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3. What is Mahjong? Start Here if You’re a Complete Beginner!

What is Mahjong? Start Here if You’re a Complete Beginner!

What is Mahjong?

Mahjong is a Super Fun Strategy Game!

Mahjong is a traditional table game that originated in China! It’s a mind game filled with strategy, probability calculations, and luck, as well as exciting interactions with opponents!

What Makes Mahjong So Appealing?

Strategic Gameplay

Mahjong is not just a game of luck; it requires advanced strategy and decision-making skills. You need to aim for the best winning hand while reading your opponent's moves! Those who make the best decisions in constantly changing situations get closer to victory!

A Balance of Skill and Luck

Mahjong perfectly balances luck and skill. While there’s an element of chance with the tiles you draw, how you make the most of that luck depends on the player. Even if your luck is bad, you can use strategy and judgment to turn the situation around. Conversely, if you’re lucky, it creates an opportunity to make bold moves. This balance makes it enjoyable for players of all levels.

The Satisfaction of Building Hands

One of Mahjong’s charms is the sense of accomplishment when you complete a winning hand. "Yaku" (winning hands) are the conditions required to win in Mahjong, ranging from simple combinations to more complex ones. The feeling of successfully creating a big hand just as you planned is unmatched!

Tension and Thrill

The tension in Mahjong intensifies, especially towards the end of the game. When your hand is coming together, or when another player might be close to winning, even a small mistake in judgment can determine the outcome. This unique sense of thrill is something you don’t often find in other card or board games.

Social Interaction and Communication

Mahjong is also a social game where you can enjoy playing with friends, family, or even strangers around a table. Conversations naturally flow during the game, and after the match, you can share in post-game analysis and discussions. Sharing the joy of winning or the frustration of losing often strengthens bonds between players.

There’s Even a Professional Mahjong League!

In 2018, the professional mahjong league, "M-League," was launched, and its 2022 season has since kicked off, gaining popularity across multiple generations. M-League is a national league where top professionals from various mahjong organizations come together as elite players who sign professional contracts with prestigious companies. It’s the pinnacle of mahjong competition, where M-League players compete with their skills, fighting for the honor of their teams!

Healthy Mahjong

When many people hear the word mahjong, they may have the image of a game played by men in a smoke-filled mahjong parlor. But that's a long time ago.

Mahjong uses the fingertips and brain, and since it is played by four people, it also involves communication, and is attracting attention for its anti-aging and brain activation benefits.

Nowadays, ``healthy mahjong'' that does not require alcohol, tobacco, or gambling has become more popular, and mahjong classes exclusively for women have appeared, making mahjong more popular than ever before.

Super basic rules of mahjong

Mahjong is played by 4 people

Mahjong is a game played by four people. There are rules for playing with 3 players, but the basic rules are slightly different from 4-player mahjong.

In the past, you couldn't enjoy mahjong unless four people got together in person, but now you can easily find opponents online, so it's easy to play, and mahjong is also popular among young people. It is slowly spreading!

Tiles are used in mahjong

Mahjong is played using pieces called tiles.

Tiles are like cards in a card game. Aim to win by arranging various types of tiles!

There are 34 types of tiles in total, and 4 of each type are used, making a total of 136 tiles.

Aim to complete the hand with 14 tiles

Each player makes a hand with 14 tiles. It's very similar to making poker hands.

What is different from poker is that instead of competing to see how strong or weak the hand is, the player who completes the hand quickly wins.

According to the general rules of mahjong, there are 37 types of hands (Yaku), and the points vary depending on the difficulty of the hand.

Also, in order to win in mahjong, you need to make a fixed arrangement of tiles in addition to the roles.

Below is its basic configuration. There are exceptions, but the basic format is 4 sets of 3 tiles and 1 set of 2 tiles.

Triplet・・・Set of 3 same tiles
Sequence・・・3 consecutive numbers
Head(Pair)・・・Two sets of the same tiles

A set of two tiles is usually called a pair, but the pair is called a "head" only in the complete form shown above.

In the example above, there are two sets of triplets and two sets of sequences, but you can use any combination.

Compete for points

Mahjong is a game where you compete for points, not the number of hits. Scores are tallied using a stick-like tool.

Each player starts the game with 25,000 points, and the player who wins each game receives points from other players.

