There are multiple ways to play the game of Mahjong, mostly based on the region in which you are playing the game. This article will focus on the 6 most common ways to play Mahjong, based on the rules of the following regions: China, Hong Kong, America, Europe, Taiwan and the ‘Riichi Competition’.

Official Chinese Mahjong

The official Chinese rules of Mahjong are generally accepted as the international rules of the game, and recognized by more players and competitions than any other Mahjong variation. The Chinese version uses 144 tiles, including all Suits and Honors (Wind, Dragon and Flower tiles). This, the oldest version of Mahjong, was introduced to the Americas around the 1920s under various titles.

Honk Kong Mahjong

The Hong Kong, or Cantonese, version of Mahjong, is much the same as its Chinese cousin, though the language difference does incur different names for certain aspects, like the melds themselves. The scoring is slightly different, and does not allow for multiple winners of a single hand by calling for the same winning discard tile.

American Mahjong

Americans have modernized the game of Mahjong, or Mahjongg as they refer to it, more than any other nationality. In the American version, the game includes Jokers, called Charleston tiles, extended melds of 5 or more tiles and the Chow meld. More traditional Mahjong players believe that American Mahjongg is so different, it no longer qualifies as a variant of Mahjong, but is a completely different game. American Mahjong is standardized by the American Mah-Jongg Association and the National Mah Jongg League.

European Mahjong

European Mahjong is based on the same rules as Chinese Mahjong, but with a few slight differences to the rules and scoring. Flower tiles are omitted, the Chow meld is allowed and two players cannot split the win claiming the same discarded tile.

Taiwanese Mahjong

The version of Mahjong most popular in Taiwan tends to stick to the hands of 16 tiles rule, rather than 13 tile hands as found in many other variations. Taiwanese Mahjong features successive dealing (if the dealer wins), extra bonuses for dealers and allows for more than one winner should two or more players require the same discarded tile to complete a winning hand.

Riichi Competition Mahjong

In Riichi competition rules, Mahjong is played without Flower, Season or Joker tiles. A player with a concealed hand in waiting may go out without using his last tile, instead declaring out loud “riichi” and placing the final discarded tile sideways on the table. If the Riichi tile is taken by another player to complete a winning hand, the Riichi hand is not a valid winner.