Mahjong
Tile & Domino Games · 9 specs
Direct Answer
Mahjong is a 4-player tile-matching game originating in China, played with 136 or 144 tiles across Suits (Dots, Bamboo, Characters) and Honors (Winds and Dragons). The objective is to build a winning 14-tile hand composed of four melds (Chows/sequences or Pungs/triplets) and one pair, with official Japanese Riichi rules requiring at least one valid Yaku (scoring condition).
Source: World Mahjong Organization / European Riichi Mahjong Association (WRC Rules) · Last reviewed Aug 28, 2026
Specs
| Standard Tile Count | 136 (Riichi) or 144 (Chinese with Flowers) tiles |
| Suit Tiles (Dots, Bams, Craks) | 108 tiles (4 of each 1–9) |
| Wind Honor Tiles (E, S, W, N) | 16 tiles (4 of each wind) |
| Dragon Honor Tiles (G, R, W) | 12 tiles (4 Green, Red, White) |
| Bonus Flower & Season Tiles | 8 tiles (Chinese / American sets) |
| Starting Hand Size | 13 tiles (Dealer starts with 14) |
| Winning Hand Structure | 4 Melds + 1 Pair 14 tiles total |
| Riichi Tile Dimensions | 26 × 19 × 16 to 28 × 21 × 16.5 mm (compact) |
| Chinese Large Tile Size | 34 × 25 × 19 to 38 × 28 × 21 mm (heavy) |
Standard 144-Tile Composition
A full Mahjong set contains 144 tiles divided into three categories:
- Suited Tiles (108 total): Three suits — Dots (Pin), Bamboo (Sou), Characters (Man). Numbers 1 to 9, four copies of each.
-
Honor Tiles (28 total): –4 Wind suits: East, South, West, North (4 copies each = 16 tiles). –3 Dragons: Green (Hatsu), Red (Chun), White (Haku) (4 copies each = 12 tiles).
-
Flower & Season Tiles (8 total): Optional in Riichi, standard in Chinese Classical and American Mahjong.
Basic Melds: Chow, Pung, and Kong
- Chow (Chi): Three consecutive numbered tiles of the same suit (e.g., 4-5-6 Dots). Can only be claimed from the player on your left.
- Pung (Pon): Three identical tiles of the same suit or honor (e.g., three Red Dragons). Can be claimed from any player.
- Kong (Kan): Four identical tiles. Functions as a triplet for meld count and allows drawing a replacement tile from the dead wall.
Japanese Riichi Standards & The Yaku Requirement
Unlike Chinese Mahjong where any 4 melds + 1 pair can declare Mahjong, Riichi Mahjong requires a 'Yaku' (a specific scoring pattern). Common basic Yaku include:
- Riichi: Declaring 'ready' hand while fully concealed (costs 1,000 points stick).
- Tanyao (All Simples): Hand containing only numbers 2 through 8 (no 1s, 9s, Winds, or Dragons).
- Yakuhai: Pung/Kong of Dragons, Round Wind, or Seat Wind.
- Pinfu: Fully concealed hand of 4 Chows with a two-sided wait and no point-bearing pair.