Mahjong Basic Guide: Setup and Play

This guide covers the essential steps for setting up a game of Mahjong and the fundamental instructions for playing, including the role of Flower tiles, using Dragon tiles, and forming a winning hand.

Setting Up the Game

Mahjong is typically played with four players.

1. Tile Count and Components

A standard Mahjong set contains 144 tiles, divided into several types.

Tile Type	Count	Description	Image Example
Suit Tiles	108	Bamboo, Characters, Dots (1-9, four of each)
Wind Tiles	16	East, South, West, North (four of each)
Dragon Tiles	12	Red, Green, White (four of each)
Bonus Tiles	8	4 Seasons and 4 Flowers

2. The Wall

All tiles are mixed face-down on the table. Each player constructs a wall 18 tiles long and 2 tiles high in front of them. The four walls are then placed together to form a square.

3. Determining the Dealer and Breaking the Wall

The dealer (designated as East Wind) is selected by rolling dice. The dice are rolled again by the dealer to determine the specific point where the wall is broken to begin drawing tiles.

Playing the Game

The game proceeds in rounds, with each player taking a turn as the dealer.

The Hand

Each player draws 13 tiles from the wall. The dealer (East Wind) draws a 14th tile, which is the first tile they will discard unless they have an immediate winning hand.

Taking Turns

Play moves counter-clockwise. On a player’s turn, they draw one tile from the wall, then discard one tile face-up into the center of the table.Setting Up the Game

Mahjong is typically played with four players.1. Tile Count and Components

A standard Mahjong set contains 144 tiles, divided into several types.

Tile Type	Count	Description	Image Example
Suit Tiles	108	Bamboo, Characters, Dots (1-9, four of each)
Wind Tiles	16	East, South, West, North (four of each)
Dragon Tiles	12	Red, Green, White (four of each)
Bonus Tiles	8	4 Seasons and 4 Flowers

2. The Wall

All tiles are mixed face-down on the table. Each player constructs a wall 18 tiles long and 2 tiles high in front of them. The four walls are then placed together to form a square.3. Determining the Dealer and Breaking the Wall

The dealer (designated as East Wind) is selected by rolling dice. The dice are rolled again by the dealer to determine the specific point where the wall is broken to begin drawing tiles. The last 14 tiles of this broken wall are typically reserved as the Dead Wall (sometimes referred to as the “flower wall”), which is used exclusively for drawing replacement tiles (like when a player draws a Flower or Season tile) or tiles for a Kong.Playing the Game

The game proceeds in rounds, with each player taking a turn as the dealer.The Hand

Each player draws 13 tiles from the wall. The dealer (East Wind) draws a 14th tile, which is the first tile they will discard unless they have an immediate winning hand.

• If a player draws a Flower or Season bonus tile, they immediately place it aside, reveal it for scoring, and draw a replacement tile from the end of the wall (the Dead Wall).

Taking Turns

Play moves counter-clockwise. On a player’s turn, they draw one tile from the wall, then discard one tile face-up into the center of the table.

Key Rules and Tile Information

1. Flower Tiles

Flower tiles are bonus tiles and are not used to create sets.

• When a player draws a Flower tile, they immediately place it aside, reveal it for scoring, and draw a replacement tile from the end of the wall.
• These tiles contribute extra points if the player achieves a winning hand.

2. How to Use Dragons (Honor Tiles)

Dragon tiles (Red, Green, White) are used to form identical sets of three (Pung) or four (Kong).

• Pung: Three identical Dragon tiles (e.g., three Red Dragons).
• Kong: Four identical Dragon tiles (e.g., four Green Dragons).

Crucially, Dragon tiles cannot be used to form a Chow (a sequence of three numbers in the same suit, like 5-6-7 of Bamboo).

