5 ms·

Mahjong: A Visual Guide

247 points by iamwil 6mo ago

hunglee2 6mo ago
finally, a decent guide for proper Mahjong!
nyanmatt 6mo ago
One important note I didn’t see here: - For league play, the scoring hands change every year!
- johnhamlin 6mo ago
  I think you’re thinking of American mahjong. Which I can’t understand for the life of me how it’s gotten so popular. The ratio of luck to skill is completely upside down
- ZekeSulastin 6mo ago
  Doesn’t that only apply to American style?
olalonde 6mo ago
Really well made website. I played a few times in Shenzhen (slightly different rules), but it's difficult to find players willing to accommodate a beginner because Mahjong players typically play really fast (I'd say on average <1s per turn).
wavemode 6mo ago
Really lovely designed website. Though I get the sense that, typically the easiest way to learn how to play a game, is to walk through actually playing the game. Listing out a bunch of facts about how the game works is mostly just confusing for a newcomer - the brain doesn't retain that kind of information well. The example of this I often give is Magic: The Gathering. Very easy to learn how to play just by playing it with someone who knows. Very difficult to learn how to play if you start with a reference guide on how casting and the stack and priority and resolution works.
- nkrisc 6mo ago
  Any time someone starts explaining a new game to me I stop them and tell them to just start the game and walk me through it as we play. If I’m teaching someone a card game we’ll play open hand until they get it then start over. It’s kind of like a physical activity like riding a bike, you just gotta do it, not read about it.
- gyomu 6mo ago
  Related: Every Board Game Rulebook is Awful (100 page PDF) https://boardgametextbook.com/EBGRIA.pdf https://boardgametextbook.com/EBGRIA.pdf Overview here: https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/13453/blogpost/164134/every-board-game-rulebook-is-awful-the-essay https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/13453/blogpost/164134/every-b...
  - blue1 6mo ago
    Interesting... However, ironically, EBGRIA is awful too, in its own way. The typography is rudimentary.
FarhadG 6mo ago
Love it! Question for HN: I've seen more and more of these interactive explainers popping up recently. Given these are far more approachable to build due to LLM capabilities (e.g. Claude artifacts, open generative UI, etc.), what is the community reaction around having a product tailored for creating and distributing these experiences? I've been experimenting over the past 6 months with interactive educational materials and curious on the community sentiment around this topic.
jader201 6mo ago
Some (mostly American?) people know Mahjong as a solitaire game [1] that they likely have played on their phone or Windows PC/Mac. This article is talking about the (arguably less known?) 4-player competitive game [2], and assumes you already know the difference (which some may not). [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahjong_solitaire https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahjong_solitaire [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahjong https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahjong
- bfbf 6mo ago
  Probably it’s less popular in America, but it’s huge in Asia, so I doubt the solitaire version is more well known globally
  - jader201 6mo ago
    Yes, but most of HN is outside Asia, so I feel the clarification is helpful here.
  - phantomathkg 6mo ago
    Solitaire version should be pretty well known due to the computer game.
  - hdjrudni 6mo ago
    I only know the 4-player tile game, as a white dude from North America. But I only know from movies. I thought most people at least knew of it.
- yapyap 6mo ago
  Less known to the Western centric HN crowd, maybe.
  - kyleblarson 6mo ago
    I only have 2 data points, but my mom in the southeastern US (in her 70's) and all of her friends have started playing and are fully addicted and the same seems to be true at my golf club in Inland Northwest. Maybe it's getting a toehold? (in a very non-HN demographic)
lefra 6mo ago
> Every fan doubles your base points Did I miss it, or are the "base points" never explained?
- ww520 6mo ago
  Base point is like the minimum payout. All players agree upon a minimum payout (base point) ahead of time. E.g. $10 as the minimum for the first fan. A fan literally means doubling. A 4 fan win means the payout is $10x2x2x2=$80 from each losing party. It can go up very quickly.
  - b450 6mo ago
