How to Play Mahjong Online

A beginner-friendly guide to Hong Kong Mahjong — and how to play it right in your browser.

What Is Mahjong?

Mahjong is a tile-based strategy game with roots in 19th-century China. Four players take turns drawing and discarding tiles, racing to build a winning hand of four sets and a pair. Table Mahjong uses Hong Kong / Cantonese rules — the most widely played variant worldwide — with traditional faan scoring.

If you have never played before, do not worry. Table Mahjong includes a solo mode where three AI opponents fill in, so you can learn at your own pace without holding anyone up.

The Tiles

A standard Hong Kong Mahjong set has 144 tiles across three suits and three special groups:

• Characters (萬子) — numbered 1–9, marked with Chinese numerals
• Bamboo (索子) — numbered 1–9, showing bamboo stalks
• Circles (筒子) — numbered 1–9, depicted as circles
• Winds (風牌) — East, South, West, North (4 of each)
• Dragons (三元牌) — Red (中), Green (發), White (白) (4 of each)
• Bonus tiles — Flowers and Seasons (8 total, set aside when drawn)

Setting Up a Game

When you open Table Mahjong, choose Solo Play to play with AI opponents, or Create Room to start a private game with friends. In solo mode the game deals automatically and seats you as East (the first dealer).

Each player starts with 13 tiles. East draws an extra tile and plays first. The goal is to reach 14 tiles arranged as a winning hand before your opponents do.

Taking Your Turn

On each turn you either draw a tile from the wall or claim a tile a previous player discarded. After picking up your tile, you discard one tile face-up into the center. Play passes to the left.

You can claim a discarded tile to complete a set — but only in certain ways:

• Pong (碰) — Claim any discard to make a triplet. Any player can call Pong.
• Kong (槓) — Claim a discard to make a quad. Draw a replacement tile from the end of the wall.
• Chow (吃) — Claim the discard from the player on your left only, to complete a run of three consecutive tiles in the same suit.
• Win (和牌) — Claim any discard that completes your hand. Announce your win and reveal your tiles.

How to Win

A standard winning hand has 4 sets + 1 pair. A set is either a run (three consecutive tiles of the same suit) or a triplet (three identical tiles). The pair can be any matching two tiles.

Winning by drawing your own tile (self-draw) earns a bonus. Certain special hands — like all-pong, mixed terminals, or a clean suit — also score extra faan. See the full rules guide for scoring details.

Playing on Table Mahjong

Table Mahjong renders a fully 3D game table. Your 13 tiles sit in your rack at the bottom of the screen. Tap or click a tile to select it, then click the discard area (or press a hotkey) to discard. Claim buttons appear automatically when a discard is available for you to take.

In multiplayer, you share a private room link with up to three friends. Any empty seats are filled by AI players, so the game never has to wait for a full table.