Mahjong or mah-jongg[1] (English pronunciation: /mɑːˈdʒɒŋ/ mah-JONG, Mandarin

Chinese: [mǎ.tɕjâŋ]) is a tile-based game that was developed in the 19th century in China and has
spread throughout the world since the early 20th century. It is commonly played by four players
(with some three-player variations found in parts of China, Japan, South Korea and Southeast
Asia). The game and its regional variants are widely played throughout Eastern and South
Eastern Asia and have also become popular in Western countries. The game has also been
adapted into a widespread online entertainment.[2][3][4][5] Similar to the Western card game rummy,
Mahjong is a game of skill, strategy, and luck.
The game is played with a set of 144 tiles based on Chinese characters and symbols, although
some regional variations may omit some tiles or add unique ones. In most variations, each player
begins by receiving 13 tiles. In turn players draw and discard tiles until they complete a legal
hand using the 14th drawn tile to form four melds (or sets) and a pair (eye). A player can also win
with a small class of special hands. While many variations of mahjong exist, most variations have
some basic rules in common including how a piece is drawn and discarded, how a piece is
robbed from another player, the use of suits (numbered tiles) and honors (winds and dragons),
the basic kinds of melds allowed, how to deal the tiles and the order of play. Beyond these basic
common rules, numerous regional variations exist which may have notably different criteria for
legal melds and winning hands, radically different scoring systems and even elaborate extra
rules. A group of players may introduce their own house rules which can notably change the feel
of play.

Contents

• 1Etymology
• 2Old Hong Kong Mahjong rules
o 2.1Game pieces and accessories
2.1.1Suited tiles
2.1.2Honors tiles
2.1.3Bonus tiles
o 2.2Choosing table positions and first dealer
o 2.3Hands, rounds, and matches
o 2.4Dealing tiles
2.4.1Shuffling tiles
2.4.2Stacking tiles
2.4.3Drawing tiles
2.4.4Game play starts
o 2.5Rules
2.5.1Legal hand
2.5.2Melds
2.5.3Interruption of play
2.5.3.11. Flower or Season
2.5.3.22. Melding another player's discard
2.5.3.33. Winning a hand
2.5.3.3.1From a discard
2.5.3.3.2From the wall
2.5.3.3.3False Mahjong
2.5.3.44. Robbing a Kong
2.5.4Examples of winning hands
2.5.5Repeated hands
2.5.6Rhythm of play
o 2.6Scoring
2.6.1Concealed vs. revealed meld and hand
2.6.2Faan value
2.6.2.1Basic faan value
2.6.2.2Bonus faan
 2.6.3Payment
2.6.3.1Examples
2.6.3.2Limit hands
2.6.4Other examples of high-scoring hands
• 3Variations
o 3.1Chinese variants
o 3.2Other variants
o 3.3Equipment
3.3.1Tables
3.3.2Tiles
3.3.3Wild cards and jokers
3.3.3.1Flowers
3.3.3.2Walls
3.3.4Dice, markers, and counting pieces
o 3.4Rules
3.4.1Charleston
o 3.5Hands
3.5.1Ready hands
o 3.6Draws
3.6.1Abortive draws
o 3.7Scoring
3.7.1Points
o 3.8Comparison
o 3.9Mahjong solitaire
• 4Competition
• 5History
o 5.1Mahjong in the West
o 5.2Current development
• 6Superstitions
• 7Glossary
• 8Unicode
• 9See also
• 10References
o 10.1Notes
o 10.2Further reading
10.2.1Historical research
10.2.2Chinese classic
10.2.3Chinese official
• 11External links

Etymology[edit]
In Chinese, the game was originally called 麻雀 (pinyin: máquè)—meaning sparrow—which is
still used in some languages in southern China. It is said that the clacking of tiles during shuffling
resembles the chattering of sparrows. It has also been suggested that the name came from an
evolution of an earlier card game called Madiao from which mahjong tiles were
adapted.[6] Most Mandarin-speaking Chinese now call the game 麻將 (májiàng). Its name is
similar in other languages, except in Thai, where it is called (phai nok krachok),
a calque meaning "sparrow cards."[7]

Old Hong Kong Mahjong rules[edit]

A set of Mahjong tiles
There are many highly varied versions of mahjong both in rules and tiles used. "Old Hong Kong
Mahjong" uses the same basic features and rules as the majority of the different variations of the
game. This form of Mahjong uses all of the tiles of the most commonly available sets, includes no
exotic complex rules, and has a relatively small set of scoring sets/hands with a simple scoring
system. For these reasons Hong Kong mahjong is a suitable variation for the introduction of
game rules and play and is the focus of this article.

Game pieces and accessories[edit]

Main article: Mahjong tiles
Old Hong Kong Mahjong is played with a standard set of 144 Mahjong tiles (though cards may
be used). Sets often include counters (to keep score), dice (to decide how to deal), and a marker
to show who the dealer is and which round is being played. Some sets include racks to hold the
tiles, especially if they are larger or smaller than standard tiles or have an odd shape. Mahjong
sets originating from the United States, Japan or Southeast Asia will likely have extra tiles or
specialized markings.
The tiles are split into three categories: suited, honors, and bonus tiles.

Mahjong tile count per set

Count

Dots 36

Suited Bamboo 36

Characters 36
 Winds 16
Honors
Dragons 12

Flowers 4
Bonus
Seasons 4

TOTAL 144

Suited tiles[edit]
Suited tiles are divided into three suits and each are numbered from 1 to 9. The suits are
bamboos, dots, and characters. There are four identical copies of each suited tile totaling 108
tiles.

Numbers

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Dots

Suit Bamb
ed oo

Chara
cters

The bamboo suit is also known as "sticks", "strings" or "bams" suit; the first tile usually has a bird
(traditionally, a peacock or sparrow) instead of a single bamboo. The dots suit is also known as
the "wheels", "circles", "coins", "stones", "marbles" or "balls" suit. The characters suit is also
known as the "myriads", "cracks" or "numbers" suit since the top characters are numbers in the
Chinese orthography, and the bottom characters (in traditional Chinese characters) are the
Chinese orthography of "ten thousand".[8]
Honors tiles[edit]
There are two different sets of Honors tiles: Winds and Dragons. The Winds are East, South,
West, and North. In Mahjong, East (not North) is the beginning. The Dragons are Red, Green,
and White. The white dragon has a blue or black frame on the face of the piece or in some sets
is entirely blank. These tiles have no numerical sequence like the