Mahjong Rules: The Complete Official Guide

This is the authoritative rules reference for Hong Kong Mahjong — the most widely played Mahjong variant worldwide. It covers every rule from setup through scoring, including edge cases and the reasoning behind key rules.

For a friendlier beginner introduction, see How to Play Mahjong. For tile identification, see the Mahjong tiles guide.

Players and Equipment

Players: Mahjong requires exactly four players.

Tiles: A standard set of 144 tiles (see full breakdown in the tiles guide).

Other equipment: Dice for determining dealer and starting position; scoring chips or cash (optional but traditional); a table large enough for four players and the tile wall.

Determining Seats

Seat assignment determines each player’s wind tile bonus for the entire hand:

1. One player rolls two dice and becomes provisional East
2. That player counts counter-clockwise from themselves based on the total rolled to find the permanent East seat
3. The remaining seats are assigned South, West, North in counter-clockwise order from East
4. The East player is the dealer for the first hand

Some groups simplify this by drawing wind tiles from a shuffled set of four wind tiles placed face-down.

Building the Wall

All 144 tiles are shuffled face-down. Each player builds a wall section in front of them: two tiles high, 18 tiles long. The four wall sections are pushed together to form a closed square — the wall.

Breaking the wall: The dealer rolls two dice. Counting counter-clockwise from themselves, the dealer finds the wall section indicated and counts tiles from the right edge. That point is where the wall is “broken” — this is where drawing begins (from the left of the break point, moving counter-clockwise).

The last 14 tiles at the right of the break point are set aside as the dead wall (kong box). These tiles are reserved for kong replacement draws and are not drawn in normal turn order.

Dealing

Starting from the break point, the dealer takes tiles in sets of four, counter-clockwise, going around the table three full times (each player draws 12 tiles). Then:

• The dealer draws one additional tile (now has 13)
• The player to the dealer’s right draws one (now has 13)
• Each player draws one final tile
• The dealer ends with 14 tiles; all others have 13

Any Flower or Season tiles drawn during dealing are set aside immediately and replacement tiles are drawn from the dead wall.

Turn Structure

Play proceeds counter-clockwise. The dealer plays first.

On Your Turn

1. Draw one tile from the left of the break point (the open end of the wall)
2. If you drew a bonus tile: set it aside, draw a replacement from the dead wall
3. Assess your hand
4. Discard one tile face-up in front of you, announcing it aloud if your group practices this

You must always hold exactly 13 tiles after discarding (14 momentarily after drawing, before discarding).

After You Discard

Once you discard, all other players have the opportunity to claim the tile. Claims are assessed in this priority order:

1. Mahjong — any player can claim to win
2. Kong or Pung — any player can claim
3. Chow — only the next player in turn order can claim

If no one claims, the next player draws normally and the turn continues.

Claim Rules in Detail

Pung (碰)

Requirement: Two matching tiles in your hand + the discard = three of a kind.

Who can claim: Any player, regardless of position at the table.

After claiming: Lay all three tiles face-up on your side of the table. Discard one tile. Play continues from you (skipping any players between the discarder and you).

Kong (槓)

Three types of kong:

Declared kong from discard: You hold three matching tiles in hand; another player discards the fourth. Claim it, lay all four face-up, draw a replacement tile from the dead wall, then discard.

Concealed kong: You draw the fourth copy of a tile you already hold three of (all four from the wall or deal — none claimed). Declare by laying the kong with the two middle tiles face-down (to preserve some concealment). Draw a replacement tile from the dead wall, then discard. A concealed kong maintains your hand’s concealed status for scoring.

Added kong (extended pung): You have a melded pung on the table and draw the fourth matching tile. Add it to the pung. Draw a replacement tile from the dead wall, then discard. Other players who are waiting for that tile (tenpai) can claim Mahjong on this tile before you draw your replacement — this is called a “kong robbery.”

After any kong: Draw one replacement tile from the dead wall. This tile can itself be a winning tile or trigger another kong.

Chow (吃)

Requirement: Two consecutive tiles in the same suit + the discard completes a sequence of three.

Who can claim: Only the player whose turn comes immediately next (the player to the discarder’s right).

After claiming: Lay all three tiles face-up. Discard one tile. Play continues normally.

Priority note: If both a chow and a pung are claimed simultaneously, the pung takes priority.

Mahjong (Winning)

Any player can call Mahjong on any discard if it completes a valid winning hand. The claim takes priority over all other claims.

If two players both call Mahjong on the same discard, the player who would have received the discard first in normal turn order wins the claim (the player closest to the discarder’s right in counter-clockwise order).