    We play with a base point being a dime or a quarter. Note also that the function from fan to points is subject to house rules, it's not always p(f) = 2^f (I've seen rules for example that start to "level off" the payout at higher fan values). I'd add the note that the whole strategy of mahjong really only gets interesting when you play repeated hands (a full game has at least 16 hands, with each player acting as the dealer once per prevailing wind) and when you're gambling (or otherwise tracking points). Most house rules also enforce a minimum fan value for a winning hand, banning the "chicken hand" which wins but scores no points. We play with a 2 fan minimum. If you just play for mahjong (i.e. a a hand that "wins" the round regardless of score), the game is a pretty uninteresting game of luck, and you're not incentivized to gun for the higher scoring hands.
    - ww520 6mo ago
      Yes. Many people set a limit on the maximum payout as doubling goes up very fast. A 8-fan win is $1280 payout, from each player. People usually limit the max to be 9 fan.
- otabdeveloper3 6mo ago
  [dead]
bfbf 6mo ago
Thank you for this. Playing with my in-laws I’m always completely baffled by the scoring!
tromp 6mo ago
I've known about Mahjong for decades but TIL it has many similarities to a game I play regularly, Rummykub. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rummikub https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rummikub describes it as combining elements of the card game rummy and Mahjong.
- Zababa 6mo ago
  Having played a lot of Rummikub with my grandparents and a lot of mahjong I'd say they feel pretty different.
  - hdjrudni 6mo ago
    Which is better/more fun? I only know Rummikub.
    - Zababa 6mo ago
      Mahjong to me feels faster paced, a bit more luck based, with higher highs and lower lows. Rummikub to me feels slower paced, less luck based. The scoring system in mahjong allows for way bigger differences in score than how I usually play Rummikub. Rummikub is easier to learn than mahjong. I personally prefer mahjong, I'd say both are sufficiently different to be worth trying. If I want to play a game I'd play mahjong, if I want a physical game I can play at home with diverse people I'd pick rummikub.
samarthv 6mo ago
I can finally learn this game!!!
comrade1234 6mo ago
There are so many different variations of the rules, especially scoring. Scoring can vary even from family to family. We've been learning for a few years now and still ignore things like prevailing winds and I don't remember what else off the top of my head. Basically we have a document of our own rules and we add to it as we get more advanced. Eventually we'll play with the winds and seasons and the goal is Hong Kong scoring.
- shlant 6mo ago
  just played with an American friend who was learning for the first time yesterday. The winds are by far the most annoying part. Not only is the order of them different than what most people are used to (ESWN vs NESW) but the points you get for each depend on what wind you are and this is on top of having to memorize the Chinese characters (although of course some sets number them). Great game but so many little special cases that can make it intimidating to learn. Don't even get me started on scoring when you are gambling (although the dynamics of who pays who and how much is interesting)
- Steve44 6mo ago
  I've been playing a few times a year with family and once we got over the steep learning curve we really enjoy it and play for many hours several times a year. What has helped a LOT is we've developed a double sided sheet we print out with the basic game mechanics, tiles, and scoring. It still needs some tweaking but means our rules[1] are clear and we can quickly refer to them as we're playing. We've a second sheet which shows the winds, once that's been decided we just just orientate it with the players. [1] We're very aware there are lots of sets of rules, we've just decided on the ones we consistently play.
  - Taikonerd 6mo ago
    I wish the rules were trimmed down a little. I feel like there's a really lovely tight game under all the accumulated house rules and finicky stuff. And the existing rules tend to scare off newbies. Interestingly, an experienced player proposed "Tibet rules," which are rules specifically for newbies that cut out a lot of the advanced mechanics: https://riichi.wiki/index.php?title=Tibet_rules&mobileaction=toggle_view_desktop https://riichi.wiki/index.php?title=Tibet_rules&mobileaction...
CJefferson 6mo ago
This is a really nice website! In China it turns out there are lots of rule sets. The city I'm currently living in (Changsha) has it's own ruleset for example, with less tiles than these examples.
- fortedoesnthack 6mo ago
