Taiwanese Mahjong
The 16-tile mahjong played at every Taiwanese family table — now in your browser. Three AI opponents, real house rules, scoring done for you.
Real Taiwanese rules
144 tiles with 8 flowers, 16-tile hands, chow only from the left, dealer streaks (連莊) and 16 tiles kept in the dead wall.
Fair AI opponents
Three levels from beginner to sharp. The computer never sees your tiles or the wall — every deal is a fair shuffle.
Hints & auto scoring
See which tiles you are waiting on and how many are left. Every win shows its full tai breakdown.
Free, no download
Nothing to install, no sign-up, no ads in your way. Your games and stats are saved on this device.
Pick your game length
From a three-minute single hand to a full four-round game.
- Easy — Plays loosely and calls often. Good for learning.
- Normal — Plays for speed and counts the tiles it can see.
- Hard — Chases bigger hands and defends when you look ready.
How to play Taiwanese mahjong
- Each player holds 16 tiles; the dealer starts with 17 and discards first.
- On your turn, draw a tile and discard one. Flowers are set aside at once and replaced from the back of the wall.
- Claim a discard to make a set: pung (three of a kind) or kong (four) from anyone, chow (a run) only from the player on your left. A win beats a pung, a pung beats a chow.
- Win with 17 tiles: five sets plus one pair. Win off a discard and only that player pays; self-draw and all three pay.
- Each payment is base + tai × points per tai. The dealer adds 1 tai, plus 2 more for every hand they keep the deal.
- When only 16 tiles are left in the wall, the hand is a draw and the dealer stays.
The tiles
Characters (萬), dots (筒) and bamboo (條) run 1 to 9, four of each. Add the winds East, South, West, North, the dragons Red, Green and White, and eight flowers — 144 tiles in all.
Scoring table (tai)
The most common tai at Taiwanese tables. Higher patterns in the same family replace the lower ones.
| Hand | Tai |
|---|---|
| Self-drawn (自摸) | 1 |
| Concealed hand (門清) | 1 |
| Concealed self-draw (不求人) | 3 |
| Single wait (獨聽) | 1 |
| Own seat flower (正花) | 1 |
| Four flowers of a set (花槓) | 2 |
| Round wind pung (圈風) | 1 |
| Seat wind pung (門風) | 1 |
| Dragon pung (三元牌) | 1 |
| Last tile self-draw (海底撈月) | 1 |
| Last discard win (河底撈魚) | 1 |
| Win on a replacement tile (槓上開花) | 1 |
| Robbing a kong (搶槓) | 1 |
| All claimed, self-drawn (半求人) | 1 |
| All sets claimed (全求人) | 2 |
| All runs, no honors or flowers (平胡) | 2 |
| Hand | Tai |
|---|---|
| Three concealed pungs (三暗刻) | 2 |
| All pungs (碰碰胡) | 4 |
| One suit with honors (混一色) | 4 |
| Little three dragons (小三元) | 4 |
| Four concealed pungs (四暗刻) | 5 |
| Pure one suit (清一色) | 8 |
| Big three dragons (大三元) | 8 |
| Little four winds (小四喜) | 8 |
| Five concealed pungs (五暗刻) | 8 |
| All eight flowers (八仙過海) | 8 |
| Seven flowers rob one (七搶一) | 8 |
| Earthly hand (地胡) | 16 |
| Human hand (人胡) | 16 |
| All honors (字一色) | 16 |
| Big four winds (大四喜) | 16 |
| Heavenly hand (天胡) | 24 |
Questions
How is Taiwanese mahjong different from other mahjong?
Hands have 16 tiles instead of 13, you win with five sets and a pair, flowers score points, and there is no riichi or minimum hand — any complete hand can win. Scoring uses tai rather than fan or han.
Is it really free? Do I need an account?
Yes, it is free and there is no sign-up. Everything runs in your browser and your progress is saved on this device.
Does the computer cheat?
No. The AI only knows its own hand and what is on the table, the same as you. The wall is shuffled once at the start of each hand and never changed.
What are 連莊 and 拉莊?
If the dealer wins or the hand is a draw, they keep the deal (連莊). Each extra hand adds 2 tai to every payment involving the dealer: 1 tai for the dealer, 3 after one streak, 5 after two, and so on.
What is 過水?
If you pass on a winning discard, you cannot win on anyone’s discard until your next draw. Self-drawing is still allowed.
Can I play on my phone?
Yes. It works on phones, tablets and computers. On a phone, landscape gives the biggest tiles.