The points you get when you win vary depending on the winning hand, and range from 1,000 points to 48,000 points.

Dealer and Non-dealer

In Mahjong, the "Dealer" is the player who starts the round and has special privileges, such as earning more points (1.5 times) when winning or losing more points (1.5 times) when losing. The other players are referred to as "Non-dealers", who rotate into the dealer's position after each round.

Mahjong Game Formats

There are two types of matches: Tonpuusen Match and Hanchan Match.

Actually, there is also a full-round format called Iichansen, but since Iichansen is too long, the Hanchan, which is half of an Iichansen, and the Tonpuusen, which is a quarter of an Iichansen, have become the more popular formats.

Iichansen

Iichansen (full game of mahjong) consists of four rounds: East, South, West, and North.

Each round continues until every player has taken a turn as the dealer. However, if the dealer wins, they retain their dealer position, extending the round as long as the dealer's winning streak continues.

It is uncommon to play Iichansen in typical settings. Even in mahjong video games, there are very few options that allow players to select the Iichansen format.

Hanchan

Hanchan (half-game of mahjong) is half the length of Iichansen, consisting only of the East and South rounds.

Hanchan is the most common game format in mahjong.

Tonpuusen

Tonpuusen (East-only game) is half the length of Hanchan, with only the East round being played.

About Mahjong Tiles

There are four of each tile in a mahjong set.

Since there are 34 types of mahjong tiles, and each tile appears four times, a total of 136 tiles are used in the game (34 × 4 = 136).

Additionally, mahjong tiles are broadly divided into two categories: numbered tiles and honor tiles.

Numbered tiles

Numbered tiles have numbers written on them. These are further divided into three suits: Manzu (characters), Pinzu (circles), and Souzu (bamboo), with numbers ranging from 1 to 9 in each suit.

Manzu (characters)

Pinzu (circles)

Souzu (bamboo)

Honor tiles

Honor tiles are classified into two groups: Wind tiles and Dragon tiles.

Wind tiles

Wind tiles, like numbered tiles, have a specific order: East → South → West → North. It's important to remember them in this order.

Dragon tiles

Dragon tiles also have a specific order: White → Green → Red. Remember them in this sequence.

The red tiles

The red tiles refer to the red-colored 5 tiles in each of the suits: Manzu, Pinzu, and Souzu. They are also called "red dora," and holding them when you win adds extra points to your score.

Whether or not red tiles are used depends on the specific game rules at the time. If they are used, one of the 5 tiles in Manzu, Pinzu, and Souzu is replaced with a red tiles.

About Melds

A meld consists of a set of three tiles, and there are two types: Sequences and Triplets. Additionally, there is a special type of four-tile meld called a Quad.

I explained that the basic format of agaru in mahjong is 4 sets of 3 cards and 1 set of 2 cards, but I will explain it in a little more detail.

Basic configuration

Basic configuration is 4 melds (sets of 3 tiles) and 1 head (set of 2 tiles).

Sequences

Sequences is a sequence of consecutive numbered tiles of the same suit. Since Sequences are based on consecutive numbers, they cannot be formed with honor tiles, as honor tiles do not have numbers.

Triplets

Triplets is a meld formed by gathering three identical tiles.

Quad

Quad is a meld formed by gathering four identical tiles.

In a winning hand, the total number of tiles is normally 14, but if you have one Kantsu, the number increases to 15 tiles, with two Kantsu it becomes 16, and with four Kantsu, the maximum is 18 tiles. Kantsu is a special type of meld, and a specific procedure called "kan" is required to declare and confirm it as a meld.

Head

Head is a set of two identical tiles, but not all pairs of tiles are referred to as Head. The term "Head" specifically refers to the pair formed when a hand reaches its final winning shape.

Mahjong Table

Let’s take a look at the setup of a mahjong table to understand how the game is played.

A mahjong table is a table designed for playing mahjong, but it doesn’t have to be a special one. A small square table with a mat placed on it can serve as a substitute.

Player's Tiles

In the game, the tiles along the four sides of the table represent the tiles dealt to each player. Although the tiles on the lower side are shown face-up for explanation purposes, during actual play, players do not reveal their tiles like this.

Wall Tiles

At the start of the game, all players shuffle the tiles thoroughly and then build the wall. If you are using an automatic table, the machine will automatically shuffle and build the wall with the press of a button.

