Hong Kong Mahjong
Play Hong Kong mahjong (Cantonese mahjong) online for free — 136 tiles, faan scoring, flowers and limit hands against smart AI. No download needed.
Mahjong Rules Guide
Select your preferred variant and learn its unique rules
Hong Kong Mahjong Rules
Classic Cantonese style, fan-based scoring, suitable for all ages
OOverview
Hong Kong Mahjong is the most popular variant in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Rules are relatively simple and suitable for all ages.
TTiles
Uses 144 tiles including three suits, four winds, three dragons, plus flower and season tiles.
WWinning
Usually 3 fan minimum. Patterns are relatively simple, including pinfu, toitoi, chinitsu, and tsuuiisou.
SScoring
Uses fan doubling system with different multipliers for different fan values. Self-draw and discard have different scoring.
Special Rules
Special features: chi and pon allowed, flowers score fan, relatively relaxed rules suitable for casual play.
Hong Kong mahjong is a four-player game played with 136 tiles (144 with flowers). You win by completing four melds and a pair; classic tables require at least 3 faan of scoring patterns, while this friendly table also allows chicken hands. Faan comes from dragon and seat-wind pungs, flowers, self-draw, all-pungs, one-suit hands and limit hands like Thirteen Orphans.
How to Play Hong Kong Mahjong
The draw-and-discard core is quick to learn — here is the flow:
- 1
Set up the walls
Four players build walls from 136 tiles plus 8 flowers and seasons, then draw 13 tiles each (dealer 14). Flowers are set aside and replaced from the dead wall.
- 2
Draw, discard, claim
On your turn, draw one tile and discard one. You may claim discards: a chow from the player to your left only, a pung or kong from anyone. A kong draws a replacement tile.
- 3
Complete four melds and a pair
Shape your 14 tiles into four melds (chows, pungs or kongs) plus one pair. Any standard shape can win — even a 1-faan chicken hand on this table.
- 4
Score in faan
Faan stacks from your patterns: dragon or seat-wind pungs, flowers, self-draw, all-pungs, one-suit hands and limit hands like Thirteen Orphans (13 faan). Payout doubles per faan up to the table cap.
Hong Kong Mahjong Rules
Classic Cantonese style, fan-based scoring, suitable for all ages
Overview
Hong Kong Mahjong is the most popular variant in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Rules are relatively simple and suitable for all ages.
Tiles
Uses 144 tiles including three suits, four winds, three dragons, plus flower and season tiles.
Winning
Usually 3 fan minimum. Patterns are relatively simple, including pinfu, toitoi, chinitsu, and tsuuiisou.
Scoring
Uses fan doubling system with different multipliers for different fan values. Self-draw and discard have different scoring.
Special Rules
Special features: chi and pon allowed, flowers score fan, relatively relaxed rules suitable for casual play.
This table plays Hong Kong Old Style (ching sek tradition): 136 tiles plus 8 flowers, chicken hands (1 faan) may win, and payouts use a fixed cap rather than unlimited doubling. Many real tables require a 3-faan minimum — see the FAQ below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have another question? Let us know.
What is the minimum faan to win?
Most real Hong Kong tables require at least 3 faan to declare a win — that is why a plain all-chow hand (1 faan) usually cannot win on its own. This table is friendlier: chicken hands (1 faan) may win. Tables that enforce a minimum usually choose 1, 2, 3 or 5 faan, and caps are usually 8, 10 or 13.
How do you play Hong Kong style mahjong?
Four players, 136 tiles (144 with flowers). Each turn you draw and discard; you can claim discards to make chows (from the left player only), pungs and kongs (from anyone). You win by completing four melds and a pair. Flowers are set aside and replaced from the dead wall; a kong also draws a replacement.
What's the difference between Hong Kong and Cantonese mahjong?
They are the same game under two names. "Cantonese mahjong" describes the regional style; "Hong Kong mahjong" (Hong Kong Old Style, HKOS) is the codified ruleset played in Hong Kong — same 136 tiles and faan scoring. Note this site also offers a separate Guangdong (Tui Dao Hu) table, which plays differently.
What's the difference between American and Hong Kong mahjong?
American Mah Jongg uses a yearly card of fixed hands, includes jokers, and has no chows. Hong Kong mahjong lets you build any four melds plus a pair, uses chows freely, has no jokers, and scores by faan.
Can I play Hong Kong mahjong with an American mahjong set?
Yes — the 136 standard tiles are the same. An American set adds jokers and drops the flowers and seasons, so agree up front whether jokers are removed, and play without flower faan.
Can you play Hong Kong mahjong with 2 players?
It is designed for four, but 2-player versions exist: some deal dummy hands for the missing seats, others play a two-hands variant. The wall shrinks fast, which is why few tables play it this way.