  mahjong rulesets are wild. I play Japanese mahjong, and the difference between online and a mahjong parlor is quite different, making it interesting to see what people optimize for in those different settings I think mahjong is probably "house rules the game" though. Pretty sure most mahjong hands probably just were a result of some guy being like "hey this hand looks like it should be scored man".
  - t-3 6mo ago
    It's similar to dominos then - every region and cultural/ethnic group has their own variant, and every family has their own house rules. Or craps! I was so confused my first time playing in a casino after learning to play in the streets.
- djyde 6mo ago
  In my city, Guangdong, Cantonese mahjong doesn't allow chows, only pongs, and you need to self-draw to win.
- gs17 6mo ago
  Yeah, the grad students near me always play Sichuan-style, because it's simpler (only numbered tiles, scoring is a bit easier).
puterich123 6mo ago
Pretty cool site, we were trying to figure out the scoring system the other day. I don‘t think the replay button is needed though
flobosg 6mo ago
In the Kaiji manga, the “Minefield Mahjong” arc uses a variation of Japanese Mahjong. It can be read without knowing the general rules (as I did), but I guess they make some of the scenes more understandable and/or impactful. Maybe I’ll give it a reread after checking this out.
- ViscountPenguin 6mo ago
  The kaiji author is a massive riichi fanatic if I recall correctly.
  - flobosg 6mo ago
    Yes, he is! (Which explains other of his mangas, Akagi): > He has been playing mahjong since junior high school days, and admitted that though he has rarely lost a game when he was in school, his current level of ability is average. According to him, he has "tournament luck" and has even won mahjong tournaments between mahjong manga artists. He has also participated in professional mahjong matches. He played about two games against Akagi and Kaiji's voice actor Masato Hagiwara, who is known as one of the best mahjong players in the entertainment industry, and made Hagiwara say "I don't think I can beat him." ―https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobuyuki_Fukumoto https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobuyuki_Fukumoto
- chocochunks 6mo ago
  There are entire manga/anime centered around Mahjong, like Saki and the multitude of spin-offs. And there's many more than just those. If you have a Nintendo Switch, Clubhouse 51 games includes a pretty decent Riichi Mahjong mode that'll explain all the rules too.
- Zababa 6mo ago
  If you want to read manga for mahjong I'd say go straight for Akagi and Ten, by the same author. Akagi has a great anime adaptation that covers the first third. Both are excellent mangas in their own right, with or without understanding mahjong.
haunter 6mo ago
Some resources if you want to learn and player riichi, the japenese variant TLDR: Download both Mahjong Soul and Kemono and play a lot. If you don't understand something then look up on the riichi wiki or ask the mahjong reddit or the Mahjong Soul Discord. It's much much easier to learn riichi through a game then buying a set and sit down playing. Especially if it's 4 brand new players together. Mind you riichi/mahjong doesn't have rules like chess which are set in stone. There are local rules, competitions differ, video games play differently. The core rules are the same but there are many many optional rules. A lot of confusion comes from this. This is for example the comparison chart of popular riichi rulesets https://riichi.wiki/Comparison_of_popular_rulesets https://riichi.wiki/Comparison_of_popular_rulesets That being said the riichi wiki is pretty good and has info about basically everything https://riichi.wiki/Main_Page https://riichi.wiki/Main_Page https://www.reddit.com/r/Mahjong/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Mahjong/ is incredibly helpful for every ruleset not just riichi if you have questions like why I'm not winning (99 out of 100 times: no yaku) or which set to buy etc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlnC2rgIPrc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlnC2rgIPrc This video if you want to play IRL. How to setup the table, the tiles, when to draw from where. Video games has the problem of "hiding" certain elements of the gameplay like how to draw from the dead wall after a kan and replenishing it. This yaku, scoring, and teaching sheet for IRL play https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18hxO5DMVAqxSNV9VvpjAg6YjyPVAMzyS https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18hxO5DMVAqxSNV9VvpjA... If you play IRL then the Riichi compass that you can use both as a quick calculator and