Mahjong is a fun tile game played by families all over Singapore — especially at Chinese New Year. Four players sit around a table, and everyone tries to build a winning set of tiles.
🧩 The big idea: Mahjong is like a giant matching puzzle. You collect little tiles and group them into neat sets. The first player to finish their puzzle shouts “Mahjong!” and wins.
Tap Next to meet the tiles. There are fun things to tap and play on the way! 👉
Step 1
Meet the Three Suits
Most tiles come in three families called suits. Each suit has numbers from 1 to 9. Tap each card to see how to read them!
Dots (筒)
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Round circles! Count the dots — this one shows 5. Easy to spot. 🔵
Bamboo (索)
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Little green sticks of bamboo. Count the sticks — this one is a 3. 🎋
Characters (萬)
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A number on top and the word 萬 (“ten thousand”) below. This one is an 8. 🔢
Open all three cards to become a tile-reader! 📖
Step 2
Special “Honour” Tiles
Besides numbers, there are special tiles with no numbers — the Winds and the Dragons. Tap to peek!
The 4 Winds
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East 東, South 南, West 西, North 北 — one for each direction, like a compass. 🧭
The 3 Dragons
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Red 中, Green 發, and the blank White dragon 白. They are lucky tiles! 🐉
💡 You don't need to read Chinese to play. Just remember: match the picture with the same picture!
Step 3
A Set of Three Same — a “Pung”
The first kind of set is a Pung: three tiles that are exactly the same. Like three twins... triplets! 👯
🎯 Your turn: Tap the 3 matching tiles in the tray to build a Pung. Pick tiles that look identical!
Tap 3 tiles that are all the same…
Step 4
A Run of Three — a “Chow”
The other kind of set is a Chow: three tiles in a row from the same suit, like 3–4–5. Like climbing stairs! 🪜
🎯 Your turn: Tap 3 bamboo tiles that go in order (1-2-3 in a row). They must be the same suit AND in a row!
Find three bamboo tiles that count up in a row…
Step 5
How a Turn Works: Draw & Throw
On your turn you draw 1 new tile, look at your hand, then throw away 1 tile you don't need. Your hand always goes back to the same size. It's like swapping one card to slowly improve your puzzle!
Your hand:
Press “Draw a tile” to start your turn.
Step 6
What a Winner Looks Like
To win, you need 4 sets (Pungs or Chows) plus 1 pair. The pair is two matching tiles called the “eyes” 👀. Here is a finished winning hand:
🎯 Find the eyes: Tap the 2 matching tiles that form the pair. (Hint: a pair is only TWO of the same — not three!)
Tap the two tiles that are a matching pair…
🎉 Mahjong! That's a winning hand!
Step 7
Be a Friendly Player 🤝
Mahjong is mostly about having fun together. Here are kind habits good players follow:
🔇 Wait quietly for your turn — don't grab tiles early.
🙂 Say “Mahjong!” happily when you win, and “Good game!” when you don't.
🧹 Help shuffle and stack the tiles for the next round.
🧠 Watch what others throw away — it helps you guess what they're collecting!
🌟 Mahjong is a thinking game for fun and family time. Enjoy it with people you love — winning is just a happy bonus!
🏆🀄
You're a Mahjong Beginner!
Look how much you learned today:
🔵
Three suits: Dots, Bamboo, and Characters, each numbered 1–9.
🐉
Honour tiles: the 4 Winds and the 3 Dragons.
👯
Pung: three tiles exactly the same.
🪜
Chow: three tiles in a row, same suit.
🔁
Each turn: draw one tile, throw one away.
👀
To win: 4 sets + 1 pair = “Mahjong!”
Great job! Now you can join the next family game. 🎉 Tap Start again if you want another round of practice!