Winning Hand Structures

Standard Hand: Four Sets + One Pair

The universal winning hand in Hong Kong Mahjong:

• Four sets (each a pung or a chow)
• One pair

Example:

• Set 1: Pung of 7-Circles (🀙🀙🀙)
• Set 2: Chow of 3-4-5 Bamboo
• Set 3: Chow of 1-2-3 Characters
• Set 4: Pung of East Wind
• Pair: Red Dragon

This is valid. The player declares Mahjong.

Special Hands

Certain hand structures deviate from the four-sets-one-pair template and win by exception. Common special hands in Hong Kong Mahjong:

Thirteen Orphans (十三幺): 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 of the above. Must be fully concealed. A limit hand.

Seven Pairs (七對子): Seven pairs of identical tiles. Each pair must use two different copies of the same tile (you cannot use two copies of the same tile as two pairs). Typically a limit hand or near-limit hand.

Heavenly Hand (天糊): The dealer wins on their initial 14-tile deal without discarding. Immediate limit-hand win.

Earthly Hand (地糊): A non-dealer wins on the dealer’s very first discard. Limit hand.

All Kongs (槓上槓): A hand composed entirely of kongs plus a pair. Extremely rare. Limit hand.

What Invalidates a Hand?

• A hand with fewer or more than 14 tiles
• A claimed winning tile that does not actually complete the hand
• A winning declaration on a tile the player themselves discarded earlier in the hand (“chombo” in Japanese — penalised in some rule sets)
• A hand that does not meet the minimum points requirement (some rule sets require a minimum of 3 points to win; a hand scoring below this is called a “chicken hand” and is invalid)

Scoring Principles (Hong Kong Mahjong)

Scoring in Hong Kong Mahjong is based on faan (番, points). Each element of your hand earns points. Some rule sets double the total for each additional scoring category (“doubles system”); others use a flat faan count.

Common Scoring Elements

Limit hands are the maximum possible payout. Losing players pay the limit regardless of the actual hand score.

Who Pays

Discard win: The discarder pays the winner the full value of the hand. The other two non-winning players pay nothing.

Self-draw win: All three non-winning players each pay the winner the full value of the hand.

Dealer wins: When the dealer wins, each loser pays double (or the dealer collects double from each — rule sets vary). When the dealer wins by self-draw, all three pay double.

Dealer retention: If the dealer wins, or the hand ends in a draw, the dealer position does not rotate. The same player deals again. If a non-dealer wins, the dealer position rotates counter-clockwise (to the next player in turn order).

Specific Rules and Edge Cases

The Discard Rule

Once a tile is discarded and touched the table, it cannot be taken back. If you discard a tile by mistake, it stands.

Claiming Priority Ties

If two players call pung simultaneously, the player closer to the discarder’s right in counter-clockwise order wins. If two players call Mahjong simultaneously, the same tie-breaking rule applies.

False Declaration

If a player declares Mahjong with an invalid hand, it is a false declaration (chombo). Penalties vary by rule set — common penalties include paying each other player the equivalent of a limit hand, or simply re-dealing with no penalty.

Kong Robbery (搶槓)

When a player declares an added kong (adding a tile to a melded pung), any player holding a complete winning hand that includes that tile as the winning tile may call Mahjong — claiming the tile before the kong is completed. This is called a kong robbery.

Flower Replacement Chains

If you draw a replacement tile for a bonus tile, and the replacement is also a bonus tile, you set that aside and draw another replacement. This chain continues until you draw a regular tile.

Minimum Hand Requirement

Many Hong Kong rule sets require a winning hand to score a minimum of 3 faan. Hands scoring fewer points are “chicken hands” and cannot win. The discarder or the player themselves pays a penalty to each other player. Check your group’s rules — this is one of the most variable elements across Hong Kong Mahjong rule sets.

Quick Reference: Turn Checklist

1. ☐ Draw one tile from the wall
2. ☐ If bonus tile: set aside, draw replacement from dead wall
3. ☐ Do I have a winning hand? If yes, declare Mahjong
4. ☐ Do I want to declare a concealed kong? If yes, draw replacement, continue
5. ☐ Discard one tile
6. ☐ Has anyone claimed the discard? If yes, resolve claim and continue from the claimant
7. ☐ If no claim, next player draws

Now that you know the rules, learn how to read the table — the strategic skill that separates experienced players from beginners. Or jump straight into a game at Mahjo — free, real Hong Kong-style Mahjong online.