as the name implies a compass: you put down in the middle on a phone/tablet, set up a new game and after that you use it as an automatic score calculator https://riichi.onecomp.one/ https://riichi.onecomp.one/ https://discord.com/invite/mahjongsoul https://discord.com/invite/mahjongsoul if you have instant questions and need help The riichi book is the next step once you understand the game and wants to learn strategies https://dainachiba.github.io/RiichiBooks/ https://dainachiba.github.io/RiichiBooks/ As for where to play digitally: - https://mahjongsoul.game.yo-star.com/ https://mahjongsoul.game.yo-star.com/ Mahjong Soul which is a gacha game but that doesn't affect the gameplay, pure cosmetic. It has a decent tutorial, very good QoL features helping the gameplay, and a big playerbase for PvP for every rank and custom modes. You can also play 3 player riichi (sanma) and there are custom lobbies where you can play with friends and setup your own rules (I actually learned here with people on a Discord call) - https://www.mahjong-jp.com/ https://www.mahjong-jp.com/ Riichi City which is the newer and main competitior of Mahjong Soul. I haven't played that much here but some people prefer this but there aren't that many differences either. - https://tenhou.net/ https://tenhou.net/ (https://riichi.wiki/Tenhou.net https://riichi.wiki/Tenhou.net) which is popular in Japan. It has less players than Mahjong Soul but some people say at higher ranks there are better gameplay, more skillful players. ymmv if you watch japanese streamers or pros they usually both play Tenhou and Mahjong Soul and reaching the top is a lot of time so doesn't really affect new players. - https://cyberdog.ca/kemono-mahjong/ https://cyberdog.ca/kemono-mahjong/ Kemono is not the best game but it has 2 very big pros: arguably the best tutorial how to play. And it has offline mode against AI characters. So if you mostly play on phone and want to play riichi while hiking in the Himalayas then Kemono is probably the best choice. The non-traditonal portrait mode on phone is different compared to other clients - https://www.amatsukimahjong.com/en/ https://www.amatsukimahjong.com/en/ Has to mention this because it’s a good one where you can play multiple rulesets easily. HK, Taiwan, Riichi
doingthehula 6mo ago
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test1235 6mo ago
can someone explain this bit to me: Break the wall Whose wall? Count the total counter-clockwise starting from the dealer (East = 1). 東 East 1 · 5 · 9 南 South 2 · 6 · 10 西 West 3 · 7 · 11 北 North 4 · 8 · 12 East -> South -> West -> North - is that not clockwise? What am I missing?
- tovej 6mo ago
  No, south sits to the right of east, west to the right of south, and north to the right of west. All chinese card games go counter-clockwise. And the compass directions have a standard order, from 1-4: ESWN. Which is why the seat order is not the same as it would be on a compass.
- Steve44 6mo ago
  I think the problem is that website shows NESW going clockwise, is should be the other way. > N > E W > S (sorry about formatting)
vehemenz 6mo ago
I haven't played in years, and this was an excellent refresher. OP, can you please include Beijing rules?
mark_l_watson 6mo ago
A friend taught me and a few other friends how to play Mahjong early this year. Great game! You do need a skilled instructor and four people to play. This article is good, I wish that I had it five months ago.
- kadoban 6mo ago
  Riichi mahjong has a very common three player variant that is quite good.
jedimastert 6mo ago
I knew some of the basics of mahjong but didn't realize it was almost exactly like rummy, to the point that it would be very difficult to believe they aren't somehow related.
jepix 6mo ago
Awesome website! Here in Italy we also have our set of rules. It was pretty popular (and maybe still is) among elder people in Ravenna.
bns 6mo ago
https://www.mahjongpictureguide.com https://www.mahjongpictureguide.com for a more comprehensive visual guide
imba404 6mo ago
Mahjong is like religion. The variant you're most comfortable with is the one you were taught. And no one can agree which is the best.
derekchan 6mo ago
The Chinese for Hong Kong style "standard hand" is wrong. It should be 雞胡. Probably should be 0 fan too.
Jotalea 6mo ago
i was pretty confused until i realized this article is about the multiplayer version of this game, and not the solitaire version i've seen my whole life.
Jigsy 6mo ago
I didn't have much interest in Mahjong originally, but after playing Yakuza 0 back in 2016(?) I really got into it.
atlasagentsuite 5mo ago
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247 points by iamwil 6mo ago

