Planet Mahjong Library
Taiwanese Mahjong Rule Book
Printed beginner edition
A premium book for someone who has never heard of Mahjong. Tiles first, rules second, scoring only when the table already makes sense.
Illustrated Course
Learn Taiwanese Mahjong
From first tile to first win
A printed atlas of the game: tile families, set diagrams, turn flow, claim priority, winning shapes, and score receipts.

Lay-Flat Reference
The Table Companion
Taiwanese Mahjong, clearly explained
Made to sit beside a real table: fast diagrams, plain words, and no rule left floating without an example.
Printed book brief
Teach the whole game from zero
The book should feel like a premium object, but the teaching must stay simple. A new reader learns what Mahjong is, sees each tile family, builds sets with pictures, follows a turn, understands claiming, completes a hand, then learns how tai scoring works.
- Chapters
- 10
- Tile families
- 6
- Scoring rows
- 27
- Table rules
- 11
Beginner to scoring.
All shown visually.
Explained in plain words.
Claims, rounds, payments.
Contents
The book journey
Each chapter starts with a picture, then the rule, then a small table example.
- 01
What Mahjong Is
The object of the game, the four seats, the wall, and why a hand is built from sets.
- 02
Meet the Tiles
Bamboo, characters, circles, winds, dragons, flowers, and seasons.
- 03
Build Sets
Sequences, pongs, gongs, pairs, and the 5 sets plus 1 pair winning shape.
- 04
A Turn
Draw, replace flowers, choose a discard, and read the table.
- 05
Claiming
When to call sequence, pong, gong, or Mahjong from a discard.
- 06
Winning
How a 16-tile hand becomes a 17-tile winning hand.
- 07
Scoring
Count the base point, add bonuses, then compare the active Wind Round minimum.
- 08
Special Hands
Flowers, dragons, winds, all-pong, pure suit, orphans, and other named patterns.
- 09
False Mahjong
What happens when a declared hand is not valid or not high enough.
- 10
Practice Pages
Hands to score, tile drills, and table-decision exercises.
Opening spread
What is Mahjong?
Mahjong is a four-player tile game. Each player builds a hand from groups of tiles. On your turn, draw one tile, improve your hand, and discard one tile. The hand ends when someone completes a valid winning hand and has enough tai.

Ms. Flower says
Do not start with scoring.
First learn the tiles. Then learn sets. Then learn a turn. Scoring becomes much easier after the hand shape is obvious.
Chapter 2
Meet the tiles
The printed book uses real tile faces at every learning step, so a beginner is never asked to memorize a rule before seeing the pieces.
1 to 9
Bamboo
A numbered suit. Three consecutive bamboo tiles can make a sequence.1 to 9
Characters
A numbered suit. It works like bamboo and circles.1 to 9
Circles
A numbered suit. New players often spot circle patterns fastest.East, South, West, North
Winds
Winds are honour tiles. They do not make sequences.Red, green, white
Dragons
Dragons are honour tiles. A dragon pong is one of the first scoring patterns to learn.8 bonus tiles
Flowers and seasons
Flowers are revealed, set aside, and replaced from the Flower Wall.Chapter 3
Build sets
Most winning hands are built from five sets and one pair. The book introduces each building block by showing the tiles first.
sheung
Sequence
Three consecutive numbers in the same suit.pong
Pong
Three identical tiles.gong
Gong
Four identical tiles. You set it aside and draw a replacement.eyes
Pair
Two identical tiles. A normal winning hand needs one pair.Chapter 4
A turn
- Draw Take one tile from the wall. If it is a flower, reveal it and draw a replacement.
- Improve Look for sequences, pongs, a pair, or a stronger scoring direction.
- Discard Return to 16 tiles by discarding one tile face up.
- React Other players may claim the discard. Mahjong has the highest priority.
Chapter 5
Claims need examples, not memory work
A beginner has to know what can be called from the table and which call wins when two players want the same discard. The printed book shows the discard, the completed set, and the priority in one glance.
sheung
Sequence claim
Use a discard to complete three consecutive numbers in one suit. This claim is only available from the player before you. Swap Calling: on that turn you cannot discard the claimed tile kind or the far-end tile of the run.pong
Pong claim
Use a discard to complete three identical tiles. Pong beats a sequence claim.gong
Gong claim
Use or reveal four identical tiles, set them aside, then draw a replacement tile.win
Mahjong claim
If the discard completes a valid hand, Mahjong beats every other claim. More than one player can win on the same discard.Chapter 6
A first complete hand
Five sets plus one pair. The winning tile makes 17 tiles.
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Pair
Winning minimum
A hand must be valid and high enough
First check the shape. Then count tai. Finally compare the total to the active Wind Round. If the hand is structurally wrong or below the minimum, it is false Mahjong.
Chapter 7
Complete scoring chart
Every scoring rule gets a plain-language trigger and the tai it pays. The printed version would pair these rows with worked hands and tile diagrams.
Flowers
Flower tiles are set aside, replaced, and counted at scoring time.
