Skip to content
Mahjong Decoded
The directory

Mahjong variants of the world

17 rule sets, from Hong Kong parlours and Japanese professional leagues to Sichuan teahouses, Singaporean animal tiles and the American card — how many play, how many tiles, how big the hand, and how it scores.

0
Rule sets

Want the three biggest styles side by side? See Rules compared.

Taiwanese

1
Tile illustration for Taiwanese Sixteen-Tile Mahjong Taiwanese

Taiwanese 16-Tile

Taiwan and the Taiwanese diaspora

A bigger hand of sixteen tiles makes wins faster and scoring richer; very popular online and at New Year.

Players
4
Tiles
144
Hand
16 (17 to win)
Scoring
Tai plus a base payment
Signature
Five sets and a pair
Read the full guide →