hunglee2 6mo ago

finally, a decent guide for proper Mahjong!

nyanmatt 6mo ago

One important note I didn’t see here: - For league play, the scoring hands change every year!

johnhamlin 6mo ago
I think you’re thinking of American mahjong. Which I can’t understand for the life of me how it’s gotten so popular. The ratio of luck to skill is completely upside down
ZekeSulastin 6mo ago
Doesn’t that only apply to American style?

olalonde 6mo ago

Really well made website. I played a few times in Shenzhen (slightly different rules), but it's difficult to find players willing to accommodate a beginner because Mahjong players typically play really fast (I'd say on average <1s per turn).

wavemode 6mo ago

Really lovely designed website. Though I get the sense that, typically the easiest way to learn how to play a game, is to walk through actually playing the game. Listing out a bunch of facts about how the game works is mostly just confusing for a newcomer - the brain doesn't retain that kind of information well. The example of this I often give is Magic: The Gathering. Very easy to learn how to play just by playing it with someone who knows. Very difficult to learn how to play if you start with a reference guide on how casting and the stack and priority and resolution works.

nkrisc 6mo ago
Any time someone starts explaining a new game to me I stop them and tell them to just start the game and walk me through it as we play. If I’m teaching someone a card game we’ll play open hand until they get it then start over. It’s kind of like a physical activity like riding a bike, you just gotta do it, not read about it.
gyomu 6mo ago
Related: Every Board Game Rulebook is Awful (100 page PDF) https://boardgametextbook.com/EBGRIA.pdf https://boardgametextbook.com/EBGRIA.pdf Overview here: https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/13453/blogpost/164134/every-board-game-rulebook-is-awful-the-essay https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/13453/blogpost/164134/every-b...
- blue1 6mo ago
  Interesting... However, ironically, EBGRIA is awful too, in its own way. The typography is rudimentary.

FarhadG 6mo ago

Love it! Question for HN: I've seen more and more of these interactive explainers popping up recently. Given these are far more approachable to build due to LLM capabilities (e.g. Claude artifacts, open generative UI, etc.), what is the community reaction around having a product tailored for creating and distributing these experiences? I've been experimenting over the past 6 months with interactive educational materials and curious on the community sentiment around this topic.

jader201 6mo ago

Some (mostly American?) people know Mahjong as a solitaire game [1] that they likely have played on their phone or Windows PC/Mac. This article is talking about the (arguably less known?) 4-player competitive game [2], and assumes you already know the difference (which some may not). [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahjong_solitaire https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahjong_solitaire [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahjong https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahjong

bfbf 6mo ago
Probably it’s less popular in America, but it’s huge in Asia, so I doubt the solitaire version is more well known globally
- jader201 6mo ago
  Yes, but most of HN is outside Asia, so I feel the clarification is helpful here.
- phantomathkg 6mo ago
  Solitaire version should be pretty well known due to the computer game.
- hdjrudni 6mo ago
  I only know the 4-player tile game, as a white dude from North America. But I only know from movies. I thought most people at least knew of it.
yapyap 6mo ago
Less known to the Western centric HN crowd, maybe.
- kyleblarson 6mo ago
  I only have 2 data points, but my mom in the southeastern US (in her 70's) and all of her friends have started playing and are fully addicted and the same seems to be true at my golf club in Inland Northwest. Maybe it's getting a toehold? (in a very non-HN demographic)

lefra 6mo ago

> Every fan doubles your base points Did I miss it, or are the "base points" never explained?

