Written by: Connor Davis
Posted on: August 18, 2026
Where Mahjong Terms Come From: A Glossary of Chinese Mahjong Terminology
Mahjong terminology gets thrown around constantly in our guides — pung, chow, kong, fan — usually without pausing to explain where those words actually come from. This glossary is that pause, gathered in one place. Core Gameplay Terms Term Meaning Origin Pung (碰) A set…
Written by: Connor Davis
Posted on: August 18, 2026
Chinese Mahjong Tile Set Explained: Suits, Honors, Flowers & Seasons
Before any of the rules make sense, it helps to actually know what’s in the box. A standard Chinese Mahjong set has 144 tiles, and every one of them falls into one of three categories: suited tiles, honor tiles, or bonus tiles. This guide is…
Written by: Connor Davis
Posted on: August 18, 2026
Setting Up the Wall in Chinese Mahjong: Step-by-Step
Building the wall is the part of Chinese Mahjong that looks the most intimidating from the outside and is, honestly, the easiest to get comfortable with fast — it’s mostly muscle memory. This walks through it step by step, picking up right where our beginner’s…
Written by: Connor Davis
Posted on: August 18, 2026
Chinese Mahjong Turn Order & Calling Tiles: Pung, Chow, and Kong Explained
This is usually the point where new players start actually feeling the game, rather than just following steps. Calling — interrupting the normal counter-clockwise order to claim a discard — is what makes Chinese Mahjong tactical rather than purely a matter of luck. This continues…
Written by: Connor Davis
Posted on: August 18, 2026
Hong Kong Mahjong Scoring Explained: How Fan Values Work
Once you can reliably build a complete hand, the next question is almost always: “okay, but how much is it worth?” Hong Kong Mahjong uses a scoring unit called fan (also spelled faan, 番). This guide explains what fan is, how it’s earned, and —…
Written by: Connor Davis
Posted on: August 18, 2026
Common Fan Categories in Hong Kong Mahjong, With Examples
Our scoring overview introduces fan as a concept; this article goes deeper on the specific categories you’ll run into most often, with enough detail to actually recognize them mid-hand rather than just in theory. All Pungs (對對胡) — 3 Fan Every one of your four…
Written by: Connor Davis
Posted on: August 18, 2026
The “Chicken Hand” Minimum in Hong Kong Mahjong, Explained
New players are often surprised to learn that finishing a complete, legal 14-tile hand doesn’t automatically mean you can win. This guide is a closer look at why, expanding on the minimum-fan rule introduced in our scoring overview. What “Chicken Hand” Means A “chicken hand”…
Written by: Connor Davis
Posted on: August 18, 2026
Limit Hands in Hong Kong Mahjong: The Biggest Scoring Hands
Most hands in Hong Kong Mahjong score by adding up fan values from the categories in our common fan categories guide. Limit hands work differently — they’re a short list of rare, hard-to-assemble patterns that pay the table’s agreed maximum score outright, regardless of how…
Written by: Connor Davis
Posted on: August 18, 2026
Chinese Mahjong Strategy: A Beginner-to-Intermediate Guide (Hong Kong Rules)
Knowing the rules and playing well are two different skills, and the gap between them is where most of the actual enjoyment of Chinese Mahjong lives. This guide assumes you’re comfortable with the mechanics from our beginner’s guide and the scoring basics from our scoring…
Written by: Connor Davis
Posted on: August 18, 2026
Hand Reading in Chinese Mahjong: Reading Opponents’ Discards
Hand reading sounds like an advanced skill, but the core version of it is simple enough to start practicing in your very next game. This builds on the checklist introduced in our main strategy guide. What Discards Actually Tell You Players discard tiles they don’t…