Editing Mahjong (section)

== Variations ==
[[File:Mahjong1.theora.ogv|thumb|Video of an uncharacteristic five-player game]]
Variations may have far more complicated scoring systems, add or remove tiles, and include far more scoring elements and limit hands.

In many places, players often observe one version and are either unaware of other variations or claim that different versions are incorrect. In mainland China alone, there are over thirty variants,<ref name="Games and Culture">{{cite arXiv |last1=Wang |first1=Xianwen |last2=Mao |first2=Wenli |last3=Liu |first3=Chen |title=Games and Culture: Using Online-gaming Data to Cluster Chinese Regional Cultures |ref=Games and Culture|eprint=1310.0621 |class=cs.CY |year=2013 }}</ref> and across the world, there are over forty variations.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wang |first=Claire |date=2025-05-06 |title=Why mahjong is a global phenomenon |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/mahjong-global-history |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=[[National Geographic]] |language=en}}</ref> Many variations today differ only by scoring.
{{Further|Ponjan}}<!--- Mahjong kids version --->

===Chinese variants===
* '''Changsha mahjong''' is widely played in [[Hunan]] Province. Like Wuhan mahjong, players need to obtain special Jong consisting of only tiles of two, five or eight. Changsha mahjong forbids using winds and some special tiles, those tiles are first drawn out from the table when playing. Winners each round get a special drawing session for bonuses, usually doubling the score.
* '''Chinese classical mahjong''' is the oldest surviving variety of mahjong and was the version introduced to America in the 1920s under various names. It has a small, loyal following in the West, although few play it in Asia. All players score and it is possible to score higher than the winner.
* '''Fujian mahjong''', thirteen tile hands. Certain tiles can be wild. No dragons. Winds are treated as bonuses.
* '''Harbin mahjong''', popular in northeastern China, using only 108 suit and 4 red dragon tiles. The player's hand must meet a set of few conditions (e.g. at least one chow/pung, at least one terminal or red dragon, etc.) and be declared "ready" in order to win, with points earned by discard or self-draw and a bonus tile revealed when the player wins.<ref>{{Cite web |url = http://www.mahjong-mil.org/it_detail.html?id=191 |title=Brief Introduction to Limiting Mahjong (Harbin Limiting Rules)}}</ref>
* '''[[Hong Kong mahjong scoring rules|Hong Kong mahjong]]''' or '''Cantonese mahjong''' is a more common form of mahjong, differing in minor scoring details from the Chinese Classical variety. It does not allow multiple players to win from a single discard.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}
* '''Mahjong Official Rules''' ({{zh|s=麻将竞赛规则}}), commonly known as '''MCR''' or '''Chinese official mahjong''', is an international standard founded by All-China Sports Federation in July 1998 and governed by the [[World Mahjong Organization]]. It includes a large variety of different scoring rules in a way that emphasizes strategy and calculation ability.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Team |first=Content |date=2023-01-19 |title=Types of Mahjong |url=https://sigma.world/play/blog/types-of-mahjong/ |access-date=2024-07-01 |website=SigmaPlay |language=en-US}}</ref> Some mahjong societies have adopted it for competition play, and in some cases for all play. While not very popular in China and Asia, it is one of the most popular mahjong variants in Europe, particularly in the Netherlands, France and Italy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://mahjong-europe.org/ranking/Country/Stats_AllPlayers.html|title=EMA active Players (in ranking lists)|publisher=European Mahjong Association|accessdate=2025-04-15}}</ref>
* '''Shenyang mahjong''', a fast-paced version with 13-tile hands. Valid winning hands must contain all 3 suits, honor or terminal tiles, and at least one open pung.
* '''{{Interlanguage link|Sichuan mahjong|lt=|zh|四川麻将|WD=}}''' is a growing variety, particularly in southern China, disallowing chow melds, and using only the suited tiles. Play continues until a loser is decided or a draw. It can be played very quickly.
* '''{{Interlanguage link|Taiyuan Lisi mahjong|lt=|zh|太原立四麻将|WD=}}''', or '''''Lisi''''' ({{Literal translation|Raise Four}}): the players must win with the first four blocks drawn which are placed separately in front of the others. These four blocks cannot be touched until the player has a ready hand.
* '''{{Interlanguage link|Tianjin mahjong|lt=|zh|天津麻将|WD=|display=1}}''' using normally seven jokers, with special scoring such as ''joker-free'', ''joker-waiting-pair'', ''catch-5'', ''dragon'', ''joker-suited-dragon''.
* '''Wenzhou mahjong''' is a uncommon regional variation primarily played in [[Wenzhou]] of [[Zhejiang]] Province. It is played without the flower and season tiles. The most distinct feature is that it is played with 16 tile hands with an additional rule of determining a [[Wild card (cards)|wild card]] tile (Caishen {{Literal translation|God of fortune}}) which can substitute as another tiles in the winning combination at the start of every hand.
* '''Wuhan mahjong''' is growing rapidly<ref>{{Cite web |last=Keegan |first=Matthew |date=2022-11-26 |title=As China tightens its grip, Hong Kong is preserving its identity through the game of mahjong |url=https://inews.co.uk/news/world/hong-kong-hostel-mahjong-1994042 |access-date=2024-09-12 |website=inews.co.uk |language=en}}</ref> and become popular in southern China. It is different from other parts of China such that it has a tile that can be used as everything called Laizi, and the player has to have a set of special two tiles, namely two, five, eight, as prerequisite for winning. Another variation has become the new trend. Special tiles need to be discarded.
* '''Xiangyang mahjong''' is played with three players, and without winds, seasons, flowers and one suit of dots, bamboo and characters. It places special emphasis on the 5 tile giving extra points for any hand made using a 5 tile.