ww520 6mo ago
Base point is like the minimum payout. All players agree upon a minimum payout (base point) ahead of time. E.g. $10 as the minimum for the first fan. A fan literally means doubling. A 4 fan win means the payout is $10x2x2x2=$80 from each losing party. It can go up very quickly.
- b450 6mo ago
  We play with a base point being a dime or a quarter. Note also that the function from fan to points is subject to house rules, it's not always p(f) = 2^f (I've seen rules for example that start to "level off" the payout at higher fan values). I'd add the note that the whole strategy of mahjong really only gets interesting when you play repeated hands (a full game has at least 16 hands, with each player acting as the dealer once per prevailing wind) and when you're gambling (or otherwise tracking points). Most house rules also enforce a minimum fan value for a winning hand, banning the "chicken hand" which wins but scores no points. We play with a 2 fan minimum. If you just play for mahjong (i.e. a a hand that "wins" the round regardless of score), the game is a pretty uninteresting game of luck, and you're not incentivized to gun for the higher scoring hands.
  - ww520 6mo ago
    Yes. Many people set a limit on the maximum payout as doubling goes up very fast. A 8-fan win is $1280 payout, from each player. People usually limit the max to be 9 fan.
otabdeveloper3 6mo ago
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bfbf 6mo ago

Thank you for this. Playing with my in-laws I’m always completely baffled by the scoring!

tromp 6mo ago

I've known about Mahjong for decades but TIL it has many similarities to a game I play regularly, Rummykub. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rummikub https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rummikub describes it as combining elements of the card game rummy and Mahjong.

Zababa 6mo ago
Having played a lot of Rummikub with my grandparents and a lot of mahjong I'd say they feel pretty different.
- hdjrudni 6mo ago
  Which is better/more fun? I only know Rummikub.
  - Zababa 6mo ago
    Mahjong to me feels faster paced, a bit more luck based, with higher highs and lower lows. Rummikub to me feels slower paced, less luck based. The scoring system in mahjong allows for way bigger differences in score than how I usually play Rummikub. Rummikub is easier to learn than mahjong. I personally prefer mahjong, I'd say both are sufficiently different to be worth trying. If I want to play a game I'd play mahjong, if I want a physical game I can play at home with diverse people I'd pick rummikub.

samarthv 6mo ago

I can finally learn this game!!!

comrade1234 6mo ago

There are so many different variations of the rules, especially scoring. Scoring can vary even from family to family. We've been learning for a few years now and still ignore things like prevailing winds and I don't remember what else off the top of my head. Basically we have a document of our own rules and we add to it as we get more advanced. Eventually we'll play with the winds and seasons and the goal is Hong Kong scoring.

shlant 6mo ago
just played with an American friend who was learning for the first time yesterday. The winds are by far the most annoying part. Not only is the order of them different than what most people are used to (ESWN vs NESW) but the points you get for each depend on what wind you are and this is on top of having to memorize the Chinese characters (although of course some sets number them). Great game but so many little special cases that can make it intimidating to learn. Don't even get me started on scoring when you are gambling (although the dynamics of who pays who and how much is interesting)
Steve44 6mo ago
I've been playing a few times a year with family and once we got over the steep learning curve we really enjoy it and play for many hours several times a year. What has helped a LOT is we've developed a double sided sheet we print out with the basic game mechanics, tiles, and scoring. It still needs some tweaking but means our rules[1] are clear and we can quickly refer to them as we're playing. We've a second sheet which shows the winds, once that's been decided we just just orientate it with the players. [1] We're very aware there are lots of sets of rules, we've just decided on the ones we consistently play.
- Taikonerd 6mo ago
  I wish the rules were trimmed down a little. I feel like there's a really lovely tight game under all the accumulated house rules and finicky stuff. And the existing rules tend to scare off newbies. Interestingly, an experienced player proposed "Tibet rules," which are rules specifically for newbies that cut out a lot of the advanced mechanics: https://riichi.wiki/index.php?title=Tibet_rules&mobileaction=toggle_view_desktop https://riichi.wiki/index.php?title=Tibet_rules&mobileaction...

