Mahjong Wiki: Tiles, Terms and Culture
Explore mahjong tile meanings, terminology, regional forms, cultural history, special hands, and practical details in one connected reference library.
- Tiles
- Terms
- Culture
34 entries
Browse connected definitions, tile references, regional forms, and cultural context.
13 Orphans Mahjong: Tiles, Waits & Scoring
Build 13 Orphans Mahjong correctly with all 6 terminals, 4 winds, and 3 dragons. Learn the duplicate, 13-way wait, scoring differences, and pursuit strategy.
Open entryAmerican Mahjong Card 2026: How to Read It
Understand the 2026 American Mah Jongg card, official NMJL sizes and prices, notation, suit colors, hand groups, concealed lines, 2025 cards, and copyright.
Open entryAmerican vs Chinese Mahjong: Key Differences
Compare American vs Chinese mahjong across tile counts, winning hands, annual cards, jokers, flowers, calls, scoring, equipment, and learning curves today.
Open entryChinese Dominoes Mahjong: Key Differences
Compare Chinese dominoes and Mahjong by tile count, markings, history, and play. Learn why Pai Gow pieces are not Mahjong tiles despite a shared tile format.
Open entryClassic Chinese Mahjong: Rules & Setup
Learn classic Chinese Mahjong without mixing variants: identify the shared 136-tile core, set up 4 players, form 4 sets and a pair, and choose a scoring code.
Open entryFilipino Mahjong Rules and Table Guide
Learn Filipino Mahjong’s common 16-tile structure, five-set winning hand, calls, flower replacements, optional jokers, scoring, and essential house rules.
Open entryHow Many Tiles in Mahjong? 136, 144 & 152
Find how many tiles are in Chinese, riichi, and American mahjong sets, with exact 136-, 144-, and 152-tile breakdowns plus flowers, jokers, and spares.
Open entryJewish Mahjong: American History and Play
Explore Jewish Mah Jongg history: the 1937 League, annual card, women’s clubs, community life, and why the game is shared rather than exclusively Jewish.
Open entryMahjong Dice: Rolls, Wall Breaks and Variants
Learn how Mahjong dice assign seats, choose a wall, locate the break, and support fair setup, with clear examples and variant differences for beginners.
Open entryMahjong Dora: Indicators, Ura and Kan Guide
Learn Mahjong dora with indicator sequences, kan dora, ura dora, red fives, and worked counts. Understand why each bonus adds han but cannot replace a yaku.
Open entryMahjong Dragon Tiles: Red, Green & White
Identify red, green, and white mahjong dragon tiles, then learn their counts, sets, scoring, American suit links, white dragon designs, and common mistakes.
Open entryMahjong Flower Tiles: Names, Counts & Rules
Learn mahjong flower tile names, seat numbers, replacement draws, and scoring, including why Chinese, American, riichi, and regional rules use them differently.
Open entryMahjong for Seniors: A Comfortable Start
Start Mahjong for seniors with readable tiles, shorter sessions, accessible table setup, gentle teaching, social play, and clear safety and memory-support tips.
Open entryMahjong Furiten: The Complete Riichi Rule
Understand Mahjong furiten with discard, temporary, and Riichi cases. Learn why every ron wait is blocked, when furiten clears, and why tsumo still works.
Open entryIs Mahjong Good for the Brain? Evidence
Review evidence on Mahjong and brain health, including attention, executive function, social engagement, study limits, dementia claims, and safer expectations.
Open entryMahjong History: Origins, Myths & Spread
Trace mahjong history from nineteenth-century China to its variants, with an evidence-based timeline that separates documented origins from popular myths.
Open entryMahjong Joker Rules, Uses & Exchanges
Learn Mahjong joker rules for American play: use 8 wild tiles in eligible groups, avoid singles and pairs, exchange exposed jokers, and prevent dead hands.
Open entryMahjong Kong: Types, Rules & Bonus Draws
Learn what a Mahjong kong is, compare concealed, called, and promoted kongs, follow replacement-draw rules, understand robbing a kong, and avoid timing errors.
Open entryMahjong Numbers: Read Every Suit 1-9
Learn Mahjong numbers 1-9 across Dots, Bamboos, and Characters. Recognize unindexed tiles, build legal sequences, read American card numbers, and avoid mix-ups.
Open entryMahjong Seat Wind: Value and Rotation
Learn Mahjong seat wind positions, dealer rotation, round wind differences, yakuhai value, double-wind scoring, and how to identify your seat each hand.
Open entryMahjong Suits: Dots, Bamboo & Characters
Learn the 3 mahjong suits—Dots, Bamboo, and Characters—including ranks, tile counts, sequences, terminals, American names, red fives, and sanma rules.
Open entryMahjong Symbolism: Tiles, Meanings and Myths
Decode Mahjong symbolism across Dots, Bamboo, Characters, winds, dragons, flowers, and seasons while separating tile function, history, and modern myths.
Open entryMahjong Terminology: 40 Essential Terms
Use this mahjong terminology guide to learn 40 essential tile, hand, call, scoring, riichi, and American terms with clear variant labels and examples.
Open entryMahjong Tiles Meaning, Names & Materials
Identify every mahjong tile by name and function: dots, bamboo, characters, winds, dragons, flowers, seasons, jokers, symbolism, counts, and materials.
Open entryMahjong Winds: Tiles, Seats & Round Wind
Learn mahjong winds from East, South, West, and North tiles to seat wind, round wind, scoring, rotation, American NEWS notation, and wind indicators clearly.
Open entryMahjong Yaku Guide: Riichi Patterns and Han
Learn Mahjong yaku by value and hand state. Use this beginner Riichi Mahjong yaku list to distinguish legal winning patterns, han, dora, and yakuman today.
Open entryRummy Mahjong: Meaning, Rules and Differences
Understand Rummy Mahjong: why Mahjong is compared with rummy, how tile-rummy shedding games work, and how both differ from four-player Mahjong and solitaire.
Open entrySiamese Mahjong: Two-Player Rules & Setup
Learn Siamese Mahjong for 2 players: set up 2 racks each, manage 27 tiles, skip the Charleston, build 2 card hands, and avoid common rule errors today.
Open entryTypes of Mahjong: 8 Major Variants Compared
Compare major types of mahjong by tiles, hand size, scoring, jokers, and signature rules, then distinguish four-player variants from mahjong solitaire.
Open entryWhat Is a Bam in Mahjong? Tile Guide
Learn what a Bam is in American Mah Jongg, how to identify Bamboo tiles 1–9, why One Bam looks like a bird, and how card colors differ from suits in play.
Open entryWhat Is a Chow in Mahjong? Rules & Examples
A chow in Mahjong is 3 consecutive numbers in 1 suit. See valid runs, learn who may claim a discard, compare chows with pungs, and avoid American-rule mix-ups.
Open entryWhat Is a Pung in Mahjong? Rules & Examples
A pung in Mahjong is 3 identical tiles. See examples, learn concealed and exposed pungs, compare claim and scoring rules, and avoid confusing pungs with chows.
Open entryWhat Is American Mahjong?
Learn what American Mah Jongg is, including its 152 tiles, annual card, Charleston, jokers, racks, legal hands, and key differences from Chinese play.
Open entryWhat Is Riichi Mahjong?
Learn what Riichi Mahjong is: its 136 tiles, yaku, Riichi declaration, dora, furiten, closed-hand choices, scoring, and differences from other variants.
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