The shuffled stack of tiles that players draw from during the round.
Rules guide
Learn the flow before you sit down at the table.
A compact HK Mahjong guide for live table play.
4 players East starts, then winds rotate through the table.
14 tiles to win Usually four groups and one pair, with some special hands.
Basics
What HK Mahjong is
HK Mahjong is a four-player game of draws, discards, and claims. Build a legal hand before the wall runs out.
A round begins after dealing and ends with a win or a draw.
The tiles a player holds privately in front of them.
Each player is assigned East, South, West, or North for the round.
The table wind for the current stretch of play, usually starting at East.
House rules vary, especially for flowers, faan minimums, and special hands.
Tiles
Know the tile families first
Most sets use suits, honors, and flowers. Flowers are usually declared and replaced.
Numbered suit tiles from 1 to 9.
Numbered suit tiles from 1 to 9.
Numbered suit tiles from 1 to 9.
East, South, West, and North.
Red, green, and white honor tiles.
Usually declared immediately and replaced. House rules can score them differently.
Groups
These are the building blocks of a hand
A regular winning hand is usually four groups and one pair.
Chow
Three consecutive suit tiles, such as 3-4-5 bamboo.
Pung
Three identical tiles.
Kong
Four identical tiles. After declaring it, draw a replacement tile.
Pair
Two identical tiles used to finish a regular winning hand.
Goal of the round
Finish a legal hand before anyone else. Some tables also allow special hands such as Seven Pairs or Thirteen Orphans.
Setup
How a round begins
Set winds, deal tiles, replace flowers, and let East open the round.
- 1
Seat four players and assign winds. East starts, then South, West, and North.
- 2
Build the wall and deal 13 tiles to each player. East begins with 14 tiles.
- 3
Declare any flowers or seasons and replace them from the back of the wall.
- 4
Play starts with East, who discards after reviewing the opening hand.
Turns
What happens on your turn
The turn loop is simple: draw, resolve actions, discard.
Start your turn by drawing one tile from the wall.
If your draw completes a flower or kong, reveal it first and take the replacement tile when required.
End your turn by discarding one tile face up for the table to see.
Kongs and flowers usually draw replacements from the back of the wall.
Claims
How discard claims work
When a tile is discarded, one player may claim it. Priority is win, kong, pung, then chow.
If the discard completes your hand, you can call win immediately.
If the discard completes four of a kind, reveal the matching tiles and draw from the back.
If the discard completes three of a kind, reveal the pair from your hand and claim it.
Only the player next in turn may chow, and only with a suited sequence.
Chow is the most restricted claim: next player only, and only for a suited sequence.
Round end
When the hand stops
The round ends with a win or a draw. Then scores settle and the next hand begins.
A completed hand ends the round immediately and goes to scoring.
If the playable wall runs out first, the round is a draw and usually no one scores a win.
Some tables rotate every hand. Others keep East on a win streak. Confirm the table rule first.
This app helps record live play. Your table still decides local rule variations.