===Other variants===
* '''[[American mahjong]]''' is a derivative of mahjong, standardized and regulated by the U.S.-based National Mah Jongg League, Inc.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalmahjonggleague.org |title=National Mahjjong League |publisher=Nationalmahjonggleague.org |access-date=7 September 2012}}</ref> and the American Mah-Jongg Association.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amja.net/|title=American Mah-Jongg Association – news, products and tournaments – Join us for our next American Mah-Jongg tournament or cruise!.|website=www.amja.net}}</ref> Unlike other forms of Mahjong, permitted "legal" hands are changed annually through a published card that must be purchased by players from one of the sponsoring organizational bodies. It uses joker tiles, the Charleston, plus melds of five or more tiles, treats bonus tiles as honors, and eschews the chow and the notion of a standard hand. Purists claim that this makes American mahjong a separate game. In addition, the NMJL and AMJA variations, which have minor scoring differences, are commonly referred to as ''mahjongg'' or ''mah-jongg'' (with 2 Gs, often hyphenated).
* '''European classical mahjong''' is a family of European variants that remained closer to Chinese classical mahjong than most modern Chinese variants, some of which are still actively played today. Most notably:
:* '''Dutch tournament rules''' (''Nederlandse Toernooi Spelregels'' or '''''NTS''''') are a ruleset formalized in 2002 that is now maintained by the Dutch Mahjong Federation. Although nowadays not as popular as MCR in the Netherlands, it is still actively played in local clubs, tournaments, and living rooms.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mahjongbond.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/NMB-NTS-Spelregelboekje.pdf|title=Spelregelboekje NTS|publisher=Nederlandse Mahjong Bond|access-date=2025-04-15|language=nl}}</ref>
:* '''Italian official rules''' (''Regolamento Ufficiale Italiano'') are a ruleset maintained by the Italian Mahjong Federation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fimj.it/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/111213_Regolamento_FIMJ_A4.pdf|title=Regolamento Ufficiale Italiano|publisher=Federazione Italiana Mah-Jong|access-date=2025-04-15|language=it}}</ref>
* '''Japanese classical mahjong''' is still used in tournaments. It is closer to the Chinese classical scoring system but only the winner scores.
* '''[[Japanese mahjong]]''' is a standardized form of mahjong in Japan and South Korea. It is also found prevalently in video games, which helped make it one of the most widespread forms of mahjong worldwide, including in English-speaking countries and Europe. In addition to scoring changes, the rules of ''[[Japanese Mahjong#Rīchi|rīchi]]'' (ready hand) and ''[[Japanese mahjong scoring rules#Dora|dora]]'' (bonus tiles) are unique highlights of this variant. In addition, tile discards are specifically arranged in front of each player by discard order, to take discarded tiles into account during play. Some rules replace some number 5 tiles with red tiles so that they can eventually get more value.<!--A standard rule set for Japanese mahjong was designed in 2008 by the European Mahjong Association,<ref>[http://gamenoodle.blogspot.com/2012/09/mahjongs.html European Mahjong Association]</ref> in cooperation with the Japan Mahjong Organizing Committee, in order to organize the first European Riichi Mahjong Championship in Hanover, Germany, June 2008. Danish player Thomas Kragh was the winner.<ref>http://www.mahjongnews.com/en/index.php/ec-riichi/54-ec-2008/104-rmc2008.html {{Bare URL inline|date=March 2022}}</ref>-->
* '''Pussers bones''' is a fast-moving variant developed by sailors in the [[Royal Australian Navy]]. It uses an alternative vocabulary, such as ''Eddie'', ''Sammy'', ''Wally'', and ''Normie'', instead of ''East'', ''South'', ''West'', and ''North'' respectively.
