first to complete a winning hand wins. The differences are in the tiles, the shape of a winning hand, how you may claim discards, and how you score. American mahjong differs the most. It uses jokers, tile passing, and a card of hands that changes every year.
Rules at a glance
| Rule | American | Hong Kong | Riichi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiles in the set | 152 | 144 | 136 |
| Bonus tiles | 8 flowers | 8 flowers and seasons | None, though some rule sets add red fives |
| Jokers | 8 | None | None |
| Wall length per player | 19 tiles, 2 high | Usually 18 tiles, 2 high | 17 tiles, 2 high |
| Starting tiles | East 14, others 13 | East 14, others 13 | East 14, others 13 |
| Tile passing | Yes, the Charleston | No | No |
| Winning hand | Must match a hand on the year’s card | Four sets and a pair, plus some special hands | Four sets and a pair, plus some special hands, with at least one yaku |
| Runs (chows) | Not as a called set; hands come from the card | Yes | Yes |
| Claim a discard for a pung | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Claim a discard for a run | No | Only from the player on your left | Only from the player on your left |
| Minimum to win | The hand itself | Often 3 faan, by table agreement | At least one yaku |
| Scoring | Value printed on the card | Faan, converted to points | Han and fu, converted to points |
| Special rules to learn | Jokers, exposures, dead hands | Flowers, minimum faan | Riichi, furiten, dora |
House rules are common, especially in home games. Treat this table as a starting point, and ask your group before you play.
Tile sets
Here are the facts that should stay correct at any table:
- American sets have 152 tiles, including 8 flowers and 8 jokers.
- Hong Kong sets have 144 tiles, including 8 flowers and seasons.
- Riichi sets have 136 tiles, with optional red fives replacing regular fives, according to the rule set.
Winning hands
In Hong Kong and Riichi, nearly every winning hand has this shape:
Riichi then adds a condition: the hand must include at least one scoring pattern, called a yaku. Hong Kong tables usually add a minimum score, often 3 faan.
American hands work differently. You choose your goal from a card that the National Mah Jongg League publishes every year. A hand has 14 tiles, and it must match a listed hand exactly. Sets can reach five or six of a kind, since jokers can fill them.
Claiming discards
Claiming a discard is called calling. Three rules apply in almost every style:
- You must claim a tile quickly, before the next player takes a turn.
- A player who can win on the tile comes before any other claim.
- You show the set you made, and your hand has less flexibility afterward.
In Riichi, calling also opens your hand. An open hand loses some scoring patterns, and it can never declare riichi.
Flowers and jokers
In Hong Kong play, flowers and seasons are not part of your hand. When you draw one, you set it aside and draw a replacement. It can add to your score. Our lesson on flowers covers this.
In American play, flowers are regular tiles used in hands, and all eight act alike. Jokers stand in for any tile in a set of three or more, but never in a pair or as a single tile.
Rules that surprise beginners
- Riichi furiten. You cannot win on a discard if one of your winning tiles is in your own discards. Furiten is the rule most new players miss.
- American dead hands. If you make an error, such as exposing a wrong set, your hand may be declared dead. You keep playing, but cannot win.
- The Hong Kong minimum. A hand can have a perfect shape and still fall short of the table’s faan minimum.
- One yaku in Riichi. A complete shape with no yaku cannot win. Dora alone does not count.
Where Mahjong Solitaire fits
Mahjong Solitaire shares the tiles, not the rules. It is a single-player matching game: you clear the board by pairing tiles that are free. The rules are short, and our comparison explains how the two games differ.
Questions people ask
What are the basic rules of mahjong?
Four players draw and discard tiles in turn. You hold 13 tiles between turns and try to make a complete hand, usually four sets and a pair. The first player to finish wins the hand.
Can I use one style's rules at another style's table?
Not safely. The turn structure carries over, but tile counts, legal sets, and scoring do not. Ask your group which style they play and whether they use house rules.