When someone says "mahjong," they could mean any of several very different games. The beautiful tiles are mostly the same everywhere, but the rules diverge dramatically depending on where the game is played. If you've been confused trying to find "the" rules online and getting wildly different answers, that's why — you've been reading rules for different games. This guide gives you a friendly map of the major variants so you can figure out which one to learn.
What this guide covers
Chinese Mahjong (the original)
Mahjong was developed in China in the mid-1800s, and the Chinese game remains the foundation that every other variant builds on. A standard set has 144 tiles (three suits, winds, dragons, flowers, no jokers), and a winning hand follows the classic structure of four sets plus a pair — a set being a pung (three identical), a chow (three consecutive in a suit), or a kong (four identical).
"Chinese Mahjong" is itself an umbrella. The most influential modern rulesets are:
- Hong Kong Old Style — probably the most widely played version internationally. Fast, scoring-friendly, and the default outside mainland China.
- Sichuan Mahjong (Bloody Battle) — popular across mainland China. Uses only the three suits (no winds or dragons), and a hand stays in play until the very end, with multiple winners possible.
- Cantonese Mahjong — similar to Hong Kong style but with regional scoring conventions.
- Mainland Competition Rules (国标麻将) — a standardized tournament ruleset published by China's State Sports Commission in 1998, with 81 official scoring patterns.
Common thread: scoring usually involves fan (multipliers) added up from features of your hand — flowers held, hand purity, specific patterns — multiplied by a base point. The math is more involved than the American game, but the overall game flow is more open and freeform.
American Mahjong
Imported to the US in the 1920s, the American game evolved in its own direction in the following decades. The defining moment was 1937, when the National Mah Jongg League (NMJL) began publishing an annual card listing all the legal winning hands for the year — and that card has been the heart of the game ever since.
An American set has 166 tiles including eight jokers (wildcards), and gameplay adds two unique features: the Charleston, a structured tile-passing ritual before play starts, and an emphasis on racks and pushers at every seat. Winning requires matching one of about 70 specific hands printed on the card.
It's the version most American players know, and it's having a major social resurgence right now — clubs, classes, and game nights are booming. If you're in the US, this is almost certainly the version you'll encounter. (Full beginner's guide: American Mahjong Rules. Detailed comparison: American vs Chinese Mahjong.)
Japanese Riichi Mahjong
The Japanese version, usually called Riichi Mahjong, is its own distinct game and has built an enormous international following through manga, anime, video games, and online play. It's known for being structured, precise, and deeply strategic.
Some key features:
- Uses a standard 136-tile set (the basic four suits and honor tiles, no flowers).
- Includes red five tiles (aka dora) — a small number of red-colored fives that act as scoring bonuses.
- The signature mechanic: a player one tile away from winning a closed hand can declare "Riichi" (a kind of bet), which scores extra if they win but locks their hand.
- Winning requires not just a complete hand but also at least one yaku — a named scoring pattern. A complete-but-yaku-less hand cannot win.
- Scoring is the most complex of the major variants, involving fu (base points) and han (multipliers).
Riichi has a reputation for being the most "competitive" mahjong — many cities have club leagues, and online platforms like Mahjong Soul have made it accessible globally. It's a brilliant game but a steeper learning curve than American.
Taiwanese 16-tile Mahjong
Taiwanese mahjong is immediately distinct because players hold 16 tiles instead of the usual 13, and winning hands consist of five sets plus a pair rather than four. The set size is the same; the dealing and hand structure changes everything else.
The game uses pungs, chows, and kongs like Chinese mahjong, and includes flower bonuses. It's the standard in Taiwan and has dedicated communities in Taiwanese diaspora worldwide. Hands are bigger and more elaborate than in the 13-tile games, and the rhythm at the table is noticeably different.
Other variants worth knowing
- Korean Mahjong — a 3-player version using a reduced tile set (no bams), faster than the standard game.
- Vietnamese Mahjong — uses an expanded set with eight extra jokers, similar in spirit to American but with its own rules.
- Filipino Mahjong — 17-tile hands and unique flower rules.
- British (Western Classical) Mahjong — an older, more elaborate scoring system used in some UK clubs, somewhat preserved from early 20th-century European adaptations.
- Three-player variants — exist for most rulesets, useful when you only have three.
Which should you learn?
The honest answer: learn the version your friends, family, or local club plays. Mahjong is a social game, and the most enjoyable version is the one you'll actually play with other people.
- In the United States? American Mahjong, almost certainly. It's by far the most commonly played, and resources, sets, and clubs are easy to find.
- Family from China, Hong Kong, or Singapore? Hong Kong Old Style is your most useful entry point into the Chinese family of variants.
- Drawn to anime, video games, or competitive play? Japanese Riichi has the deepest global online community and the richest competitive scene.
- Family in Taiwan? Taiwanese 16-tile.
- Just curious and have no one to play with yet? American is the friendliest on-ramp for English speakers: tiles are marked in English, scoring is simple, and the card removes ambiguity about what counts as a win.
A note on mahjong solitaire
If you've ever played the tile-matching computer game where you remove matching pairs from a pyramid of tiles — that's mahjong solitaire, a single-player puzzle invented in the 1980s. It uses the visual look of mahjong tiles but has nothing to do with the actual game of mahjong, which is a four-player game of skill, strategy, and luck. They share aesthetics, not rules.
Frequently asked questions
How many types of mahjong are there?
Dozens of regional variants exist, but four major styles dominate today: American, Chinese (with Hong Kong and Sichuan as the most widespread regional rules), Japanese Riichi, and Taiwanese 16-tile.
Which version is the original?
The Chinese game, developed in the mid-1800s in China. American, Japanese, and Taiwanese versions are all 20th-century adaptations.
Is mahjong solitaire the same as mahjong?
No. Mahjong solitaire is a single-player tile-matching puzzle game; the actual mahjong is a four-player game of skill and strategy. They only share the tile artwork.
Can the same tile set be used for all versions?
Some yes, some no. A 144-tile Chinese set can play most Chinese variants and Taiwanese (with extra tiles for 16-tile play). American Mahjong needs its own set with jokers. Japanese Riichi uses 136 tiles and excludes flowers.