* '''[[Singaporean mahjong]]''' and Malaysian mahjong are two similar variants with much in common with Hong Kong mahjong. Unique elements are the use of four animal bonus tiles (cat, mouse, cockerel, and centipede) as well as certain alternatives in the scoring rules, which allow payouts midway through the game if certain conditions (such as a ''kong'') are met. Melds may also be presented in a form different from most other variations.
* '''South African mahjong''' is a variant of Cantonese mahjong. It is very similar in terms of game play and follows most of the rules and regulations of Cantonese mahjong. However, there are some minor differences in scoring, e.g. the limit on the maximum points a hand can be rewarded is three or four ''faan'' depending on the ''house'' rules. A chicken hand (gai wu) is normally considered a value hand. Depending on the house rules flowers may also be used to boost scoring.
* '''{{Interlanguage link|Taiwanese mahjong|lt=|zh|台湾麻将|WD=}}''' is the variety prevalent in Taiwan and involves hands of sixteen tiles (as opposed to the thirteen-tile hands in other versions), features bonuses for dealers and recurring dealerships, and allows multiple players to win from a single discard.
* '''Thai mahjong''' has eight specialized jokers with eight extra flowers and eight animals for a total of 168 tiles.
* '''Vietnamese mahjong''' has the same eight specialized jokers but with only eight different extra flowers for a total of 160 tiles. A modern variant triplicates or quadruplicates the jokers for a total of 176 or 184 tiles.
* '''Western classical mahjong''' is a descendant of the version of mahjong introduced by Babcock to America in the 1920s. Today, this term largely refers to the "Wright-Patterson" rules, used in the U.S. military, and other similar American-made variants that are closer to the Babcock rules.
* '''Zung Jung''' is a mahjong variant designed by statistician Alan Kwan, intended for both competitive and casual play. It has a scoring system informed by statistical mathematics, and a more streamlined and simplified ruleset than traditional variants.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.zungjungmahjong.com/whats-zung-jung/|title=What's Zung Jung?|website=Zung Jung Mahjong.com|access-date=2025-04-15}}</ref> A slight modification of this ruleset was used in the [[World Series Of Mahjong]] tournament.
* '''[[Three-player mahjong]]''' (or 3-''ka'') is a simplified three-person mahjong that involves hands of 13 tiles (with a total of 84 tiles on the table) and may use jokers depending on the variation. Any rule set can be adapted for three players; however, this is far more common and accepted in Japan, Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines. It usually eliminates one suit entirely, or tiles 2–8 in one suit leaving only the terminals. It needs fewer people to start a game and the turnaround time of a game is short—hence, it is considered a fast game. In some versions there is a jackpot for winning in which whoever accumulates a point of 10 is considered to hit the jackpot or whoever scores three hidden hands first. The Malaysian and Korean versions drop one wind and may include a seat dragon.<ref>[http://mahjong.wikidot.com/rules:three-player "Three-player mahjong"]. ''The Mahjong Wiki''. Retrieved 17 November 2017.{{user-generated source|date=July 2022}}</ref>
:* In '''Korean three-player mahjong''', one suit is omitted completely (usually the bamboo set or 2–8 of bamboo) as well as the seasons. The scoring is simpler and the play is faster. No melded chows are allowed and concealed hands are common. Riichi (much like its Japanese cousin) is an integral part of the game as well.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://mahjong.wikidot.com/rules:korean-overview|title=Korean Mahjong Rules – Mahjong Wiki (麻将维基)|website=mahjong.wikidot.com}}{{user-generated source|date=May 2025}}</ref>

