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What is Mahjong?
Mahjong (also mah-jongg ) is a game for four players that originated in China. It was called 麻雀 in ancient China and the name is still in active use in Guangdong, Fujian, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan. Most Chinese, the Mandarin-speaking ones, however, now call the game Chinese simplified: 麻将; traditional Chinese: 麻將. |
Mahjong includes skill, strategy, and calculation, as well as a certain degree of chance. Depending on the type which is played, luck can be anything from a minor to a dominant factor in success. In Asia, mahjong played as a gambling game. In the game, each player is dealt either thirteen or sixteen tiles in a hand (depending on the type being played). On their turn, players draw a tile and discard one, with the goal of making four or five melds (also depending on the type) and one pair, or "head". Winning comes "on the draw", by drawing a new or discarded tile that completes the hand. A winning hand actually includes fourteen (or seventeen) tiles. Play Mahjong solitaire
Variants
There are many types of mahjong. In many places, players observe one version – and are either unaware of other variations or claim that different versions are incorrect. Although many variations today differ by scoring:
- Chinese Classical Mahjong - oldest variety of Mahjong, and was the version introduced to America in the 1920s under various names.
- Hong Kong Mahjong or Cantonese Mahjong is possibly the most common form of Mahjong, differing in minor scoring details with the Chinese Classical variety and allows for multiple players to win from a single discard.
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- Taiwanese Mahjong is the variety prevalent in Taiwan and includes hands of 16 tiles, as opposed to the 13-tile hands in other versions. It also features bonuses for dealers and recurring dealerships, and does not allow multiple players to win from a single discard.
- Japanese Mahjong is a standardized form of Mahjong in Japan. In addition to scoring changes, the rules of riichi and dora are unique highlights of Japanese Mahjong.
- American Mahjong is a form of Mahjong standardized by the National Mah Jongg League and the American Mah-Jongg Association – and makes the greatest divergence from traditional Mahjong. It uses Joker, the Charleston, plus melds of five or more tiles, and eschews the Chow and the notion of a standard hand. Purists mahjong international terms claim that this makes American Mahjong a separate game. In addition, the NMJL and AMJA variations, which differ by minor scoring differences, are commonly referred to as Mahjongg or Mah-jongg (with two Gs, often hyphenated).
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