mahjong

Also known as mah-jongg, mahjongg

Mahjong is a tile-based game that was developed in the 19th century in China and has spread throughout the world since the early 20th century. It is played by four players (with three-player variations found in parts of China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and Southeast Asia). The game and its regional variants are played throughout the Sinosphere in East and Southeast Asia and have also become popular in Western countries. The game has been adapted into a widespread form of online entertainment. Similar to the Western card game rummy, mahjong is a game of skill, strategy, and luck. To distingu

AI overview

Mahjong is a tile-based game that originated in 19th-century China and has since spread worldwide, typically played by four players using skill, strategy, and luck in ways similar to the card game rummy. The game remains particularly popular throughout East and Southeast Asia and has become increasingly accessible through online versions and adaptations in Western countries.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Game.image: File:Mahjong game.jpg
Game.italic title: no
Game.name: Mahjong
Game.subject_name: Mahjong
Game.years: Late 19th century to present
Game.players: 3–4
Game.setup_time: 1–5 minutes
Game.playing_time: Dependent on variation or rules
Game.random_chance: Moderate
Game.skills: Tactics, observation, risk management, adaptive strategies
Chinese.pic: Mahjong (Chinese characters).svg
Chinese.piccap: "Mahjong" in Traditional (top) and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters
Chinese.picupright: 0.4
Chinese.t: 麻將
Chinese.s: 麻将
Chinese.gan: ma4-chiong4
Chinese.p: májiàng
Chinese.w: ma2-chiang4

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Image: Mahjong game.jpg

Show 4 more facts

Commons category: Mahjong
inception: 1900-00-00
Unicode character: 🀄
native label: 麻雀

Sources (5)

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~87 min read

Article

70 sections

Contents

Etymology
Old Hong Kong mahjong rules
Game equipment
Suited tiles
Honors tiles
Bonus tiles
Choosing table positions and first dealer
Hands, rounds, and matches
Dealing tiles
Shuffling tiles
Stacking tiles
Drawing tiles
Game play starts
Rules
Legal hand
Melds
Interruption of play
1. Flower or season
2. Melding by seizing a tile from another player's discard
3. Winning a hand
From a discard
From the wall
False win
4. Robbing a kong
Examples of winning hands
Repeated hands
Rhythm of play
Scoring
Concealed vs. revealed meld and hand
''Faan'' value
Basic ''faan'' value
Bonus ''faan''
Payment
Examples
Limit hands
Other examples of high-scoring hands
Variations
Chinese variants
Other variants
Equipment
Tables
Tiles
Wild cards and jokers
Flowers
Walls
Dice, markers, and counting pieces
Rules
Charleston
Hands
Ready hands
Draws
Abortive draws
Scoring
Points
Comparison
Competition
History
Mahjong in the West
Current development
Superstitions
Glossary
In popular culture
See also
Notes
References
Historical research
Chinese classic
Chinese official
Further reading
External links

The game is played with a set of 144 tiles based on Chinese characters and symbols, although regional variations may omit some tiles or add unique ones. In most variations, each player begins by receiving 13 tiles. In turn, players draw and discard tiles until they complete a legal hand using the 14th drawn tile to form four melds (or sets) and a pair (eye). A player can also win with a small class of special hands. While many variations of mahjong exist, most of them have basic rules in common including how a piece is drawn and discarded, the use of suits (numbered tiles) and honors (winds and dragons), the basic kinds of melds allowed, how to deal the tiles and the order of play. Beyond these basic common rules, numerous regional variations exist which may have different criteria for legal melds and winning hands, radically different scoring systems and even elaborate extra rules. A group of players may introduce their own house rules which can change the feel of play.