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Resources

A small library to keep beside the wall.

Looking for a term?

The Mahjong Glossary

Every tile, call, hand, and ritual — across Chinese, Japanese, American, and Taiwanese traditions — explained in plain English.

A taste of the lexicon. For the full vocabulary, see the glossary.

Bamboo (索 sōk): One of the three suits, numbered 1–9; the 1 of bamboo traditionally depicts a bird.
Chow (吃 chī): A run of three tiles in the same suit, claimable only from the player on your left.
Dragons (三元 sānyuán): The three honor tiles: Red (中), Green (發), and White (白).
Faan / Han: Points scored for specific winning patterns; the exact term varies by ruleset.
Kong (槓 gàng): Four identical tiles; the player draws a replacement after declaring.
Pung (碰 pòng): Three identical tiles, claimable from any discard.
Riichi (立直): In Japanese mahjong, a declaration that one is one tile from winning.
Wall (牌山 páishān): The face-down stacks of tiles from which players draw.
Winds (四風 sìfēng): East, South, West, North — both seats and honor tiles.

Guides & Deep Dives

Longer pieces on the questions players and buyers ask most. New entries added regularly.