Mahjong Game Rules – How to Play Mahjong for Beginners

If you think about traditional Asian games, which gaming title do you recall the first? We can bet Mahjong will be among the answers. This game was invented almost 2,500 years ago, and legends say that it was created by the Chinese philosopher Confucius. That’s why its core tile types are named after 3 dragons:

• A red dragon which is the symbol of modesty.
• A green dragon symbolizes prosperity.
• A white dragon is a symbol of respect.

By the way, the word ‘Mahjong’ means ‘sparrow’ in Chinese, and it was given to the game by the same Confucius who loved birds. Today, Mahjong, a traditional game which combines strategy with a pinch of luck, is played all over the world. Although its rules are quite complex, and they resemble the principles of poker games, we’ll try to describe to you how to play mahjong for beginners to help you better know this exceptional game.

The Objective of the Game

The main objective of Mahjong (no matter which version you play) is to form a winning hand of 14 tiles where there are four sets of three tiles and a couple of identical tiles.

There are specific terms you need to learn before starting the games of mahjong.

• Pong is a set of three identical tiles. To get it, you have to gather 2 tiles of the same type and nominee and then if the third appears on the desk, you claim it as Pong and pick it.
• Sheung is the combo of three tiles of the same suit (for example, with nominees of 1,2 and 3). You can get your Sheung combo only if the required tile was discarded by the previous player.
• Kong is another winning combo of 4 similar tiles from one suit.
• Sik wu is the phrase a winner says when he gets his winning hand of 14 tiles if there are three pong or sheng combos or 15 if there is a Kong combo.

“Mahjong is a three-dimensional puzzle game: memory, intuition and a little luck in a teacup.”

Tiles, Their Nominees and Types

If you wonder how many tiles in mahjong, then it depends on the type of game. Traditional mahjong set consists of 144 tiles of the following suits and nominees:

• 36 circle tiles with nominees from 1 to 9 (4 tiles of each nominee)
• 36 character tiles with nominees from 1 to 9 (4 tiles of each nominee)
• 36 bamboo tiles with nominees from 1 to 9 (4 tiles of each nominee)
• 16 wind tiles (4 winds, Eastern, Southern, Western, and Northern) with 4 tiles of each wind
• 12 dragon tiles (3 dragons, Red, White, and Green) with 4 tiles of each dragon
• 4 flower tiles
• 4 season tiles

Wind and Dragon tiles are known as ‘honor’ tiles.

The Differences Between American and Chinese Mahjong Versions

The American version of mahjong has some differences from the Chinese mahjong traditional game.

1. It has additional tiles called ‘jokers’ which can substitute any tile from any suite. Due to 8 jokers, the set of tiles in American mahjong consists of 152 tiles.
2. The principle of Charleston is the starting part of American mahjong and it allows players to exchange their tiles. Chinese mahjong doesn’t allow any exchanges.
3. The winning combos in Chinese mahjong remain stable and they never change. In American mahjong, winning hands are listed on special cards and they are issued annually.

Typical Mahjong Setup

So, what do you need to start playing mahjong?

1. Wind counters which are used to decide on a starting player who always plays for the Eastern Wind for the first round.
2. A set of tiles (144 for Chinese or 152 for American version). Often blank tiles are used as additional to substitute lost ones.
3. A pair of dice. Traditional Chinese dice have 1 and 4 sides of red color while other sides are black.
4. Special racks for keeping the hand of tiles.

How to Play Mahjong for Beginners

Please, consider that mahjong has quite a long playtime as it is often played for hours until each player at the desk plays for Eastern wind, then until all players play for the dominating Southern wind, then for Western wind, and after that, for Northern wind.

Before the game starts, the wall should be built. It is a special ritual. Players that are Northern and Western winds place all the tiles face down and shuffle them (that is called the ‘twittering of sparrows’). Then each player picks up 34 tiles and makes a wall of them. The wall on each side consists of 17 tiles in length and 2 in height.

Then the Eastern wind decides who breaks the wall. He throws the die and counts the players counterclockwise. The player whose number is the number rolled on a die breaks the wall. For that, he throws the die and adds the number rolled to the number rolled by the Eastern wind. Then he counts from left to right the pairs of tiles on his wall. If, for example, the first roll was 4, and the next roll was 8, then 4+8=12, and the player counts the twelfth pair of tiles in his wall and picks them. The upper tile is placed on the top of the previous tile pack in the wall, and the lower is placed on the top of the next pile.

Then each player picks 4 tiles from the breach in the wall rotating counterclockwise. The discard repeated thrice until each player gets 12 tiles in their hand.

The first turn is made by the Eastern wind. He picks a tile from the hand and places it in the center of the desk. The next player can pick this tile and place another in its place from the hand. If anyone at the table during the turn has matching tiles to form Kong, Pong, or Sheung, he claims that and picks the tile. Then the combo is placed face up on the table near this player.

If no one can claim a winning combo after a turn, then the next player discards a tile, and a new turn begins.

If a player claims a Pong combo, he can turn it into Kong by taking one tile from the wall. If Kong is formed, a player puts it on the table and takes a tile from the wall. If there are unused discarded tiles which were not picked by anyone, they are ‘dead’ and they don’t take part in the game.

Scoring and Winning

The winning in Mahjong goes if any of the players manage to pick all 14 tiles to form a Mahjong hand with four Pongs, Sheungs, and a pair of additional tiles (i.e. flowers, seasons, or dragons). American mahjong rules provide special cards with winning combinations and the points collected for them. The Chinese version uses a standard pack of winning hands.

Conclusion

Mahjong is a meditative game that can take your time to spend with your friends in a relaxed mode. Whichever Mahjong type you prefer, it can help you develop logical thinking, patience, attention, and calmness. If you like stability, then Chinese Mahjong is what you probably like, and the American version of the game will be appreciated by players who love changes and a bit of unpredictability.

In any case, we hope that our rules of Mahjong will inspire you to try this ancient game with your loved ones. Do not forget to check for our blog’s updates as we have lots of new articles about various board games in progress.