This glossary covers the essential Mahjong vocabulary — from core gameplay terms to strategic concepts and variant-specific words. Terms are listed alphabetically. Where a word originates from a specific variant (Japanese, Cantonese, etc.), the origin is noted.
A
Added kong — A kong formed by adding a self-drawn tile to a melded pung already on the table. After declaring an added kong, draw a replacement tile from the dead wall. Other players in tenpai may claim the tile as a kong robbery before you draw. See: kong, kong robbery.
All green — A special limit hand composed entirely of tiles from the “green” set: 2-Bamboo, 3-Bamboo, 4-Bamboo, 6-Bamboo, 8-Bamboo, and Green Dragon. All tiles in the hand must be from this group.
All honours — A special hand composed entirely of wind and dragon tiles (pungs and a pair). No suit tiles. A limit hand in Hong Kong Mahjong.
All pungs — A hand composed of four pungs (or kongs) and a pair, with no chows. Scores 3 faan in Hong Kong Mahjong.
All simples (断么, duàn yāo) — A hand composed entirely of simples (tiles numbered 2 through 8 in any suit). No terminals (1s or 9s), no honour tiles. Scores 1 faan in Hong Kong Mahjong.
All terminals — A hand composed only of terminal tiles (1s and 9s) — pungs of 1-Bam, 9-Bam, 1-Wan, etc. A limit hand in most rule sets.
B
Bam — Abbreviation for Bamboo, one of the three numbered suits in Mahjong. Also called Bamboo, 竹 (zhú), or sticks.
Bamboo — One of the three numbered suits in a Mahjong set, containing tiles numbered 1 through 9 (four copies of each). The 1-Bamboo tile often depicts a bird rather than a single bamboo stick. See: suit.
Bonus tile — A collective term for Flower tiles and Season tiles. There are 8 bonus tiles in a standard set. When drawn, they are set aside and replaced by a tile from the dead wall. Bonus tiles add points to a winning hand but do not form part of the hand structure.
Break (breaking the wall) — The act of opening the wall at the start of a game to determine the starting point for tile drawing. The dealer rolls dice to determine where the break occurs.
C
Cantonese Mahjong — Another name for Hong Kong Mahjong, reflecting the Cantonese-speaking communities in which it developed. Often used interchangeably with Hong Kong Mahjong.
Characters — One of the three numbered suits, containing tiles numbered 1 through 9. Characters tiles display Chinese numerals (一萬 through 九萬). Also called Wan (萬), Crak, or Man.
Chicken hand (雞糊, jī hú) — A winning hand that meets the structural requirement (four sets + one pair) but scores fewer points than the minimum required by the house rules (typically 3 faan). In rule sets that enforce a minimum, a chicken hand is invalid. In open rule sets, it wins but at minimum payout.
Chombo — A penalty for a rule violation, most commonly a false Mahjong declaration (declaring Mahjong with an invalid hand). The penalty is typically payment to each other player of the limit hand value.
Chow (吃, chī) — A set of three consecutive tiles within the same suit (e.g., 4-Characters, 5-Characters, 6-Characters). Only the next player in counter-clockwise turn order can claim a chow from a discard. Honour tiles cannot form chows.
Circles — One of the three numbered suits, containing tiles numbered 1 through 9. Circles tiles display circular patterns. Also called Dots, Tongs, or Balls.
Claim — To take a tile that another player has discarded in order to complete a set in your hand. Claims must be declared immediately when a tile is discarded. Higher-priority claims (Mahjong > pung/kong > chow) take precedence.
Concealed hand — A hand in which no sets have been melded (laid face-up). All tiles were drawn from the wall or the initial deal. Winning with a fully concealed hand by self-draw typically earns bonus points.
Concealed kong — A kong declared from tiles entirely within your own hand (all four copies drawn, none claimed from discards). The two middle tiles are placed face-down to signal its concealed nature. A concealed kong preserves your hand’s concealed status for scoring.
D
Dead wall — The reserved section of the wall, set aside at the start of the game, from which replacement tiles are drawn after a kong or bonus tile. Typically 14 tiles. Drawing from the dead wall is not drawing from the main wall — the game ends when the main wall is exhausted, not the dead wall.
Dealer (莊家, zhuāng jiā) — The player assigned East for a given hand, who deals tiles and plays first. The dealer position rotates counter-clockwise when a non-dealer wins; it stays with the same player if the dealer wins or the hand draws.
Declared kong — A kong formed by claiming the fourth copy of a tile from another player’s discard, when you already hold three in your hand.
Discard — A tile that a player removes from their hand and places face-up in front of them at the end of their turn. All three other players may claim the discard.
Discard pool — The collection of face-up tiles a player has discarded during a hand. The discard pool is visible to all players and is a primary source of strategic information.
