Hong Kong Mahjong Rules and Scoring

Hong Kong mahjong, often called Cantonese mahjong, is one of the most widely played forms of the classic four-player game. It is fast, flexible and easy to learn: you build four sets and a pair, and bonus points called fan reward harder or luckier hands. This guide walks through everything a beginner needs: the tiles, the deal, the turn order, how to call tiles, what counts as a winning hand, and how scoring and payment work.

The goal in one sentence

Be the first player to complete a hand of four sets and one pair, worth at least the table's minimum number of fan.

A set is either a pung (three identical tiles), a kong (four identical tiles) or a chow (three consecutive tiles of one suit). The pair, sometimes called the eyes, is two identical tiles. Fourteen tiles in total, or more if you declared a kong.

The tiles

A standard set contains:

• Three suits numbered one to nine, four copies of each: characters, circles (dots) and bamboo.
• Four winds: East, South, West and North, four copies each.
• Three dragons: red, green and white, four copies each.
• Eight bonus tiles: four flowers and four seasons, one copy each.

That is 144 tiles. The bonus tiles are not part of any set. When you draw one, you place it face up in front of you, draw a replacement, and it may add fan to your hand if you win. Many beginner tables, and our Mahjong Coach, leave the bonus tiles out so you can concentrate on building sets.

Seats, winds and the dealer

Each player sits at one of the four winds. The dealer is East; the others are South, West and North counter-clockwise. A full game has four rounds named after the winds, starting with the East round. Your seat wind and the current round wind matter because pungs of those winds are worth extra fan.

The dealer keeps the deal after winning or after an exhaustive draw at many tables. When another player wins, the deal passes to the right.

The deal

The tiles are shuffled face down and built into four walls. After dice decide where to break the wall, each player receives 13 tiles and the dealer takes a fourteenth. The dealer starts by discarding one tile.

Taking a turn

Play moves counter-clockwise. On your turn you:

1. Draw a tile from the wall, so you hold 14 tiles.
2. Declare a win if those 14 tiles form a valid scoring hand, or
3. Discard one tile face up into the middle.

Your goal is to keep tiles that work together and let go of the ones that do not. Beginners usually hold on to too many isolated honor tiles and scattered numbers; experienced players discard those early.

Calling discards: pung, kong, chow and win

When another player discards, you may claim that tile instead of waiting for your turn:

• Pung: if you hold two identical tiles, any player's discard of the third lets you call pung. Reveal the set, then discard.
• Kong: if you hold three identical tiles, you can claim the fourth. Reveal the kong, draw a replacement tile, then discard.
• Chow: only the discard of the player immediately before you can be claimed for a chow, such as taking a 6 to complete your 4-5.
• Win: you may claim any player's discard if it completes a winning hand.

If several players want the same tile, a win beats a pung or kong, and a pung or kong beats a chow. Calling a tile reveals part of your hand, so your hand is no longer fully concealed, which costs you the concealed-hand fan.

Getting ready to win

When your hand needs just one more tile to be complete, you are ready (in Japanese mahjong this is called tenpai). The number of steps you are away from ready is called the shanten number, which our Mahjong Coach displays as "tiles away". The tiles that would improve your hand are your useful draws. Good players keep hands with many useful draws, because they win faster.

The minimum fan rule

Hong Kong tables usually require a minimum score before you may declare a win. Three fan is a common minimum, and it is the rule used by our Mahjong Coach. A complete hand worth only one or two fan cannot be declared on those tables, so you need to plan a little value into your hand, for example by keeping a dragon pung or staying concealed for self-draw bonuses.

Scores are also capped. Many tables cap a hand at 10 or 13 fan; our coach caps at 10.

Common scoring patterns

The exact list varies from table to table. These are the patterns our Mahjong Coach scores, with typical values:

Fan are added together. A concealed self-drawn hand with a red dragon pung is already three fan, enough to win on a three-fan table.

Payment

Scores are converted to payments using a table that doubles as fan increase. If you win on a discard, the discarding player pays. If you win by self-draw, all three opponents pay, usually half the discard amount each so the total is larger. Many social games play for points only, which is how our Mahjong Coach keeps score: no money, just a running total.

Exhaustive draw

If the wall runs out before anyone wins, the hand is an exhaustive draw. Nobody pays, and the next hand begins.

Strategy tips for beginners

1. Decide your direction early. After a few turns, pick a plan: a mixed one suit, all pungs, or a quick cheap hand that meets the minimum.
2. Let go of isolated honors early. A single wind that is not your seat or round wind rarely helps. Discard it before others start collecting pairs.
3. Keep flexible shapes. Two consecutive tiles such as 4-5 can become a chow with a 3 or a 6. That shape has more useful draws than 1-2.
4. Count your fan before calling. Calling a pung may speed you up but can cost the concealed-hand fan and leave you short of the minimum.
5. Watch what others discard. If a player is collecting one suit, be careful about feeding them tiles of that suit late in the hand. Discarding the tile that lets someone win is called a deal-in.

Practice without pressure

Reading rules only goes so far. The fastest way to learn is to play hands and see your mistakes. The Mahjong Coach seats you at a four-player Hong Kong table with three computer opponents. It shows your tiles away and useful draws, grades each discard, blocks illegal moves and reviews every hand afterward so you can see where points slipped away. The first three tutorial hands teach the basics step by step.

Quick reference

Want something more relaxed first? Try Mahjong Connect, our calm matching puzzle with the same tiles.