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Hong Kong Mahjong Rules
Quick answer
Hong Kong mahjong rules follow the classic Chinese game: 4 players, 144 tiles and no jokers. You win with 14 tiles: 4 sets and a pair. Your hand must also score enough faan, or points. Most games need at least 3 faan to win. Each faan about doubles the payout.
At a glance
- Players: 4
- Tiles: 144, or 136 without the flowers
- To win: 14 tiles, made of 4 sets and a pair
- Faan to win: 3 in most games
- Top limit: 13 faan, often capped at 8 or 10
What are the basic Hong Kong mahjong rules?
Hong Kong mahjong uses the same tiles and sets as classic Chinese mahjong. The big difference is scoring.
- Tiles: a 144-tile set with no jokers. Some games skip the 4 flowers and 4 seasons and play with 136.
- Your hand: 13 tiles. The dealer, East, starts with 14.
- To win: 14 tiles that make 4 sets and a pair.
A pair is 2 matching tiles. Each set is a pung, a kong or a chow. A pung is 3 matching tiles, and a kong is 4. A chow is 3 tiles in a row in one suit.
The hand in the picture has two chows, two pungs and a pair of red dragons. In Hong Kong play, a full hand is not enough. It must also score enough faan.
How do you play Hong Kong mahjong?
You play by taking a tile and throwing one away, turn by turn, until someone wins.
- Set up. Build a square wall of face-down tiles. The dealer rolls 2 or 3 dice to find where to break it. Then deal.
- East goes first. The dealer has 14 tiles, so East starts by throwing one away face up. A tile you throw away is called a discard.
- Take a tile. On your turn, draw from the wall. Or claim the last discard.
- Know who you can claim from. Claim a chow only from the player on your left. Claim a pung, a kong or a win from anyone.
- Throw one away. Discard one tile to end your turn. Then the player on your right goes.
Two more rules come up a lot. When you make a kong, take a new tile from the end of the wall. When you draw a flower or season, set it aside and draw a new tile.
For a longer walkthrough, see how to play Chinese mahjong.
How does faan scoring work?
Faan are the points in Hong Kong scoring. Each faan about doubles what a hand pays.
- Faan to win: most games need at least 3 faan. Your table can agree on a different number.
- Top limit: 13 faan is the usual top. Many tables cap it lower, at 8 or 10 faan.
Here are three ways to earn 1 faan each:
- Self-draw: you draw your winning tile from the wall yourself.
- Your own flower: you hold the flower or season with your seat's number. The numbers are 1 East, 2 South, 3 West and 4 North.
- No flowers: you win with no flowers or seasons at all.
Other hand patterns score faan too, so ask for your table's list. To compare styles, see how to score mahjong.
Who pays the winner?
- Win on a discard: the player who threw your winning tile pays. Tables agree if that player pays all of it or half.
- Win by self-draw: all three other players pay.
Tip: Rules change from table to table. Before the first hand, agree on flowers, the faan you need to win, the top limit and who pays.
Ready to play Hong Kong style?
Our Chinese sets have the 144 tiles you need to play by Hong Kong rules.
Questions people ask
Are Cantonese mahjong rules the same as Hong Kong rules?
Cantonese mahjong is another name people use for the Hong Kong style. House rules still change from table to table, so ask first.
Is there a Hong Kong mahjong rules PDF?
You can print this page. Add your table's faan minimum and top limit so everyone plays the same way.
Can you play Hong Kong mahjong with an American set?
Yes. An American set is the standard 144-tile set plus 8 jokers. Leave out the jokers and any spare tiles.
How is Hong Kong scoring different from the Chinese Official rules?
The Chinese Official rules, called MCR, need at least 8 points to win, not counting flowers. Most Hong Kong games need 3 faan.