=== Equipment ===

==== Tables ====
[[File:Open the mah-jong table (3599421021).jpg|thumb|right|Interior of an automatic mahjong table.]]
Mahjong playing surfaces are typically square and small enough to be within arm's length of all equipment. The edges are raised to prevent tiles from sliding off and the surface is covered in felt to limit wear on the tiles. Automatic dealing tables, often used for high stakes playing and tournaments, are able to shuffle tiles, build walls, and randomize dice. It is an elaborate device built into a table which uses two alternating sets of tiles. It shuffles one set of tiles while the players play on the other set. After the round is finished the tiles are dropped into the table and the standby wall raises upwards.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chan |first=Yan Xuan |date=2023-05-26 |title=How does an Automatic Mahjong Table Works? A Deep Dive. |url=https://www.themenscave.sg/blog/how-does-an-automatic-mahjong-table-works/ |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=The Men's Cave |language=en-US}}</ref>

====Tiles====
{{Main|Mahjong tiles}}
The following chart shows the most generic set of tiles
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan=2 rowspan=2|
!colspan=11|Numbers
|-
!1
!2
!3
!4
!5
!6
!7
!colspan=2|8
!colspan=2|9
|-
!rowspan=3|Suits
!Dots
|[[File:MJt1-.svg|50px]]
|[[File:MJt2-.svg|50px]]
|[[File:MJt3-.svg|50px]]
|[[File:MJt4-.svg|50px]]
|[[File:MJt5-.svg|50px]]
|[[File:MJt6-.svg|50px]]
|[[File:MJt7-.svg|50px]]
|colspan=2|[[File:MJt8-.svg|50px]]
|colspan=2|[[File:MJt9-.svg|50px]]
|-
!Bamboo
|[[File:MJs1-.svg|50px]]
|[[File:MJs2-.svg|50px]]
|[[File:MJs3-.svg|50px]]
|[[File:MJs4-.svg|50px]]
|[[File:MJs5-.svg|50px]]
|[[File:MJs6-.svg|50px]]
|[[File:MJs7-.svg|50px]]
|colspan=2|[[File:MJs8-.svg|50px]]
|colspan=2|[[File:MJs9-.svg|50px]]
|-
!Characters
|[[File:MJw1-.svg|50px]]
|[[File:MJw2-.svg|50px]]
|[[File:MJw3-.svg|50px]]
|[[File:MJw4-.svg|50px]]
|[[File:MJw5-.svg|50px]]
|[[File:MJw6-.svg|50px]]
|[[File:MJw7-.svg|50px]]
|colspan=2|[[File:MJw8-.svg|50px]]
|colspan=2|[[File:MJw9-.svg|50px]]
|-
!colspan=2 rowspan=4|Honors/Bonus
!colspan=4|Winds
!colspan=3|Dragons
!colspan=4|Bonus
|-
!East
!South
!West
!North
!Red
!Green
!White
!colspan=2|Seasons
!colspan=2|Flowers
|-
|rowspan=2|[[File:MJf1-.svg|50px]]
|rowspan=2|[[File:MJf2-.svg|50px]]
|rowspan=2|[[File:MJf3-.svg|50px]]
|rowspan=2|[[File:MJf4-.svg|50px]]
|rowspan=2|[[File:MJd1-.svg|50px]]
|rowspan=2|[[File:MJd2-.svg|50px]]
|rowspan=2|[[File:MJd3-.svg|50px]]
|[[File:MJh1-.svg|25px]]
|[[File:MJh2-.svg|25px]]
|[[File:MJh5-.svg|25px]]
|[[File:MJh6-.svg|25px]]
|-
|[[File:MJh3-.svg|25px]]
|[[File:MJh4-.svg|25px]]
|[[File:MJh7-.svg|25px]]
|[[File:MJh8-.svg|25px]]
|}

There are variations that feature specific use of tiles. Some three-player versions remove the North wind and one Chinese provincial version has no honors. Korean mahjong removes the bamboo suit or at least its numbers 2–8 so that terminals can be used. Japanese mahjong rarely uses flowers or seasons. The seasons are removed in Korean mahjong, while many Southeast Asian sets have more flower series.

==== Wild cards and jokers ====

Some mahjong variants accept wildcard tiles. The wildcard tiles are decided at the beginning of the game by choosing one random tile. The wild card could be the immediately following tile on the wall, after distributing tiles to all players, or it could also be separately decided by a dice throw. Wildcard tiles cannot be discarded and can only replace tiles in chows. Wildcard tiles cannot replace tiles in pungs and kongs. For example, if a character 4 is chosen, then character 4 and the next sequential tile, character 5, can be used as wild cards in this round. (When the wildcard indicator is chosen and exposed, only 3 tiles remain of the same denomination, so the next tile in the suit will also be used as a wildcard, adding to 7 wildcard tiles for 4 players.) Also, if a tile numbered 9 is the indicator, the suits circle back to 1, after 9. Thus, the number 9 and 1 are wild cards.

Also, if the chosen tile is not in the suited tiles, the wild cards are decided in rules:
[[File:Joker-vietnammj.JPG|right|thumb|Top eight are Vietnamese jokers. Bottom four are Chinese.]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Wild card tile chosen !! Another wildcard
|-
| East || South
|-
| South || West
|-
| West || North
|-
| North || East
|-
| Red Dragon || Green Dragon
|-
| Green Dragon || White Dragon
|-
| White Dragon || Red Dragon
|}

The bonus tiles are not available for wild cards.