From the top-down view, it's hard to tell, but the wall consists of tiles stacked in two layers.

Players draw one tile at a time from the wall and discard tiles they don’t need. Tiles are always drawn from a specific spot, which in this diagram would be the upper-right corner of the wall.

The River (Discard Pile)

After drawing a tile from the wall, each player discards an unwanted tile, placing it in a section called the "river." Players discard their tiles into the river in front of them.

There is a rule for discarding tiles: players must start from the left edge of their river and place tiles in order. Every sixth tile fills one row, and the seventh tile starts a new row directly below the first tile.

Dead Wall

The last 14 tiles (7 tiles × 2 layers) at the far end of the wall are known as the "Dead Wall" . The Wanpai has special functions, but for now, we will skip this explanation, as it is a more advanced concept.

General Flow of a Mahjong Game

1. Confirming Local Rules
2. Game Setup
3. Game Start
4. Exchanging Points
5. Moving to the Next Game

Mahjong rules can vary slightly depending on the region, the mahjong parlor (jansou), or even among individual players. It’s a good idea to confirm the rules with your opponents, especially if it's your first time playing together.

Here are four key rules that should be clarified beforehand (detailed explanations omitted for now):

• Kuitan (allowing open Tanyao)
• Atozuke (declaring a win after calling a tile for a Yaku that wasn't ready)
• Red Dora (using red tiles as Dora)
• Tenpai Renchan (dealer keeps their turn if in tenpai)

There are many other minor rules, but you don’t need to worry about them at this stage.

Game Setup

• Assigning Seats
• Distributing Point Sticks
• Building the Wall
• Deciding the Dealer
• Dealing the Tiles

Once seated, each player receives 25,000 points in chips or point sticks.

Next, everyone shuffles the tiles thoroughly on the table and builds the wall.

The Dealer is decided by rolling dice, and the dealer rolls again to determine where the dealing of tiles will begin.

Each player then draws 13 tiles from the wall.

Once this is done, the game is ready to begin.

Step3.Game Start

The game begins with the dealer's draw (tsumo). Since the dealer (oya) receives an extra tile during the initial deal, their first action is discarding a tile.

The round continues until one player wins or the wall runs out of tiles, at which point the round ends.

Step4.Exchanging Points

Once a winner is determined, points are exchanged.

The player responsible for paying points depends on how the winner achieved their hand. The amount of points paid varies based on the winning hand's value, determined by the Hand (scoring combinations) the winner completed.

Step5.Moving to the Next Game

After points are exchanged, the game moves to the next round.

If the winner was a non-dealer, the dealer's turn rotates to the player on their right. There is no change in seating, and the players proceed by building the wall again to start a new round.

About Mahjong Yaku

Here are a few beginner-friendly Yaku (winning combinations) to give you a general idea:

Riichi

If you are one tile away from completing a hand with 4 melds and 1 head while in a closed hand, you can declare "Riichi." To do this, you place a 1,000-point stick on the table. Once declared, the hand is valid, and you just need to complete your hand by drawing or calling one more tile.

A closed hand means you’ve formed your hand without using any tiles discarded by other players.

Value Tiles

If you form a triplet with one of the dragon tiles (haku, hatsu, chun) or your seat or prevailing wind tile (East, South, etc.), it counts as a hand. However, you still need 4 melds and 1 pair to win.

All Simples

This yaku is formed by completing your hand without using any terminals (1s and 9s) or honor tiles. Your hand consists only of number tiles from 2 to 8.

There Are 37 Yaku

Standard mahjong rules feature 37 Yaku (excluding special local rules). Yaku are divided into two categories: "Yaku" that require specific tile combinations and "Occasional Yaku" that occur by chance.

Yaku include combinations like All Simples, mentioned above, while an example of an Occasional Yaku is "One-Shot Win."

One-Shot Win

If you declare Riichi and win within one turn of discards (a complete round of player actions), you complete the One-Shot Win. It is purely by chance and cannot be deliberately targeted.

Summary

How did that sound? This article provides a simple introduction to the basic rules of mahjong, making it a helpful first step for anyone unfamiliar with the game.

If there's anything unclear, feel free to leave a comment in the form at the bottom of this page. The Mahjong Tofu staff will be happy to explain it in an easy-to-understand way!