Double wind pung — A pung of the tile that is simultaneously your seat wind and the current round wind (only possible for the East dealer in the East round, for example). Typically scores 2 faan instead of 1.
Draw — Taking one tile from the open end of the main wall at the start of your turn.
Dragon tiles — Three honour tiles: Red Dragon (中, Chun), Green Dragon (發, Fa), and White Dragon (白, Baak). Four copies of each exist. Dragon pungs always earn bonus points. See: honour tiles.
E
East (東) — One of the four wind tiles. The East player is the dealer for each hand. The first round of a game is the East round, during which East is both the seat wind and the round wind for the dealer.
Earthly Hand (地糊, dì hú) — A limit hand where a non-dealer wins on the dealer’s very first discard. No one has drawn a tile from the wall; the game ends on the very first discard.
F
Faan (番) — The scoring unit in Hong Kong Mahjong. Each scoring element of a winning hand contributes faan. Many rule sets use a doubling system where the base payment doubles with each additional faan.
False declaration — Declaring Mahjong with an invalid hand. See: chombo.
Flower tiles (花牌) — Four bonus tiles representing flowering plants: Plum (梅), Orchid (蘭), Chrysanthemum (菊), and Bamboo (竹). Numbered 1 through 4, corresponding to the four seat winds. See: bonus tile.
Flush — A hand built primarily or entirely within one suit. See: mixed flush, pure flush.
Fold — Informal term for switching from an offensive (hand-building) strategy to a defensive (safe-discard) strategy. When you fold, you stop chasing your hand and prioritise not feeding another player’s win.
Four winds — A special hand consisting of pungs of all four wind tiles (East, South, West, North). A limit hand.
Full flush — See: pure flush.
G
Genbutsu (現物) — Japanese Mahjong term for a tile a player has already discarded themselves. Because a player cannot win on a tile they have thrown away, genbutsu tiles are the safest possible discards against that player. The concept applies universally but the term is from Japanese Mahjong.
Goulash — An informal term in some communities for a drawn hand (no winner, wall exhausted). Also refers to a re-deal after a draw.
Guest wind — A wind tile that is neither your seat wind nor the current round wind. Guest wind pungs earn no bonus points. Guest wind tiles are commonly discarded early.
H
Half flush — See: mixed flush.
Hand — The 13 tiles a player holds between turns (14 when it is their turn, after drawing). Also used to refer to a single round of play from deal to win (or draw).
Heavenly Hand (天糊, tiān hú) — A limit hand where the dealer wins on their initial 14-tile deal, before making a single discard.
Honour tiles — Wind tiles and dragon tiles collectively. There are 28 honour tiles in a standard set. Honour tiles cannot form chows — they can only be used in pairs or pungs.
Hong Kong Mahjong — The most widely played Mahjong variant globally, originating in Cantonese-speaking communities. Also called Cantonese Mahjong. Characterised by flexible winning hands, a points-based scoring system, and fast gameplay.
J
Joker — A wildcard tile used in American Mahjong (not present in Hong Kong, Japanese, or most other variants). Jokers can substitute for any tile within a pung, kong, or quint. American Mahjong sets include 8 jokers.
K
Kong (槓, gàng) — A set of four identical tiles. Declaring a kong requires you to draw a replacement tile from the dead wall, maintaining your 13-tile hand. See: declared kong, concealed kong, added kong.
Kong box — See: dead wall.
Kong robbery (搶槓, qiǎng gàng) — Claiming Mahjong on a tile used in an added kong declaration. If a player adds a tile to a melded pung (forming an added kong) and another player is in tenpai for that exact tile, the waiting player may call Mahjong before the kong is completed.
L
Limit hand — A hand that achieves the maximum possible payout, regardless of its actual calculated score. Losers pay the limit value regardless. Limit hands include Thirteen Orphans, Heavenly Hand, All Honours, Three Great Scholars, and others.
Live tile — A tile that has not yet been drawn from the wall or accounted for in discards. A live tile could still be drawn or claimed.
M
Mahjong (麻雀 / 麻将) — (1) The name of the game. (2) The declaration made when completing a winning hand.
Meld — The act of laying a claimed or completed set face-up on the table. Melded sets are locked in for the rest of the hand and cannot be changed.
Middle tiles — Tiles numbered 4, 5, and 6 in any suit. They are the most flexible simples, capable of being used in three different sequence positions. A player discarding middle tiles early is likely building a non-sequence hand.
Mixed flush (混一色, hún yī sè) — A hand built primarily in one suit, with the addition of honour tiles (winds or dragons). Scores 3 faan in Hong Kong Mahjong. Also called half flush.
