Mahjong Voyage Tips and guide

Mahjong is a traditional tile-based board game. It is written as "麻將" or "麻将" in Chinese, "麻雀" or "マージャン" in Japanese and "Mạt chược" in Vietnamese, though most people call it Mahjong or something similar. It has a large player base in East Asia and Southeast Asia (especially the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore), and each region has developed unique rules. Mahjong continued to spread worldwide today, despite its long-standing association with gambling. While many view it as casual entertainment that builds social relationships or a grey area between tournament and gambling, several countries have developed professional and competitive sports.

This article will not discuss "Mahjong solitaire", a video matching game also known as "mahjong", here. They are unrelated.

Mahjong is a relatively new board game compared to its much older counterparts of Go, Xiangqi, and Shogi: It is believed that the game was developed in the 19th century. There are some disputes about its origin - while most believe that mahjong originated from Ningbo, some suggest that it is from Fujian or Guangdong. Wherever its origin, most believe that mahjong was spread to North China, Japan, and the rest of the Asian world from Ningbo after being introduced there. Each region started developing its own variants once mahjong was introduced.

Mahjong has been associated with gambling and organised crime from its start. Combined with opium smoking and time wasting at the time, it has been seen as a social issue. Local governments in East Asia have therefore tried to ban or restrict mahjong, such as a total ban of mahjong during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), when it was seen as a "corrupted capitalist game". These bans against mahjong have usually led to unsuccessful outcomes: The Chinese government finally gave up on banning mahjong in 1985, and in 1998, they promulgated a standardised version of mahjong known as Modern Competition Rules (MCR, 国标麻将 guóbiāo májiàng in Mandarin) in an attempt to reconcile regional rule differences for national and international competitions, but this is rarely played outside official tournaments - the vast majority of people play their local variant in casual settings. The Japanese, Cantonese (the most common version played in Hong Kong) and Taiwanese versions are by far the most prominent in pop culture today.

Thanks to recent advancements in computer technology and the Internet, there are many video mahjong games people can play, mostly online. You can download any of them and play with anyone, or see livestream tournaments online. From smoky teahouses to online platforms, the complex legacy of mahjong continues to reflect its cultural significance, and you can still see a mixed attitude about mahjong among people today - while many people still play mahjong when they want to kill time, other people see it as a problem that needs to be addressed.

Mahjong is a traditional game with pluralistic rules. Each region can have different rules, score different sets, or even use different tiles! While there are some basic rules most variants will follow, don't be surprised if the variant you play does not follow some rules written in the section.

Mahjong is played by four players and follows a counterclockwise flow (that is, the last player is at left while the next player is at right), with a certain player being the "dealer" (莊家, 莊, 親). It consists of three suits with nine values, winds, dragons, and bonuses. Each set of tiles has four of them. There are three suit groups called "Dots" (筒, 餅, ピンズ), "Bamboo" (索, 條/条), and "Characters" (萬/万). Each suit has nine values, from 1 to 9. Winds are composed of "East" (東/东), "South" (南), "West" (西) and "North" (北). Dragons are composed of Red (紅中, 中), Green (青發, 發財, 發), and White (白板, 白). Bonus tiles differ between variants, and are not used at all in some variants such as Japanese Riichi mahjong and MCR. If the variant uses bonus tiles, a player who draws one must declare it then draw a tile from the "dead wall" (known as 補牌/补牌 bǔpái), meaning the tile is drawn from the opposite side of the wall from where they are usually drawn at the start of a turn. They do not form part of the hand and instead are used for adding bonus points at the end of the player who draws them and then wins the round.

Tiles are (supposed to be) randomly distributed to each player, with 14 tiles (17 tiles in the Taiwanese version) distributed to the dealer, and 13 tiles (16 tiles in the Taiwanese version) to each other player. All other remaining tiles are put on the desk and known as the "wall", while a certain number of tiles can never be taken in a round. Play starts with the dealer discarding a tile from their hand.

