game
Mahjong online — rules, facts, and a live table
Mahjong is a four-player draw-and-discard game. Players build four melds and a pair from characters, bamboo, dots, winds, and dragons. Tilehaus uses the 136-tile Chinese/Hong Kong table without flowers so every deal is a complete wall of 34 stacks.
Good to know
- A standard playing set without flowers has 136 tiles: three suits 1–9 with four copies each (108), four winds with four copies (16), and three dragons with four copies (12).
- A winning hand is four melds plus one pair. Melds are a pong (three identical tiles), a kong (four identical tiles), or a chow (three consecutive tiles in one suit).
- Only the player to the discarded tile's left may chow. Any player may pong, kong, or win (hu) on a discard, with win outranking pong and pong outranking chow.
- Mahjong reached the United States in a 1920s fad after Joseph Babcock's 1920 primer Rules of Mah-Jongg, then diverged into American, Japanese, and European rule families.
- Competitive Chinese and Hong Kong tables typically deal 13 tiles to each player; the dealer starts with 14 and discards first.
What you are looking at
Mahjong is a four-player draw-and-discard game. Players build four melds and a pair from characters, bamboo, dots, winds, and dragons. Tilehaus uses the 136-tile Chinese/Hong Kong table without flowers so every deal is a complete wall of 34 stacks.
Ivory rectangular tiles on green felt, lacquered table rails, and a clockwise discard rhythm. The set looks carved, not cartooned: bone-white faces, dark backs, and engraved suit marks.
Origin
Mahjong It is associated with Yangtze Delta / Shanghai region, China. Dating: Late Qing dynasty, China (commonly dated to the mid-to-late 19th century).
Equipment
136 play tiles (108 suited tiles + 28 honors). Many physical sets add 8 flower/season tiles for 144.
Players: 4. Typical duration: 45–90 minutes per hand set.
Questions
How many tiles are in mahjong?
A Chinese playing set without bonus tiles has 136 tiles. Sets sold with flowers and seasons have 144. Tilehaus deals the 136-tile wall.
Can two players win on the same discard?
Teaching tables often award the win to a single claimant. Tilehaus currently awards the first declared hu. House rules for multiple winners vary by region.