Mahjong 101

Mahjong is traditionally played by four people. Each player draws and discards tiles while building a complete hand. The exact scoring rules can vary, so agree which rules you are using before play begins.

Meet the tiles

The core suits are Dots, Bamboo and Characters. Honour tiles are Winds and Dragons. Many Chinese-style sets also include Flower and Season tiles.

Set up the table

Place the tiles face down and mix them. Each player builds a wall in front of their seat; the four walls form a square. Choose a dealer and use the rules agreed by the table to break the wall and deal the opening hands.

Take a turn

On a normal turn, draw one tile and discard one tile. Players may call certain discards to make exposed sets. Common calls include Chow, Pung and Kong; their use depends on the rules being played.

Make a winning hand

A common basic winning shape is four sets and one pair. Scoring and any special hands depend on the chosen ruleset.

Start slowly. Learn the suits, practise the turn sequence and keep a shared rules reference nearby for the first few games.