Learn Mahjong, Free
Six ways to play, 43 tiles to meet, and every rule explained like a friend would — over the shoulder, not over your head. No signup. No paywall.
The Ways to Play
Mahjong is a family of games, and the differences run deep. Here's every major variant — what it plays like, who it suits, and where its community lives so you can keep reading after you finish ours.
🇯🇵 Riichi Mahjong
IntermediateThe most-played mahjong variant online, and the deepest competitive scene anywhere. You declare riichi, hunt dora tiles, and — just as often — fold your hand to keep from paying someone else's win.
- ✓Biggest online ecosystem — a table in seconds on Mahjong Soul or Tenhou
- ✓Every hand needs a yaku, so you always have a clear plan to work toward
- ✓Defense is half the game: reading discards is a skill you'll actually train
Keep reading elsewhere
🇭🇰 Hong Kong Mahjong
Beginner-friendlyThe version most people picture when they hear 'mahjong': flower tiles on the table, a 3-fan minimum to win, and games that move at tea-house speed. If you're learning to play with family, this is almost certainly the ruleset you want.
- ✓The friendliest ruleset to learn — most tables pick it up in one evening
- ✓Flower tiles pay instant bonuses, so new players score points before their first win
- ✓The default ruleset of Chinese family gatherings worldwide
Keep reading elsewhere
🏛️ Chinese Classical Mahjong
IntermediateThe 1920s ruleset that carried mahjong from Shanghai tea houses to the rest of the world. Flowers score, big hands pay a fixed 1,000-point cap, and nearly every quirk in other variants traces back to here.
- ✓The historical root — learning it explains where every other variant's rules came from
- ✓Big limit hands (Thirteen Orphans, Four Concealed Pungs) are part of the canon
- ✓Still the club standard in parts of Europe and North America
Keep reading elsewhere
🇺🇸 American Mahjong
AdvancedJokers, the Charleston pass, and a fresh list of legal hands every April. American mahjong is a league game run by the National Mah Jongg League — learn the card and you have a community center full of potential opponents.
- ✓The dominant variant in US community centers and leagues
- ✓Jokers make for dramatic, high-scoring hands you can't build anywhere else
- ✓The annual NMJL card means the game refreshes itself every April
Keep reading elsewhere
🇹🇼 Taiwanese Mahjong
IntermediateSixteen tiles in hand, five sets to a win, and score charts that climb far higher than Hong Kong's. Everything feels one size bigger here — including the swings when someone wins big off you.
- ✓Bigger hands and bigger payouts — 10+ tai wins happen at ordinary tables
- ✓The 16-tile hand rewards reading the game, not just your own tiles
- ✓Transfers directly from Hong Kong rules — the tile logic is identical
Keep reading elsewhere
🌶️ Sichuan Mahjong
Beginner-friendlyChengdu's tea-house game: no honor tiles, no chows, no deal-ins — and the hand doesn't stop at the first winner. In bloody battle, play continues until three people have won. Nobody leaves early; somebody leaves broke.
- ✓The fastest variant going — smaller deck, two call types, no scoring charts
- ✓Bloody battle keeps everyone playing: three winners per hand, not one
- ✓You can't lose points by discarding — only by never winning
Keep reading elsewhere
Not Sure? Start From Your Situation
| I want ranked online play tonight | → Riichi | Biggest online ecosystem — a table in seconds |
| Family gathering / relatives play it | → Hong Kong | The default Chinese-family ruleset worldwide |
| Joined a league or community center | → American | Runs on the NMJL card your league uses |
| We're only three at the table | → Sanma / Sichuan | Real, sanctioned 3-player formats |
Learn Your Way
Read the rules
Six complete rule guides, each readable in one sitting and usable at your next game.
Master the tiles
All 43 tiles with pictures and playing notes — the part everyone skims, done properly.
Quiz yourself
Timed speed rounds and instant explanations — losing a quiz is studying.
Talk the talk
Forty-plus mahjong terms decoded, from chow to yaku to bloody battle.
Go deeper
Variant comparisons, beginner roadmaps and honest answers to the questions everyone asks.
Start With the Tiles
Tile literacy transfers to every variant. Meet the icons of the set:
See all 43 tiles →Frequently Asked Questions
▸Is OpenMahjong really free?
Yes. Every guide, every tile page, every glossary entry — free, no signup, no paywall. Unobtrusive sidebar ads cover the hosting bill, and that's the whole business model.
▸Which mahjong variant should a beginner learn?
Most beginners start with Hong Kong mahjong — friendliest rules, most familiar look. If you'd rather play online, learn riichi instead; it powers the biggest platforms. Our variant pages rate the difficulty of each so you can judge for yourself.
▸What's the difference between mahjong and mahjong solitaire?
Mahjong is a four-player strategy game of building winning hands. Mahjong solitaire is a single-player tile-matching puzzle that borrowed the tiles and nothing else. Our blog explainer untangles the whole confusion.
▸How many tiles are in a mahjong set?
Depends who's playing: 136 for riichi, 144 for most Chinese variants, 152 for American (jokers included), 108 for Sichuan. The tile guide covers every tile in the standard set.
▸Do I need four people to learn mahjong?
No. The tiles, hand shapes and scoring are all learnable solo — guides first, solitaire for tile speed, online clients for your first real games. Most players meet their first human table after a few evenings of reading.
Pick a table. Learn it tonight.
Every guide here is written to be read once and used for years. The only thing missing is your first hand.
Choose Your Variant