Hong Kong Mahjong Rules, Scoring & Strategy
Traditional Cantonese style with fan-based scoring and cultural significance
Last updated: Jan 2, 2026
What Is Hong Kong Mahjong?
Hong Kong Mahjong (also called Cantonese Mahjong) is the standard form of mahjong played in Hong Kong, Macau, and Cantonese-speaking communities worldwide. It's deeply embedded in local culture, commonly played during Chinese New Year and family gatherings.
The scoring system uses 'faan' (番) to determine your hand's value. Most games require a minimum of 3 faan to declare a winning hand, adding strategic depth as players must build hands that meet this threshold.
Hong Kong Mahjong strikes a balance between accessibility and strategy, making it popular for both casual family play and more competitive settings.
Key Features
What Are the Rules of Hong Kong Mahjong?
Hong Kong mahjong is played with 144 tiles by 4 players. Players form melds of pungs, kongs, and chows to complete a winning hand. Most games require a minimum of 3 faan to declare a win, with the faan-based scoring system determining hand value and payment amounts.
Winning Hand
A complete hand needs 4 sets (pungs, kongs, or chows) and 1 pair, totaling 14 tiles. You can win by self-draw (from the wall) or by claiming another player's discard.
Minimum Faan
Most games require at least 3 faan to win. Flowers don't count toward minimum. Common ways to reach 3 faan: All Pungs (3 faan), Half Flush (3 faan), or combining multiple 1-faan elements like value tiles, self-draw, and All Chows.
Faan Calculation
Faan come from sets of dragons (1 faan each), seat/round winds (1 faan each), special hand patterns, and bonuses for self-draw or specific tile combinations.
Payment Rules
Win by discard: the discarder pays double the base amount, while the other two opponents pay the base amount. Win by self-draw: all three opponents pay double the base amount. If East (dealer) wins, all losers double their payment; if East loses, East pays double.
How Does Hong Kong Mahjong Scoring Work?
Faan determine your hand's base value, which is then modified by payment rules:
Basic Faan Sources:
• Dragon pung/kong: 1 faan
• Seat/Round wind pung: 1 faan
• All Chows: 1 faan
• Self-draw: 1 faan
• All Pungs: 3 faan
• Half Flush (one suit + honors): 3 faan
• Full Flush (one suit only): 6 faan
Limit Hands (Max Score):
• Thirteen Orphans (十三幺): Limit
• Nine Gates (九蓮寶燈): Limit
• All Honors (字一色): Limit
• All Terminals (清老頭): Limit
• Big Three Dragons (大三元): Limit
• Big Four Winds (大四喜): Limit
• Four Kongs (十八羅漢): Limit
• Heavenly Hand (天和): Limit
• Earthly Hand (地和): Limit
• Four Concealed Pungs (四暗刻): Limit
Note: Some groups may not recognize all limit hands — always confirm house rules.
Payment rules: win by discard means the discarder pays double and the other two pay base; win by self-draw means all three opponents pay double. East (dealer) involvement doubles payments further.
What Are the Best Hong Kong Mahjong Strategies?
- 1.Keep track of your faan count - don't forget the 3 faan minimum
- 2.Dragon pungs (1 faan each) and seat/round wind pungs (1 faan each) are reliable building blocks
- 3.Half Flush (3 faan) and All Pungs (3 faan) are common ways to meet the minimum
- 4.Watch what's been discarded to assess safe tiles
- 5.Prioritize hands with clear paths to 3+ faan from the start
Fun Facts
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Styles
Ready to Play Hong Kong Mahjong?
Connect with teachers and local players to get started.