Mahjong (麻将) was conceived in the Qing dynasty (17th to 20th century) in China, and bears some similarities to the Western card game "Rummy". The game was originally called Maque (麻雀) or Sparrow as it was said that the clacking of tiles during shuffling resembles the chattering of sparrows.

Mahjong has evolved greatly and is played around the world, with between 136 to 152 tiles depending on variant, and is a game of skill, strategy, and luck.

Below is my curated list of popular mahjong variants, to be updated periodically.

CHINESE OFFICIAL / MAHJONG COMPETITION RULES (MCR)
•  144 Tiles (No 4 Animals)
•  13 Tile Hand (14 Tiles to Win)
•  Winning Conditions: Minimum 8 Point
•  Emphasis on Aggressive Play (No Restrictions like Riichi's Furiten and Kuikae)
•  Popular in Europe, Russia, and Canada

OLD HONG KONG / CANTONESE
•  144 Tiles (No 4 Animals)
•  13 Tile Hand (14 Tiles to Win)
•  Emphasis on Aggressive Play (No Fan/Tai Limit)
•  Popular in Hong Kong and Southeast China

JAPANESE / RIICHI
•  136 Tiles (No 4 Flowers, No 4 Seasons, No 4 Animals)
•  13 Tile Hand (14 Tiles to Win)
•  Complex Gameplay and Scoring System
•  Large Competitive Ecosystem
•  Popular in USA, Canada, Europe and Russia

AMERICAN
•  152 Tiles (No 4 Animals, Includes 8 Jokers)
•  Inconsistent Gameplay and Scoring System (Depends on Current Year NMJL Card)
•  Popular in USA (Regulated by the National Mahjong League (NMJL) in USA)

SINGAPORE
•  148 Tiles
•  13 Tile Hand (14 Tiles to Win)
•  Winning Conditions: Minimum 1 Tai (Fan) | Maximum 5 Tai
•  Complex Gameplay and Scoring System
•  Popular in Singapore and Malaysia

ZUNG JUNG (ZJ) / WORLD SERIES OF MAHJONG (Edited Version)
•  136 Tiles (No 4 Flowers, No 4 Seasons, No 4 Animals)
•  13 Tile Hand (14 Tiles to Win)
•  Simpler Gameplay and Scoring System
•  Designed by statistician Alan Kwan, the name Zung Jung comes from Confucian philosophy

| Go to Singapore Mahjong Guide page
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