Hong Kong Mahjong Rules

A complete reference for Hong Kong / Cantonese Mahjong — tiles, gameplay, winning conditions, and faan scoring.

Overview

Hong Kong Mahjong (also called Cantonese Mahjong) is the most common form of the game in Hong Kong, Guangdong, and overseas Cantonese communities. It is a four-player game using a 144-tile set. Players take turns drawing and discarding tiles, trying to complete a valid winning hand before anyone else.

Scoring uses a system called faan (番). The more valuable your winning hand, the more faan it is worth, and losing players pay more points accordingly.

The Tiles

Three Suits (108 tiles total — 4 of each)

• Characters / Man (萬子) — Tiles 1–9 in the character suit
• Bamboo / Bam (索子) — Tiles 1–9 in the bamboo suit
• Circles / Dots (筒子) — Tiles 1–9 in the circle suit

Honour Tiles (28 tiles)

• Winds (風牌) — East (東), South (南), West (西), North (北) — 4 of each
• Dragons (三元牌) — Red (中), Green (發), White (白) — 4 of each

Bonus Tiles (8 tiles)

• Flowers (花牌) — 4 tiles (Plum, Orchid, Chrysanthemum, Bamboo)
• Seasons (季牌) — 4 tiles (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter)

Setup

Players sit at compass positions: East, South, West, North. East deals and plays first. Seats rotate after each round. Each player draws 13 tiles to start. East draws 14 tiles and discards one to begin.

A Turn

1. Draw a tile from the wall (or claim a discard — see below).
2. If you can win, declare your winning hand.
3. Otherwise, discard one tile face-up into the center.

Claiming Discards

Before the next player draws, any player may claim the discard to complete a set:

• Pong (碰) — Any player can claim a discard to form a triplet (3 identical tiles). The set is placed face-up.
• Kong (槓) — Any player can claim a discard to form a quad (4 identical tiles). Place it face-up and draw a replacement tile from the end of the wall.
• Chow (吃) — Only the player directly downstream (to the left) of the discarder can Chow. Used to form a run of 3 consecutive tiles in the same suit.
• Win (和/胡) — Any player may claim the discard to complete a winning hand. Priority: Win > Pong/Kong > Chow.

Winning Conditions

A standard winning hand (一般胡牌) requires:

• 4 sets — each set is a run (三順) or triplet (刻子)
• 1 pair — any two matching tiles (雀頭 / eyes)

Total: 14 tiles (13 in hand + the final drawn or claimed tile).

In Hong Kong rules the minimum winning hand requires at least 3 faan. A hand scoring fewer than 3 faan is a Chicken Hand (雞糊) and pays the minimum (typically 1 faan, depending on the table rules agreed before the game).

Faan Scoring

Faan is the Hong Kong scoring unit. More faan = higher value. Common faan values:

Payment

When a player wins off a discard, only the discarder pays the winner. When a player wins by self-draw, all three opponents each pay the winner. East (the dealer seat) pays and receives double.

Dealer Rotation

If East wins or the round ends in a draw, East deals again and adds one extra counter to the table. Otherwise, the seat position rotates counterclockwise and the next player becomes East. A full round of four dealer positions is called a wind round; most games play one or two wind rounds.