If one guide tells you to remove matching pairs and another tells you to draw and discard tiles, you have not missed a step. You are reading about different games.
Choose the version before learning the rules. Mahjong Solitaire is a solo matching puzzle. Multiplayer mahjong involves building hands against other players, and the rules differ between traditions and individual rulesets. This guide helps you choose a ruleset, recognize common tile terms, and try one example under the World Riichi Championship (WRC) 2022 rules. The shared terms below are not a complete ruleset.
Find your starting point
| What you recognize | Where to start |
|---|---|
| A stacked layout that you clear by removing matching pairs | Mahjong Solitaire |
| A group referring to an annual card of approved hands and using jokers | Ask whether they play American mahjong under National Mah Jongg League rules |
| A group calling its game Chinese mahjong | Ask for the specific variant and scoring rules |
| Riichi, yaku and dora in the instructions | Japanese riichi mahjong; confirm the particular ruleset |
How to play mahjong: common tile terms
Many four-player variants use a draw-and-discard rhythm, but their wall, calls, winning hands and scoring can differ. American mahjong uses its annual card and jokers; WRC riichi needs a yaku to win. Use the table to learn vocabulary, then follow the ruleset your group actually plays.
| Element | What it is |
|---|---|
| The tiles | A standard set has 144 tiles: three suits (dots, bamboos, characters) numbered 1 to 9 with four copies of each, 108 in all; 16 wind tiles; 12 dragon tiles; and 8 bonus tiles, four flowers and four seasons. Riichi sets leave out the bonus tiles and use 136. |
| The walls | In a 144-tile setup, four walls of 18 two-high stacks hold the tiles. WRC riichi uses 136 tiles and a different wall/dead-wall procedure; use its rulebook for setup. |
| Your hand | In WRC riichi, you normally hold 13 tiles, draw to 14 and discard back to 13. Calls and wins change that simple count. |
| The goal | Four three-tile groups and a pair is a common 14-tile shape, but it is not every variant’s complete winning rule. Riichi also has special hand shapes and requires at least one yaku; the American card specifies different hands. |
| Melds | A chow is three suited tiles in sequence, a pung is three identical tiles, a kong is four identical tiles. |
| Claiming discards | Calls and their priority depend on the ruleset. In WRC riichi, a sequence call takes a discard only from the player before you in turn order; calling also opens your hand and may remove a possible yaku. |
| Turn order | In WRC riichi, play moves counter-clockwise: draw from the live wall, then discard face up. A permitted call interrupts that order. |
Those are orientation terms, not enough to set up and score a game. The WRC rulebook supplies the concrete riichi example below; the 144-tile composition is also described in Wikipedia’s overview.
Mahjong for beginners: a first-session plan
- Name the version. Ask your host or teacher which rules the table uses and note the rulebook or card year. Everything else depends on it.
- Learn the tile faces first. Sort a set into suits, winds, dragons and bonus tiles before anyone deals. If you only have a screen, our Solitaire game uses mahjong-inspired tiles and is a low-pressure way to get used to the designs, though it teaches no multiplayer rule.
- Try a teaching hand. If everyone keeps tiles face up and skips scoring, call it a practice exercise, not a legal game of riichi or American mahjong. Talk through each draw and discard.
- Add claiming. Once the loop is comfortable, start claiming discards for pungs and kongs, then chows where the version allows them, and practice the priority rule.
- Learn the win check before scoring totals. Bring the group’s own yaku chart or card and check whether a hand may win. Let an experienced player tally the points in early sessions.
Keep one sheet with the three questions to ask your table, the version name and the scoring reference. Mixing instructions from two versions can make a first session harder to follow.
Mahjong Solitaire: matching free pairs
In Tabletop Wire’s free Mahjong Solitaire game, a tile is available when no tile covers it and either its left or right edge is open. Select two available tiles with identical faces to remove them. An open upper or lower edge does not make a tile available.
You win by clearing every tile. Our Garden layout uses 72 tiles; the Terrace and Daily Table use 144. Every starting arrangement is generated with a complete legal solution. That does not mean every possible sequence of moves will work.
If you reach a position without a matching free pair, use Undo or Shuffle. Shuffling preserves the remaining tile inventory and gives it a solvable arrangement. Hints identify an available pair, not a guaranteed complete path to victory. In our version, all flower tiles have the same design, as do all sun tiles; match each design with itself.
Those are the rules of our puzzle. They are not a shortcut to learning a multiplayer mahjong game.
American mahjong: establish which card your group uses
For National Mah Jongg League play, the annual card is central to identifying the permitted hands. Confirm the card year your group uses and consult the League’s own rules material for questions about calls, jokers and scoring. National Mah Jongg League
A decorative tile set’s quick-start sheet may include house rules. Before applying one at a new table, ask the host whether it is part of that group’s game. Owning the right tiles and knowing the group’s rules are separate requirements.
Chinese mahjong: ask one more question
“Chinese mahjong” is not enough information to settle how a hand scores or which special tiles are used. Ask your host for the variant’s name and the rule reference they follow. A general introduction can help you recognize the suits and tiles, but it should not replace that agreement. Shanghai’s introduction to mahjong
Before your first session, write down the answer to three questions: What counts as a winning hand here? When can I take a discarded tile? How does this table score a win? Keeping those answers together prevents you from accidentally mixing instructions from different variants.
Riichi: learn the winning requirements as well as the patterns
The World Riichi Championship’s 2022 rulebook specifies a 136-tile set and explains sequences, triplets, pairs, winning declarations and yaku. It is a named competitive ruleset, not a promise that every casual group uses identical options. Its published rules exclude red fives, for example. World Riichi Championship rulebook, 2022
For your first session, use your group’s recommended teaching material alongside its rules reference. Avoid switching between unrelated scoring charts while learning.
One WRC riichi hand, step by step
- Before the draw: Your 13 concealed tiles are 2C–3C–4C, 3D–4D–5D, 6B–7B–8B, W–W–W and one 5C. That is three sequences, a white-dragon triplet and one tile waiting for a pair.
- Draw a 5C: The two 5C tiles form the pair. You now have four groups plus a pair, 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 2 = 14 tiles.
- Check the win: In WRC riichi, the white-dragon triplet is a value-honor yaku, so this example has a yaku even without declaring riichi. Announce a self-drawn win under your table’s WRC procedure; use the full rulebook to determine payment. A four-groups-and-pair shape without a yaku would not suffice.
This is one illustrative hand under the linked WRC rules, not an American-card hand or a complete scoring lesson.
Quick reference for your table
- First: name the variant and source or annual card; write down the card year for NMJL play.
- WRC riichi: 136 tiles; normally 13 in hand, draw and discard; check a valid shape and at least one yaku before declaring a win.
- Calls: use that ruleset’s restrictions; a call can open your hand.
- Solitaire: remove free matching pairs in the browser puzzle. It does not teach multiplayer turns.
Sources and scope
World Riichi Championship Rules 2022 (PDF) is the primary source for the riichi example, yaku requirement and 136-tile setup. The National Mah Jongg League supplies the annual American card; no card hands are reproduced here. Your host’s named Chinese ruleset governs that table. See the linked sources in each section for variant-specific context.
Before you buy tiles
Get the ruleset name first, then check the box contents. Tile counts, jokers and accessories differ, and extra pieces do not necessarily go into play. Our mahjong set guide walks through that check, including an itemized example of a 166-tile set.
If you simply want a quiet puzzle right now, take a seat at our Solitaire table. You can play without an account, pause whenever you like and return to your saved board on the same device.