A feature of several variations of mahjong, most notably in American mahjong, is the notion of some number of Joker tiles. They may be used as a wild card: a substitute for any tile in a hand, or, in some variations, only tiles in melds. Another variation is that the Joker tile may ''not'' be used for melding. Depending on the variation, a player may replace a Joker tile that is part of an exposed meld belonging to any player with the tile it represents.

Rules governing discarding Joker tiles also exist; some variations permit the Joker tile to take on the identity of any tile, and others only permit the Joker tile to take on the identity of the previously discarded tile (or the absence of a tile, if it is the first discard).

Joker tiles may or may not affect scoring, depending on the variation. Some special hands may require the use of Joker tiles (for example, to represent a "fifth tile" of a certain suited or honor tile).

In American mahjong, it is illegal to pass Jokers during the Charleston.

===== Flowers =====
Japanese rule sets discourage the use of flowers and seasons. Korean rules and three-player mahjong in the Korean/Japanese tradition use only flowers. In Singapore and Malaysia an extra set of bonus tiles of four animals are used. The rule set includes a unique function in that players who get two specific animals get a one-time immediate payout from all players. In Taiwanese mahjong, getting all eight flowers and seasons constitutes an automatic win of the hand and specific payout from all players.

Four of the flower tiles represent the [[Four Gentlemen|four noble plants]] of [[Confucianism|Confucian]] reckoning:
* 🀢 [[Prunus mume|plum]],
* 🀣 [[orchid]],
* 🀥 [[chrysanthemum]],
* and 🀤 [[bamboo]].

[[File:MJh5-.svg|50px|Plum]] [[File:MJh6-.svg|50px|Orchid]] [[File:MJh7-.svg|50px|Chrysanthemum]] [[File:MJh8-.svg|50px|Bamboo]]

The other 4 flower tiles (or season tiles) represent seasons:
* 🀦 [[spring (season)|spring]],
* 🀧 [[summer]],
* 🀨 [[autumn]],
* and 🀩 [[winter]].

[[File:MJh1-.svg|50px|Spring]] [[File:MJh2-.svg|50px|Summer]] [[File:MJh3-.svg|50px|Autumn]] [[File:MJh4-.svg|50px|Winter]]

These animal tiles are used in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and local variations. They represent the [[cat]], [[mouse]], [[rooster]] and [[centipede]]. Like flower tiles, they also function as bonus tiles. However, as they have no corresponding seat position, any player who draws one of these gets a bonus point.

[[File:MJat1-.svg|50px|Cat]] [[File:MJat2-.svg|50px|Mouse]] [[File:MJat3-.svg|50px|Rooster]] [[File:MJat4-.svg|50px|Centipede]]

===== Walls =====
All tiles are placed face down and shuffled. Each player then stacks a row of tiles two tiles high in front of them, the length of the row depending on the number of tiles in use:
* 136 tiles: 17 stacks for each player
** Suits of circles, bamboos, and characters + winds + dragons
* 144 tiles: 18 stacks for each player
* 148 tiles: 19 stacks for dealer and player opposite, 18 for rest
* 152 tiles: 19 stacks for each player

====Dice, markers, and counting pieces====
[[File:Mahjong fiches.jpg|thumb|right|Mahjong counting sticks: Left are Chinese while the right are Japanese]]
Depending on the variation, two or three [[dice]] are usually used to decide what part of the wall to start dealing from. They are six-sided dice, traditionally but not necessarily Chinese dice with red one and four pips.

The dealer marker is a round or square object that the dealer places to the side to remind players who the dealer is. The wind marker may be used which indicates the current prevailing wind. In some cases the dealer marker and the wind marker are represented by one large marker, usually a small wheel where one can swivel the outer circle to indicate the prevailing wind (which the dealer holds onto), a cube with the four winds placed onto four of the sides which can be placed in a hollow square (the dealer holds onto it), or a cylinder locked into frame which can be rolled to expose the wind on the top. Japanese mahjong, especially in a gambling environment, may optionally use four yakitori markers to indicate which players have not won a hand yet and has to pay a penalty.

There are a variety of counting pieces used in different countries. They range from Chinese or Japanese counting sticks (thin sticks with various dots on them to represent various points), [[jeton]]s, [[play money]], paper and pencil, or various apps on touchscreen devices used to calculate and keep scores.