Scoring
No flowers
Scoring
Each flower plus seat flower bonus
Each flower
1 tai eachEvery flower or season revealed beside the hand scores 1 tai.
Seat flower match
+1 tai eachSeat numbers are East 1, South 2, West 3, North 4. A matching flower or season scores one extra tai.
Scoring
No flowers and no winds or dragons
Scoring
Seven or eight flowers instant self-draw win
Seven flowers
20 taiSeven revealed flower or season tiles can win immediately.
Eight flowers
40 taiAll eight flower and season tiles make the larger instant self-draw win.
Winds and dragons
Honour tiles create many of the first scoring patterns a new player notices.
Scoring
Wind pong, seat wind, and round wind bonuses
Wind pong
1 tai per pongAny wind pong scores 1 tai unless a larger named wind family replaces it.
Seat wind pong
+1 taiIf the wind pong matches your own seat, add this bonus.
Round wind pong
+1 taiIf the wind pong matches the prevailing Wind Round, add this bonus.
Scoring
Little and big three/four winds
Little three winds
15 taiTwo wind pongs plus a pair of another wind.
Big three winds
30 taiThree different wind pongs.
Little four winds
50 taiThree wind pongs plus a pair of the fourth wind.
Big four winds
60 taiAll four winds are pongs.
Scoring
Dragon pong, little dragons, and big dragons
Dragon pong
2 tai per pongAny dragon pong scores 2 tai unless Little or Big Dragons replaces it.
Little dragons
20 taiTwo dragon pongs plus a pair of the third dragon.
Big dragons
40 taiAll three dragons are pongs.
Sequences and pongs
These rows reward repeated runs, repeated triplets, and terminal shapes.
Scoring
Mixed and pure dragon sequences
Mixed dragon exposed or partially concealed
5 taiA 1-2-3, a 4-5-6, and a 7-8-9 use all three suits. If any part was claimed, use this row. A hand that also holds a Pure Dragon scores both — the Mixed and the Pure — even when they share a run.
Mixed dragon concealed
10 taiThe same mixed 1-9 ladder scores more when all three sheungs stayed concealed. A hand that also holds a Pure Dragon scores both the Mixed and the Pure, even when they share a run.
Pure dragon exposed or partially concealed
10 taiThe 1-9 ladder stays in one suit. If any part was claimed, use this row.
Pure dragon concealed
20 taiThe same one-suit 1-9 ladder scores more when all three sheungs stayed concealed.
Scoring
Neighbours or uncle pongs
Two sets
5 taiTwo consecutive pongs in the same suit.
Three sets
15 taiThree consecutive pongs in the same suit.
Four sets
30 taiFour consecutive pongs in the same suit.
Five sets
60 taiAll five pongs are consecutive in one suit.
Scoring
Brother sheungs
Two brother sheungs
5 taiTwo identical sheungs in the same suit.
Three brother sheungs
15 taiThree identical sheungs in the same suit.
Four brother sheungs
30 taiFour identical sheungs in the same suit. Each of the three tiles then has all four copies spread across the four sheungs, so Four in Ways also scores three times on top.
Scoring
Sister sheungs
Two sister sheungs
3 taiThe same numbered sheung appears in two different suits.
Three sister sheungs
10 taiThe same numbered sheung appears in all three suits.
Scoring
Sister pongs
Two sister pongs
3 taiPongs of the same number appear in two different suits.
Three sister pongs
10 taiPongs of the same number appear in all three suits.
Scoring
Concealed pongs
Two concealed pongs
5 taiTwo pongs were completed without claiming a discard. Every declared gong — open or concealed — also counts as one concealed pong on this ladder.
Three concealed pongs
10 taiThree pongs were completed without claiming a discard.
Four concealed pongs
15 taiFour pongs were completed without claiming a discard.
Five concealed pongs
80 taiAll five pongs were completed without claiming a discard.
Scoring
Terminal pongs and terminal sheungs
No terminals
5 taiThe whole winning hand has no 1s, no 9s, and no winds or dragons.
One terminal pong set
3 taiOne set means 111 and 999 in the same suit. A single pong of 1s alone is not enough.
Two terminal pong sets
15 taiTwo suits each have their own 111 plus 999 terminal pong set.
One terminal sheung set
3 taiOne set means 123 and 789 in the same suit.
Two mixed terminal sheung sets
15 taiTwo different suits each have a 123 plus 789 terminal sheung set.
Two pure terminal sheung sets
20 taiAll four sheungs stay in one suit: two copies of 123 and two copies of 789.
Scoring
Step-up sheungs and four-in-ways
Three step-up sheungs
5 taiThree sheungs step upward one number at a time and use all three suits.
Four in two ways
5 taiAll four copies of one exact tile appear across two groups.
Four in three ways
10 taiAll four copies of one exact tile appear across three groups.
Four in four ways
20 taiAll four copies of one exact tile appear across four sheungs.
Pure Step Up
10 taiThree sheungs in ONE suit, each starting one number higher. It stacks with the three-suit step-up row when the hand has both; an All Step-Up hand already includes them. On by default on Taiwanese.