The objective of the game is to arrange a player's tile into a set that does not need further arrangements before all the available tiles are dropped, which is called hú (胡, 糊, 和) in Chinese or agari (アガリ) in Japanese. To do this, a player must finish with four melds (five melds in the Taiwanese variant) and a pair of tiles (對子, 対子, 雀頭, often called 眼睛 yǎnjīng [literally "eyes"]) by drawing a tile from the wall and dropping an unwanted tile on their turn. Players can get what they want from dropped tiles by other players in three ways:

1. The first way is known as Chow (順子/顺子): it is a run of three tiles from the same suit (e.g. 🀇🀈🀉, 🀓🀔🀕, 🀟🀠🀡, etc). A player can obtain it from previous player by calling Chow (吃 chī in Mandarin, チー chī in Japanese, or 上 in Cantonese).
2. The second way is known as Pung (刻子): it is three of a kind in any tiles (e.g. 🀉🀉🀉, 🀀🀀🀀, 🀅🀅🀅, etc). A player can obtain it from any player by calling Pung (碰 pèng in Mandarin, ポン pon in Japanese). Points are scored for Pungs of any dragon tile, or wind tiles of the prevailing wind of the round or the seat wind of the winning player.
   • The dealer's seat wind is always East, with the player to the right of the dealer being South, the player opposite the dealer being West and the player to the left of the dealer being North. If the player's seat wind is the same as the prevailing wind of the round, double points are scored for a Pung of that wind.
3. The third way is known as Kong (槓子/杠子): it is similar to Pung, but four of them (e.g. 🀌🀌🀌🀌, 🀄︎🀄︎🀄︎🀄︎, etc). A player can obtain it from any player (in the Taiwanese variant, however, a player can't do it to the previous player) by calling Kong (槓 gàng in Mandarin, カン kan in Japanese).
   • If a player has already called a Pung, it may be upgraded to a Kong if they draw the fourth tile from the wall during their turn, but not if another player discards the fourth tile. A Kong can also be called if you draw all four tiles from the wall by yourself, which is called a hidden Kong (暗槓/暗杠 àngàng in Mandarin, アンカン ankan in Japanese).
   • Whoever declares a Kong must take a tile from the "dead wall". In most cases, Kongs are treated as Pungs in the formation of a winning hand, and in the calculation of points for the winning player, though some high-scoring hands require specifically Kongs.

If a player only needs one more tile to win a round - whether it is to complete a Chow, a Pung, a Kong, or a pair, this is called Tīngpái (聽牌/听牌) in Chinese or Tenpai (テンパイ/聴牌) in Japanese. In the Japanese version, a player in Tenpai who has 1,000 points may declare Riichi (リーチ, 立直, "Rench" sometimes) if they have a closed ready hand (i.e. they have not used any other player's tiles to form their melds). Many winning hands are only available with Riichi in the Japanese variant, and extra points are counted if they win the hand.

And finally, when a player wins a round, they must reveal their hand to the other players (to ensure that the player wins in a correct set and calculate the points they won), say either of the words below, and start collecting the points they won:

• Hú (胡, 糊, 和) in Mandarin, 食糊 in Cantonese or Ron (ロン, 栄) in Japanese: If the tile is obtained from a dropped tile by an unlucky player. The players must give all winning points to the winner.
• Zìmō (自摸) in Chinese, or Tsumo (ツモ, 自摸) in Japanese: If the winning tile is drawn by the player from the wall during their turn. All other players give winning points to the winner.

The next player becomes the dealer in the next round, unless the dealer wins the round, in which case they remain the dealer until someone else wins a round. Four rounds forming a wind (風, consisting of East, South, West, and North), and four winds forming a game. Thus, a game theoretically contains 16 rounds, although specific rules may shorten or lengthen the game, depending on the situation:

1. Generally, a game immediately ended when a player lost all of their points. But professional tournaments continue even if a player loses all of their points.
2. In the Japanese variant, a game usually ends after two winds, that is, 8 rounds.
3. A round will not go to the next round if -
   • Nobody has won by the time the wall is down to 14 tiles (16 tiles in the Taiwanese version), or players trigger certain situations. This is called 流局 (liújú in Mandarin, ryūkyoku in Japanese) and can be considered a draw.
   • The dealer wins he round. They remain the dealer for the next round, and continue to remain the dealer until someone else winds a round. This is called 連莊 (liánzhuāng).

The language you need to learn depends on what languages players speak. Knowing it can create a better watching or playing experience, as the game is usually used for relationship building. Certain words must be used to tell other players about your tiles during a mahjong game. Fortunately, they are limited and easy to pronounce, and are not difficult to understand. You may want to see the "Rules" section above or a mahjong glossary for them. The names of each scoring hand are more complicated, but they are only used when playing mahjong. More experienced players are willing to teach, so starters don't need to learn them.