=== Rules ===
Japanese and Korean mahjong have some special rules. A player cannot win by a discard if that player had already discarded that piece, where players' discards are kept in neat rows in front of them. Players may declare ready, meaning that they need one tile to win, cannot change their hand and win extra points if they win. Some rules may replace some of the number 5 tiles with red tiles, as they can earn more points. Korean mahjong does not allow melded (stolen) chows.
Taiwanese mahjong adds three tiles to a hand requiring a 5th set to be formed, making a clean hand or all-pung hand very difficult to procure.
American mahjong has distinctive game mechanics and the article on [[American mahjong]] details these. Some differences include many special patterns, a different scoring system and the use of jokers and five-of-a-kind.

==== Charleston ====
In the American variations it is required that, before each hand begins, a Charleston be enacted. In the first exchange, three tiles are passed to the player on one's right; in the next exchange, the tiles are passed to the player opposite, followed by three tiles passed to the left. If all players are in agreement, a second Charleston is performed; however, any player may decide to stop passing after the first Charleston is complete. The Charleston is followed by an optional pass to the player across of one, two, or three tiles. The Charleston, a distinctive feature of American mahjong, may have been borrowed from card games such as [[Hearts (card game)|Hearts]].

=== Hands ===
Many variations have specific hands, some of which are common while some are optional depending on regions and players. One example is the Pure Green hand made of chows or pungs using 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 of bamboo and green dragon.

==== Ready hands ====
When a hand is one tile short of winning (for example: [[File:MJs1-.svg|25px|1 Bamboo]] [[File:MJs2-.svg|25px|2 Bamboo]] [[File:MJs3-.svg|25px|3 Bamboo]] [[File:MJs1-.svg|25px|1 Bamboo]] [[File:MJs2-.svg|25px|2 Bamboo]] [[File:MJs3-.svg|25px|3 Bamboo]] [[File:MJs2-.svg|25px|2 Bamboo]] [[File:MJs3-.svg|25px|3 Bamboo]] [[File:MJs7-.svg|25px|7 Bamboo]] [[File:MJs8-.svg|25px|8 Bamboo]] [[File:MJs9-.svg|25px|9 Bamboo]] [[File:MJd2-.svg|25px|Green Dragon]] [[File:MJd2-.svg|25px|Green Dragon]], waiting for: [[File:MJs1-.svg|25px|1 Bamboo]], [[File:MJs4-.svg|25px|4 Bamboo]], or [[File:MJd2-.svg|25px|Green Dragon]], as [[File:MJs1-.svg|25px|1 Bamboo]] can be the eyes), the hand is said to be a ready hand, or more figuratively, "on the pot". The player holding a ready hand is said to be ''waiting'' for certain tiles. It is common to be waiting for two or three tiles, and some variations award points for a hand that is waiting for one tile. In 13-tile mahjong, the largest number of tiles for which a player can wait is 13 (the ''[[Hong Kong mahjong scoring rules#Non-standard special hands|thirteen wonders]]'', or ''13 orphans'', a nonstandard special hand). Ready hands must be declared in some variations of mahjong, while other variations prohibit the same.

Some variations of mahjong, most notably Japanese and Korean ones, allow a player to declare {{nihongo||立直|rīchi|sometimes known as ''reach'', as it is phonetically similar}}. A declaration of ''rīchi'' is a promise that any tile drawn by the player is immediately discarded unless it constitutes a win. Standard requirements for ''rīchi'' are that the hand be ''closed'' or have no melds declared (other than a concealed kong) and that players already have points for declaration of ''rīchi''. A player who declares ''rīchi'' and wins usually receives a point bonus for their hand directly, and a player who won with ''rīchi'' also has the advantage to open the inner dora which leads to higher possibilities to match such a card, thus has more chance to grant additional bonus. However, a player who declares ''rīchi'' and loses is usually penalised in some fashion. Declaring a nonexistent ''rīchi'' is also penalised in some way.

In some variations, a situation in which all four players declare a ''rīchi'' is an automatic drawn game, as it reduces the game down to pure luck, i.e., who gets their needed tile first.

=== Draws ===
If only the dead wall remains (or if no dead wall exists and the wall is depleted) and no one has won, the hand is drawn. A new hand begins, and depending on the variant, the Game Wind may change. For example, in most playing circles in Singapore, if there is at least one kong when the hand is a draw, the following player of the dealer becomes the next dealer; otherwise, the dealer remains dealer.

Japanese mahjong has a special rule called sanchahō, which is, if three players claim the same discard in order to win, the hand is drawn. One reason for this is that there are cases in which bars of 1,000 points for declaring ''rīchi'' cannot be divided by three. The rule is treated the same as "abortive draws".