CJefferson 6mo ago

This is a really nice website! In China it turns out there are lots of rule sets. The city I'm currently living in (Changsha) has it's own ruleset for example, with less tiles than these examples.

fortedoesnthack 6mo ago
mahjong rulesets are wild. I play Japanese mahjong, and the difference between online and a mahjong parlor is quite different, making it interesting to see what people optimize for in those different settings I think mahjong is probably "house rules the game" though. Pretty sure most mahjong hands probably just were a result of some guy being like "hey this hand looks like it should be scored man".
- t-3 6mo ago
  It's similar to dominos then - every region and cultural/ethnic group has their own variant, and every family has their own house rules. Or craps! I was so confused my first time playing in a casino after learning to play in the streets.
djyde 6mo ago
In my city, Guangdong, Cantonese mahjong doesn't allow chows, only pongs, and you need to self-draw to win.
gs17 6mo ago
Yeah, the grad students near me always play Sichuan-style, because it's simpler (only numbered tiles, scoring is a bit easier).

puterich123 6mo ago

Pretty cool site, we were trying to figure out the scoring system the other day. I don‘t think the replay button is needed though

flobosg 6mo ago

In the Kaiji manga, the “Minefield Mahjong” arc uses a variation of Japanese Mahjong. It can be read without knowing the general rules (as I did), but I guess they make some of the scenes more understandable and/or impactful. Maybe I’ll give it a reread after checking this out.

ViscountPenguin 6mo ago
The kaiji author is a massive riichi fanatic if I recall correctly.
- flobosg 6mo ago
  Yes, he is! (Which explains other of his mangas, Akagi): > He has been playing mahjong since junior high school days, and admitted that though he has rarely lost a game when he was in school, his current level of ability is average. According to him, he has "tournament luck" and has even won mahjong tournaments between mahjong manga artists. He has also participated in professional mahjong matches. He played about two games against Akagi and Kaiji's voice actor Masato Hagiwara, who is known as one of the best mahjong players in the entertainment industry, and made Hagiwara say "I don't think I can beat him." ―https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobuyuki_Fukumoto https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobuyuki_Fukumoto
chocochunks 6mo ago
There are entire manga/anime centered around Mahjong, like Saki and the multitude of spin-offs. And there's many more than just those. If you have a Nintendo Switch, Clubhouse 51 games includes a pretty decent Riichi Mahjong mode that'll explain all the rules too.
Zababa 6mo ago
If you want to read manga for mahjong I'd say go straight for Akagi and Ten, by the same author. Akagi has a great anime adaptation that covers the first third. Both are excellent mangas in their own right, with or without understanding mahjong.