Map of Mahjong

You might have heard that there's a mahjong museum in Chiba, Japan. Sadly, it has been closed since 2012. Fortunately, however, the museum's entire collection was purchased by an avid Chinese collector and can now be viewed at the Chongqing Mahjong Museum in Chongqing, China.

• 29.5813106.4432171 Chongqing Mahjong Museum (重庆麻将博物馆) (Ciqikou, Chongqing, China). (updated Nov 2025)
• 29.87121.542 Ningbo Mahjong Museum (麻将起源地陈列馆) (inside the Tianyi Pavilion in Ningbo, China). It was the house of Chen Yumen (陳魚門), inventor of modern mahjong. You can see some interesting things about mahjong there. (updated Nov 2025)
• 30.67296104.074333 Mah-Jong & Tea Culture Museum, 60 Baiyunsi St, Qingyang District, Chengdu, Sichuan. Opened in 2008. It has 500 pieces of exhibits. (updated Nov 2025)

Cities in East Asia do have mahjong venues, but legal restrictions can vary in different jurisdictions. You should check them before playing. For starters, playing video mahjong games on computer devices is a better idea. Any popular mahjong games are okay, just remember not to download mahjong solitaire - you should have seen something that looks like Mahjong Soul (mahjong), not Vita Mahjong (mahjong solitaire). Playing mahjong in your friend's home may also be an option.

Mahjong has developed into a professional sport in Japan. Thousands of professional players join tournaments with hundreds to thousands of dollars in prizes available. The most popular leagues are M.League and Nihon Pro Mahjong, while hundreds of tournaments are also available. Thanks to their perfect Internet environment, most mahjong tournaments in Japan are available on YouTube. Abema can also be seen. In addition, online mahjong also provides online tournaments, so you don't need to worry about where to watch.

China also has national mahjong tournaments using MCR.

If you prefer on-site tournaments, check out each league's tournament information and buy tickets from them.

People in general learn mahjong from experienced players, who are usually someone they personally know. If there are no experienced players who can teach you, any mahjong video game's tutorial can give you an idea, while you should check which variant the game plays.

If you are considering a systematic learning of mahjong, there are still lectures available. In Japan, some mahjong venues provide such lectures. Check where you can find one at kenko-mahjong Japan Kenko-Mahjong Association. The Japan Professional Mahjong League also provides such lectures. They teach the Japanese variant in Japanese.

In Hong Kong, there are several licensed mahjong "schools", which are business establishments which allow the public to play mahjong inside. These businesses generally open from noon to midnight every day. Players have to pay a portion of their winnings each round to the business. To keep the games moving at a faster pace, the businesses slightly modified some rules. The term "school" is a white lie for the government and the business to avoid the gambling ban. But since 2024, one of these schools, 22.27942114.179931 Hong Kong Mahjong Company in Wan Chai, have started to offer actual classes to teach mahjong beginners. 2.5-hr Cantonese classes are offered twice-monthly on weekend mornings for $188 HKD, while English and Mandarin classes are offered occasionally for $488 HKD. Class schedule and registration details are posted on the school's Facebook page.

Mahjong sets are inexpensive and can be bought in mahjong stores. Most larger cities in East Asia may have some, while many department stores or toy stores may also sell them. Electronic mahjong desks can be very expensive and only sell in mahjong stores, but you usually don't need one - a simple desk with chairs is enough to play, and modern mahjong venues provide electronic mahjong desks.

The link between mahjong and gambling is rather sensitive, and criminal organisations are often involved. As a result, many people hold a negative view of mahjong. If you want to play, it is best to play with friends you already know. Do not play mahjong that involves betting money in any form, as such games are prone to common scams or easily involved with criminal organisations. In the worst cases, you could face criminal charges. The legitimacy of mahjong venues (or mahjong schools) varies, or can even be tricky, across different jurisdictions. Generally speaking, legal mahjong venues should strictly prohibit gambling, cheating, and scams. Make sure the place you play is safe and has no suspicious concerns.

Do not make any comments or instructions on a mahjong game when watching it. Not only does it disturb players, but it is also unfair to other players.

Mahjong players can see who you are when playing, so try not to be rude to others and respect local etiquette.

Playing mahjong can be loud; that's why there is always a carpet on a mahjong desk. Its noises may disturb neighbours and usually be a target of complaints, even an unhappy dispute. Control your noise when playing.