Chinese Mahjong Quick Start Guide

If you’ve never heard of Mahjong, you’re not alone.

Mahjong is a classic Chinese tile game built around patterns, memory, strategy, and a little bit of luck. It’s loud, social, and relaxing once you get a few rounds in.

Mahjong is played in different styles across different regions and communities, so rules can vary. We’ll cover the basics of Chinese Mahjong, as well as a few of the differences in American Mahjong.

Chinese Mahjong Quick Start

1. Tile Basics

Chinese Mahjong uses 144 tiles, dived into a few main categories. Our custom wildwonder set includes 8 joker tiles that are not used in Chinese mahjong and 8 blank tiles, just in case an extra is needed in the future. :)

Honor Tiles (the “special tiles”)
These are not numbered suit tiles. They are typically:

• Winds: East, South, West, North (four of each included).

• Dragons: Red, Green, White (four of each included).

Flower Tiles (sometimes included)
Our wildwonder set includes 8 Flower tiles. Usually there are Season tiles also but we replaced the Seasons with extra Flowers.

Suits (the “Number Tiles”)
Typically, there are three “suits” numbered 1-9 with four included tiles for each number.

Bamboo = Bams
Dots = Circles
Characters = Wan

2. Goal of the Game

Your goal is to complete a winning hand before the other players. A winning hand is made up of four “Sets” or “Sequences” and one “Pair.”

A winning hand is usually made by forming combinations like:

• Sets (three of a kind)

• Sequences (a run of three numbers in the same suit)

• Plus a final pair

3. Setup

Players
Mahjong is played with four players.

Seating
Players sit around the table, each on their own side so tiles can remain hidden.

Building the four wall
Tiles are shuffled face down and stacked into four “walls” 2 tiles high and 18 tiles wide, around the table.

Rolling
Players roll a set of 2 dice. The player with the highest roll becomes the dealer, or the “East Wind.”

Breaking the Wall 

Once the dealer is chosen, they roll the dice again. Starting with themselves and counting counterclockwise, the dealer counts to the number rolled to determine the wall. On that wall, the dealer counts tiles starting from the player’s right until reaching the rolled number, places one die on that tile, then "breaks the wall" in this location to begin dealing tiles. 

How To Start

The dealer takes the first two stacks and begins dealing, starting with themselves, continuing until each player has six stacks, or 12 tiles.

Next, the dealer draws 2 more tiles (total 14) and the other players each draw 1 more tile (total 13). Note: The walls are dismantled clockwise, but play happens counter-clockwise. If a flower/season tile is drawn, a replacement is taken from the other end of the wall break. 

The dealer then begins the game by discarding one of their tiles to the center, starting the game.

4. The Flow of a Turn

Play starts with the dealer, and continues counter-clockwise. Most turns follow a simple rhythm. Once you learn this, the whole game feels more natural. 

Step 1: Draw
Draw a tile from the wall.

Step 2: Decide
Check if the new tile helps your hand.

Step 3: Discard
Discard one tile face up into the center.

That’s it. Draw, decide, discard. Repeat.

5. Claiming a Discard 

Sometimes, you can take a tile another player discards if it completes a combination for your hand. This is where the table gets social, players start paying attention, and everyone has some good laughs!

Important note:
When and what you are allowed to claim, as well as which claims take priority can vary by ruleset. We’ll keep this section beginner-safe and you can plug in the exact priority rules based on your chosen reference.

6. Common Calls & What They Mean

Different groups use different terms, but in Chinese Mahjong, you’ll often hear calls like these:

Pung / Pong
Three of the same tile.

Chow
A sequence of three in the same suit.

Kong
Four of the same tile.

7. How to Win (Basic explanation)

A winning hand is made up of four “Sets” or “Sequences” and one “Pair.” A win is secured by completing a winning hand and declaring 'Mahjong!'

In most styles, this happens right after you:

• Draw a tile that completes your hand, or

• Claim a discard that completes your hand

From there, the winning hand is revealed, and the table confirms it. Congratulations! 

Beginner Strategy

It is best to start with one strategy, versus trying to accomplish many things at once. Try to build either:

• Sequences in one suit, or

• Sets you naturally begin collecting

Ask “what rules are we using?”
This is the most powerful beginner question. It saves confusion and keeps things friendly.

Don’t stress about perfection
Your first few games are supposed to feel messy. Mahjong is learned by playing, not by reading.

If you get one thing right today, let it be this: you belong at the table!

American Mahjong

American Mahjong is its own widely loved style, and it works differently in a few key ways. Common differences include:

• A Mahjong card is used to define specific hands

• The scoring and winning hands are structured around that card

• Some terminology and table flow

We recommend learning American Mahjong from a dedicated guide so you’re not mixing systems.