N
NMJL card — The National Mah Jongg League card, published annually. Lists all legal winning hands for American Mahjong for that year. Players must purchase the card each year. There is no equivalent in Hong Kong or Japanese Mahjong.
North (北) — One of the four wind tiles.
O
Open hand — A hand in which at least one set has been melded (laid face-up). Claiming a pung, kong, or chow from a discard opens your hand. Compare: concealed hand.
P
Pair (雀頭, quètóu) — Two identical tiles, forming the “head” of a standard winning hand. Every standard Mahjong hand requires exactly one pair. A pair of dragons or winds earns no bonus (only a pung of those tiles earns bonus). Also called the “eyes.”
Pung (碰, pèng) — A set of three identical tiles. Any player can claim a pung from any discard, regardless of seat position. A pung of an honour tile earns bonus faan.
Pure flush (清一色, qīng yī sè) — A hand built entirely within one suit, with no honour tiles. Scores 7 faan in Hong Kong Mahjong. Also called clean hand or full flush.
R
Red Dragon (中, Chun) — One of the three dragon honour tiles. A pung of Red Dragons earns 1 faan.
Replacement tile — A tile drawn from the dead wall after a kong declaration or after setting aside a bonus tile. Replacement tiles can themselves be winning tiles or even bonus tiles (triggering further replacements).
Riichi (立直) — A Japanese Mahjong-specific declaration meaning the player is in tenpai and will not change their hand. Comes with a bonus payment and scoring. Does not exist in Hong Kong Mahjong.
Ron — Japanese Mahjong term for winning on another player’s discard (versus self-draw/tsumo). Used informally across many Mahjong communities.
Round wind — The wind tile corresponding to the current round of play (East round, South round, etc.). A pung of the round wind earns 1 faan.
S
Safe tile — A tile that is unlikely to complete another player’s winning hand, suitable to discard when playing defensively. Safest tiles include genbutsu (tiles the target player already discarded) and tiles of which all four copies are visible.
Season tiles (季節牌) — Four bonus tiles representing the four seasons: Spring (春), Summer (夏), Autumn (秋), Winter (冬). See: bonus tile.
Seat wind — The wind tile corresponding to a player’s position at the table (East, South, West, or North). A pung of your seat wind earns 1 faan.
Self-draw (自摸, Zimo) — Winning by drawing the winning tile from the wall yourself, rather than claiming it from a discard. All three other players pay when you win by self-draw. Also called tsumo in Japanese Mahjong.
Set — A group of three tiles forming a valid combination within a Mahjong hand: a pung (three identical tiles) or a chow (three consecutive suit tiles).
Simples — Suit tiles numbered 2 through 8. They are the most flexible tile type, usable in multiple sequence positions. Contrast with terminals (1s and 9s).
South (南) — One of the four wind tiles. The second seat position counter-clockwise from East.
Suit — One of the three numbered tile categories: Bamboo, Characters, or Circles. Each suit contains tiles numbered 1 through 9, with four copies of each.
T
Tenpai (テンパイ) — Japanese Mahjong term for a hand that is one tile away from winning. Widely used across Mahjong communities. In Hong Kong Mahjong, a player in this state is described as being “on the edge.”
Terminal — A tile numbered 1 or 9 in any of the three suits. Terminals can only appear at the edge of a sequence (1-2-3 or 7-8-9), which makes them less flexible than simples. There are 24 terminal tiles in a standard set (6 types × 4 copies).
Thirteen Orphans (十三幺, shísān yāo) — A special limit hand requiring one each of: 1-Bam, 9-Bam, 1-Wan, 9-Wan, 1-Dot, 9-Dot, East, South, West, North, Red Dragon, Green Dragon, White Dragon — plus one duplicate of any tile already in the hand. Must be fully concealed (cannot include any claimed tiles).
Three Great Scholars (三元牌, sān yuán pái) — A special limit hand containing pungs of all three dragons (Red, Green, and White). One of the most celebrated limit hands in Hong Kong Mahjong.
Tsumo — See: self-draw.
W
Wall — The rectangular arrangement of face-down tiles from which players draw during the game. Built at the start of each hand, broken to determine the starting draw point.
Wan — See: Characters.
West (西) — One of the four wind tiles. The third seat position counter-clockwise from East.
White Dragon (白, Baak) — One of the three dragon honour tiles. Often depicted as a blank tile or with a simple border. A pung of White Dragons earns 1 faan.
Wind tiles — Four honour tiles representing compass directions: East (東), South (南), West (西), North (北). Four copies of each exist. A pung of your seat wind or the round wind earns bonus points.
Winning hand — A valid complete hand of 14 tiles that meets the rules’ requirements. The standard winning hand is four sets (pungs or chows) and one pair. Special hands have different structures.
Z
Zimo (自摸) — Cantonese term for self-draw win. See: self-draw.
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