==== Abortive draws ====
In Japanese mahjong, rules allow abortive draws to be declared while tiles are still available. They can be declared under the following conditions:
* On a player's first turn when no meld has been declared yet, if a player has nine different terminal (also known as major<ref>{{cite web|last=Gregory |first=Peter |url=http://mahjongbritishrules.com/scoring/index.html |title=Tile Classification |publisher=Mahjongbritishrules.com |access-date=7 September 2012}}</ref>) or honor tiles, the player may declare the hand to be drawn (for example, [[File:MJt1-.svg|25px|1 Circle]] [[File:MJt4-.svg|25px|4 Circle]] [[File:MJt5-.svg|25px|5 Circle]] [[File:MJt9-.svg|25px|9 Circle]] [[File:MJs1-.svg|25px|1 Bamboo]] [[File:MJs4-.svg|25px|4 Bamboo]] [[File:MJs6-.svg|25px|6 Bamboo]] [[File:MJs9-.svg|25px|9 Bamboo]] [[File:MJw1-.svg|25px|1 Character]] [[File:MJf1-.svg|25px|East Wind]] [[File:MJf3-.svg|25px|West Wind]] [[File:MJd1-.svg|25px|Red Dragon]] [[File:MJd1-.svg|25px|Red Dragon]] [[File:MJd3-.svg|25px|White Dragon]], but could also go for the nonstandard ''[[Hong Kong mahjong scoring rules#Non-standard special hands|thirteen wonders]]'' hand as well).
* Four winds' barrier: On the first turn without any meld declarations, if all 4 players discard the same Wind tile, the hand is drawn.
* Yonin rīchi: If all four players declare ''rīchi'', the hand is drawn.
* Four kongs' abort: The hand is drawn when the fourth kong is declared, unless all four kongs were declared by a single player. Still, the hand is drawn when another player declares a fifth kong.

===Scoring===
Scoring in mahjong involves points, with a monetary value for points agreed upon by players. Although in many variations scoreless hands are possible, many require that hands be of some point value in order to win the hand.

While the basic rules are more or less the same throughout mahjong, the greatest divergence between variations lies in the scoring systems. Like the rules, there is a generalized system of scoring, based on the method of winning and the winning hand, from which Chinese and Japanese base their roots. American mahjong generally has greatly divergent scoring rules, as well as greatly divergent general rules.

Because of the large differences between the various systems of scoring (especially for Chinese variants), groups of players will often agree on particular scoring rules before a game.

====Points====
Points (terminology of which differs from variation to variation) are obtained by matching the winning hand with different criteria scoring different values. The points obtained may be modified into scores for each player using some (typically [[exponential function|exponential]]) functions. Some criteria may be also in terms of both points and score.

In many variations the dealer receives no scoring bonus and does not maintain their turn by winning or a dead hand.

In classical mahjong all players score points. Points are given for sets and hand composition and winning bonuses, doubled and redoubled for basic patterns. Sometimes a loser may score more points than a winner. Japanese mahjong has a complex scoring system with several stages of scoring, rules and exceptions, evening out scores and bonus points at the end of a match. Korean mahjong has a simple scoring system where only winner scores without any form of doubling.

Some variations give points for concealed hands, in which case no melds are made except by winning on a discard.

In Old Hong Kong mahjong:
* Only the winner scores points.
* Winning hands are scored by totaling the point value of each element in the hand. Points are distinct from the actual payment received from each player.
* The winner receives points (also known as ''faan'' among some players) for:
** Individual melds,
** The composition of the entire hand,
** How the hand was won,
** Bonus tiles,
** Special patterns,
** A few other special criteria.
* In order to win, a player needs to have at least the minimum points agreed in advance (often 3).
* Bonus points are separate from the minimum points a player needs to win.
* If a player goes mahjong with a legal and minimum hand, their hand is scored by adding their points and bonus points together.
* The payment received from each player depends on three factors:
** The point value of the hand,
** If the player won from a discard or from the wall, and
** If the player was the dealer or not.