3. How to pickup in Mahjong

Players may “steal” a discarded tile to complete a set, which is then laid face-up on the table. The actions available when picking up a discarded tile are:

Action	Description	Priority
Kong	Completing four identical tiles	Highest
Pung	Completing three identical tiles	Second
Chow	Completing a sequence of three tiles (Only from the player to your left)	Lowest

4. Wind Tiles

Wind tiles can be used in a winning hand to form one or more of the required four sets. A set formed by Wind tiles must be an identical combination of a single wind, specifically:

• Pung: Three identical Wind tiles (e.g., three East winds).
• Kong: Four identical Wind tiles (e.g., four North winds).

These sets contribute to the standard winning hand structure of four sets and one pair. Wind tiles cannot be used to form a Chow (a sequence of three tiles).For a standard set (Pung or Kong) in Mahjong, you cannot use three different wind tiles. Sets formed by Wind tiles must be an identical combination of a single wind.

Here is the updated section 4:

4. Wind Tiles

Yes, you can have a “set of winds” in Mahjong, and there are four different types of wind tiles: East, South, West, and North. In a standard Mahjong set, there are 4 copies of each wind direction, for a total of 16 wind tiles. Here is how “sets” of winds work:

• Set of 3 (Pung): A set of 3 identical wind tiles (e.g., three East winds) is called a pung or triplet.
• Set of 4 (Kong): A set of all 4 identical wind tiles (e.g., four East winds) is called a kong.
• Winds as Honors: Wind tiles are categorized as “honor tiles” (unlike suit tiles, they do not have a numerical sequence).
• Significance: A set of winds is highly valuable if it matches your “seat wind” (based on your position) or the “round wind” (determined by the current round of the game).
• Special Hand (Four Winds): While a “set” usually implies 3 or 4 of the same wind, certain rare, high-scoring hands—such as “Big Four Winds” or “13 Orphans”—require collecting all four different wind directions.

5. Stealing Tiles (Melds)

Players may “steal” a discarded tile to complete a set, which is then laid face-up on the table.

Action	Description	Priority
Kong	Completing four identical tiles	Highest
Pung	Completing three identical tiles	Second
Chow	Completing a sequence of three tiles (Only from the player to your left)	Lowest

When a player draws the 14th tile that completes their winning hand, they must declare “Mahjong,” “Hu,” or “Win.”


6. What is a Winning Hand

The standard winning hand requires four sets (melds) and one pair (eyes), for a total of 14 tiles.

Component	Description	Example
Four Sets	Each set must be a Pung (3 identical), Kong (4 identical), or Chow (3 in sequence, same suit)	Three 7-Dots (Pung) or 2-3-4 of Characters (Chow)
One Pair	Two identical tiles	Two 9-Bamboos

Total Tiles: $4 \times 3 \text{ tiles (for sets)} + 2 \text{ tiles (for pair)} = 14 \text{ tiles}$

5. Stealing Tiles (Melds)

Players may “steal” a discarded tile to complete a set, which is then laid face-up on the table.

Action	Description	Priority
Kong	Completing four identical tiles (Applicable to all tiles: Character, Circles/Dots, Bamboo, Dragon, Wind)	Highest
Pung	Completing three identical tiles (Applicable to all tiles: Character, Circles/Dots, Bamboo, Dragon, Wind)	Second
Chow	Completing a sequence of three tiles (Only from the player to your left, and only with Suit Tiles: Character, Circles/Dots, Bamboo)	Lowest

When a player draws the 14th tile that completes their winning hand, they must declare “Mahjong,” “Hu,” or “Win.”6. What is a Winning Hand

The standard winning hand requires four sets (melds) and one pair (eyes), for a total of 14 tiles.

Component	Description	Example
Four Sets	Each set must be a Pung (3 identical), Kong (4 identical), or Chow (3 in sequence, same suit)	Suit Tiles (Character, Circles/Dots, Bamboo): Three 7-Dots (Pung), 2-3-4 of Characters (Chow), or Four 6-Bamboo (Kong). Honor Tiles (Dragons, Wind): Three Red Dragons (Pung) or Four North winds (Kong).
One Pair	Two identical tiles	Two 9-Bamboos (Pair) or Two White Dragons (Pair).

Total Tiles: $4 \times 3 \text{ tiles (for sets)} + 2 \text{ tiles (for pair)} = 14 \text{ tiles}$