Mahjong Variants

Mahjong is a family of games, not one game. Every variant shares the same core — build four sets and a pair — but each region grew its own rules, scoring culture and table etiquette. Here are the six that matter.

Variant	Origin	Tiles	Hand size	Difficulty	Popularity
🇯🇵 Riichi Mahjong	Japan	136	13	Intermediate	Very high
🇭🇰 Hong Kong Mahjong	Hong Kong / Canton	144	13	Beginner-friendly	High
🏛️ Chinese Classical Mahjong	China (historical international standard)	144	13	Intermediate	Medium
🇺🇸 American Mahjong	United States	152	13	Advanced	High
🇹🇼 Taiwanese Mahjong	Taiwan	144	16	Intermediate	Medium
🌶️ Sichuan Mahjong	Sichuan / Chengdu, China	108	13	Beginner-friendly	Medium

🇯🇵 Riichi Mahjong

The 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.

Also known as: Japanese Mahjong, Riichi

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Mahjong

The 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.

Also known as: Hong Kong Old Style, HKOS

🏛️ Chinese Classical Mahjong

The 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.

Also known as: Classical Chinese, Old Style Chinese

🇺🇸 American Mahjong

Jokers, 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.

Also known as: American Mah-Jongg, NMJL rules

🇹🇼 Taiwanese Mahjong

Sixteen 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.

Also known as: Taiwan 16-tile, Taiwanese 16

🌶️ Sichuan Mahjong

Chengdu'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.

Also known as: Sichuan Bloody Battle, Xue Zhan