=== Comparison ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Mahjong variants
! Variation !! [[Hong Kong mahjong scoring rules|Hong Kong]] !! MCR !! [[Japanese mahjong|Japanese 4 Player]] !! Japanese 3 Player !! [[Three player mahjong|Korean 3 Player]] !! HK New
!Red!! [[Scoring in mahjong#Taiwanese scoring|Taiwan]] !! [[Scoring in mahjong#American scoring|American]]!!Classical !! [[Singaporean mahjong|Singapore]] !! Malaysian 4 Player !! Malaysian 3 Player !! Vietnam !! Sichuan !! Zung Jung
|-
|Characters
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Yellow tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Nay}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|-
|Circles
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|-
| Bamboo || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Yellow tick}} || {{Tick}} 
|{{Tick}}|| {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}|| {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} ||{{Nay}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|-
|Dragons
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Nay}}
|{{Tick}}
|-
|Winds
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Yellow tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Nay}}
|{{Tick}}
|-
| Flowers || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Nay}} || {{Nay}}
|| {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} 
|Optional|| {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}|| {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|{{Nay}}||Optional
|-
| Seasons || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Nay}} || {{Nay}}
|| {{Yellow tick}} || {{Tick}} 
|Optional|| {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}|| {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|{{Nay}}||Optional
|-
|Four Arts and Four Noble Professions/Emperors and Empresses
|{{Nay}}
|{{Nay}}
|{{Nay}}
|{{Nay}}
|{{Nay}}
|{{Nay}}
|{{Nay}}
|{{Nay}}
|{{Nay}}
|{{Nay}}
|{{Nay}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Nay}}
|{{Tick}}
|{{Nay}}
|{{Nay}}
|-
| Animals || {{Nay}}|| {{Nay}}|| {{Nay}}|| {{Nay}}
|| {{Nay}} || {{Nay}}
|{{Nay}}|| {{Nay}}|| {{Nay}}|| {{Nay}}|| {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|{{Nay}}
|{{Nay}}
|{{Nay}}
|-
| Jokers ||{{Nay}}||{{Nay}}||{{Nay}}||{{Nay}}
||{{Nay}}||{{Nay}}
|{{Nay}}||{{Nay}}||{{Tick}}||{{Nay}}||{{Yellow tick}}||{{Tick}}||{{Tick}}||{{Tick}}
|{{Nay}}||{{Nay}}
|-
| Scoring Base || Faan || Faan || Multipliers || Multipliers || Simple || Faan 
|Simple|| Simple || American|| Multipliers || Faan || Faan || Faan|| Faan || Varies || Simple
|-
| Scoring || Winner || Winner || Winner || Winner || Winner || Winner 
|Winner|| Winner || Winner|| All || Winner || All || All || Winner || Varies || Winner
|-
| East Doubles ||{{Tick}}||{{Nay}}||{{Tick}}||{{Tick}} || {{Nay}}||{{Tick}}
|{{Nay}}||{{Tick}}||{{Tick}}||{{Tick}}||{{Tick}}||{{Tick}}||{{Tick}}||{{Nay}}||{{Nay}}||{{Nay}}
|-
| Sacred Discard ([[Japanese mahjong#Furiten|Furiten]]) ||{{Nay}}||{{Nay}}||{{Tick}}||{{Tick}}
|| {{Tick}}||{{Nay}}
|{{Nay}}||{{Nay}}||{{Nay}}||{{Nay}}||{{Nay}}||{{Nay}}||{{Nay}}||{{Nay}}||{{Nay}}||{{Nay}}
|-
| Melded chows ||{{Tick}}||{{Tick}}||{{Tick}}||{{Nay}}
|| {{Nay}}||{{Tick}}
|{{Tick}}||{{Tick}}||{{Tick}}||{{Tick}}||{{Tick}}||{{Tick}}||{{Tick}}||{{Tick}}
|{{Nay}}||{{Tick}}
|-
| Riichi ||{{Nay}}||{{Nay}}||{{Tick}}||{{Tick}}
||{{Yellow tick}}||{{Nay}}
|{{Nay}}||{{Nay}}||{{Nay}}||{{Nay}}||{{Nay}}||{{Nay}}||{{Nay}}
|{{Nay}}
|{{Nay}}||{{Nay}}
|-
| Complete hand tiles || 14 || 14 || 14 || 14 || 14 || 14 
|14|| 17 || 14|| 14 || 14 || 14 || 14 || 14
|Varies || 14
|- i, volves
| Minimum Points (in variations units) || 3f || 8 || 1y || 1y || 2p || 5f 
|Varies|| 7/10t || Varies|| 3f || 2u || ? || 5f || ?
|Varies||0 or 5 pts
|}

===Mahjong solitaire===

{{Main|Mahjong solitaire}}

A single player game employs the tiles of mahjong, usually played on computers or devices.  Gameplay is entirely unrelated to mahjong or its variations and is a recent invention. The game involves stacking tiles face up in various elaborate patterns and removing uncovered matching tiles at the end of rows.