haunter 6mo ago

Some resources if you want to learn and player riichi, the japenese variant TLDR: Download both Mahjong Soul and Kemono and play a lot. If you don't understand something then look up on the riichi wiki or ask the mahjong reddit or the Mahjong Soul Discord. It's much much easier to learn riichi through a game then buying a set and sit down playing. Especially if it's 4 brand new players together. Mind you riichi/mahjong doesn't have rules like chess which are set in stone. There are local rules, competitions differ, video games play differently. The core rules are the same but there are many many optional rules. A lot of confusion comes from this. This is for example the comparison chart of popular riichi rulesets https://riichi.wiki/Comparison_of_popular_rulesets https://riichi.wiki/Comparison_of_popular_rulesets That being said the riichi wiki is pretty good and has info about basically everything https://riichi.wiki/Main_Page https://riichi.wiki/Main_Page https://www.reddit.com/r/Mahjong/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Mahjong/ is incredibly helpful for every ruleset not just riichi if you have questions like why I'm not winning (99 out of 100 times: no yaku) or which set to buy etc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlnC2rgIPrc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlnC2rgIPrc This video if you want to play IRL. How to setup the table, the tiles, when to draw from where. Video games has the problem of "hiding" certain elements of the gameplay like how to draw from the dead wall after a kan and replenishing it. This yaku, scoring, and teaching sheet for IRL play https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18hxO5DMVAqxSNV9VvpjAg6YjyPVAMzyS https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18hxO5DMVAqxSNV9VvpjA... If you play IRL then the Riichi compass that you can use both as a quick calculator and as the name implies a compass: you put down in the middle on a phone/tablet, set up a new game and after that you use it as an automatic score calculator https://riichi.onecomp.one/ https://riichi.onecomp.one/ https://discord.com/invite/mahjongsoul https://discord.com/invite/mahjongsoul if you have instant questions and need help The riichi book is the next step once you understand the game and wants to learn strategies https://dainachiba.github.io/RiichiBooks/ https://dainachiba.github.io/RiichiBooks/ As for where to play digitally: - https://mahjongsoul.game.yo-star.com/ https://mahjongsoul.game.yo-star.com/ Mahjong Soul which is a gacha game but that doesn't affect the gameplay, pure cosmetic. It has a decent tutorial, very good QoL features helping the gameplay, and a big playerbase for PvP for every rank and custom modes. You can also play 3 player riichi (sanma) and there are custom lobbies where you can play with friends and setup your own rules (I actually learned here with people on a Discord call) - https://www.mahjong-jp.com/ https://www.mahjong-jp.com/ Riichi City which is the newer and main competitior of Mahjong Soul. I haven't played that much here but some people prefer this but there aren't that many differences either. - https://tenhou.net/ https://tenhou.net/ (https://riichi.wiki/Tenhou.net https://riichi.wiki/Tenhou.net) which is popular in Japan. It has less players than Mahjong Soul but some people say at higher ranks there are better gameplay, more skillful players. ymmv if you watch japanese streamers or pros they usually both play Tenhou and Mahjong Soul and reaching the top is a lot of time so doesn't really affect new players. - https://cyberdog.ca/kemono-mahjong/ https://cyberdog.ca/kemono-mahjong/ Kemono is not the best game but it has 2 very big pros: arguably the best tutorial how to play. And it has offline mode against AI characters. So if you mostly play on phone and want to play riichi while hiking in the Himalayas then Kemono is probably the best choice. The non-traditonal portrait mode on phone is different compared to other clients - https://www.amatsukimahjong.com/en/ https://www.amatsukimahjong.com/en/ Has to mention this because it’s a good one where you can play multiple rulesets easily. HK, Taiwan, Riichi

doingthehula 6mo ago

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test1235 6mo ago

can someone explain this bit to me: Break the wall Whose wall? Count the total counter-clockwise starting from the dealer (East = 1). 東 East 1 · 5 · 9 南 South 2 · 6 · 10 西 West 3 · 7 · 11 北 North 4 · 8 · 12 East -> South -> West -> North - is that not clockwise? What am I missing?

tovej 6mo ago
No, south sits to the right of east, west to the right of south, and north to the right of west. All chinese card games go counter-clockwise. And the compass directions have a standard order, from 1-4: ESWN. Which is why the seat order is not the same as it would be on a compass.
Steve44 6mo ago
I think the problem is that website shows NESW going clockwise, is should be the other way. > N > E W > S (sorry about formatting)

vehemenz 6mo ago

I haven't played in years, and this was an excellent refresher. OP, can you please include Beijing rules?

mark_l_watson 6mo ago

A friend taught me and a few other friends how to play Mahjong early this year. Great game! You do need a skilled instructor and four people to play. This article is good, I wish that I had it five months ago.

kadoban 6mo ago
Riichi mahjong has a very common three player variant that is quite good.

jedimastert 6mo ago

I knew some of the basics of mahjong but didn't realize it was almost exactly like rummy, to the point that it would be very difficult to believe they aren't somehow related.

jepix 6mo ago

Awesome website! Here in Italy we also have our set of rules. It was pretty popular (and maybe still is) among elder people in Ravenna.

bns 6mo ago

https://www.mahjongpictureguide.com https://www.mahjongpictureguide.com for a more comprehensive visual guide

imba404 6mo ago

Mahjong is like religion. The variant you're most comfortable with is the one you were taught. And no one can agree which is the best.

derekchan 6mo ago

The Chinese for Hong Kong style "standard hand" is wrong. It should be 雞胡. Probably should be 0 fan too.

Jotalea 6mo ago

i was pretty confused until i realized this article is about the multiplayer version of this game, and not the solitaire version i've seen my whole life.

Jigsy 6mo ago

I didn't have much interest in Mahjong originally, but after playing Yakuza 0 back in 2016(?) I really got into it.

atlasagentsuite 5mo ago

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