Whole-hand patterns
These rows look at the entire hand rather than one set.
Scoring
Concealed and fully exposed hand bonuses
Concealed hand by discard
5 taiNo claimed sheung or pong is exposed; the winning tile came from another player.
Concealed hand by self-pick
10 taiNo claimed sheung or pong is exposed; you draw the winning tile yourself.
Fully exposed by discard
15 taiAll five sets are exposed on the table, only the pair is concealed, and the win is by discard.
Fully exposed by self-draw
10 taiAll five sets are exposed on the table, only the pair is concealed, and you self-draw the final tile.
Scoring
Semi-pure, pure suit, and two-suit hands
Semi-pure
30 taiThe hand uses exactly one numbered suit plus winds or dragons.
Pure suit
90 taiThe hand uses exactly one numbered suit and no winds or dragons.
Two-suit hand
5 taiThe hand uses exactly two numbered suits and no winds or dragons.
Scoring
All five suits, all pong, and all sheung
All five suits
10 taiBamboo, characters, circles, winds, and dragons all appear in the winning hand.
All pong
25 taiEvery set is a pong or gong. No sheungs are used. An All Pong hand takes no Calling by Pairs and no False Single Wait. Only a True Single Wait, the last concealed tile waiting for its pair, adds 2.
All sheung with flowers or honours
5 taiAll five sets are sheungs, and the hand also has a flower, wind, or dragon.
All sheung with no flowers or honours
15 taiAll five sets are sheungs, with no flowers, winds, or dragons.
Scoring
Neighbours hand, pure honour hand, and terminal families
Neighbours hand
80 taiAll five sets are consecutive pongs in one suit. Retired by default on Taiwanese: the hand then scores the Five sets neighbours row (60) instead.
Pure honour hand
140 taiEvery tile is a wind or dragon. No numbered suit tile appears. The older count: Taiwanese now scores this hand as the Honours hand, 90.
Terminals plus honours
20 taiEvery set is a terminal sheung, terminal pong, or honour pong, and at least one honour appears.
Terminals only no honours
40 taiEvery set is a terminal sheung or terminal pong, the pair is 1 or 9, and no honours appear.
Honours hand
90 taiEvery tile is a wind or dragon. The other rows that apply still add (concealed pongs, the wind and dragon families, seat and round wind), but not All Pong. Like All Pong, it takes no Calling by Pairs and no False Single Wait; only a True Single Wait adds 2. On by default on Taiwanese.
The winning moment
These rows depend on the pair, the wait, or the tile that completed the hand.
Scoring
Good eyes and wait bonuses
Good eyes 2/5/8
2 taiThe pair is 2s, 5s, or 8s.
Calling by pairs
2 taiThe waiting hand has two pairs; either matching tile would turn one pair into a pong. Not on an All Pong or Honours hand, where the two-pair wait is built into the shape.
True single wait
2 taiOnly one kind of tile can complete the hand, even if the hand can be read more than one way (1-2-3-3 waits only for a 3).
False single wait
2 taiYou are waiting for 1 tile to Mahjong, but that final tile can be a multiple of choices (2 or more sets of tiles). Lay out the finished hand for each winning tile: if they finish it differently, it is a false single wait. If both choices only grow the same two tiles into a run and the rest of the hand stays the same (3-4 winning 2 or 5, also 2-2-3-4 or 1-2-3-4-5), it is an open wait and scores nothing. Three or more winning tiles always score.
Calling hand
5 taiYou declared Close Hand on your own discard turn, one tile from Mahjong, and then won. Close Hand is offered only in the West and North Wind Rounds, and a hand one tile from Nico Nico or the Orphans may Close too.
Scoring
Winning tile bonuses
East player mahjongs
1 taiThe winner is sitting in the East seat and the dealer-streak die is not active.
East gives mahjong tile
1 taiA non-East player wins by claiming a tile discarded by East.
Self-draw from wall
1 taiYou draw the winning tile from the live wall.
Self-draw from Flower Wall
5 taiA flower or gong replacement draw completes the hand.
Self-draw concealed hand
10 taiYou self-draw and have no exposed claimed sheung or pong. Gongs are allowed. Special hands that must be concealed (Nico Nico, the Orphans) never add this row — it is already in their price.
Robbing the gong
10 taiAnother player tries to add the fourth tile to a pong; that added tile completes your Mahjong.
Self-drawn double gong
30 taiYou declare a gong, its replacement tile makes a second gong, and the replacement for that second gong completes your hand. The Flower Wall self-draw row still adds its 5. On by default on Taiwanese.
Scoring
Human hand, within-seven/ten, seabed, earthly, heavenly
Human hand within four tiles
80 taiThe win happens within the first four tile events on the table.
Win within seven tiles
20 taiThe win happens after more than four but within seven tile events.
Win within ten tiles
10 taiThe win happens after more than seven but within ten tile events.
Seabed hand
10 taiYou self-draw the last tile from the live wall. A last discard is not this row.
Earthly hand
90 taiA non-East player wins on East's first discard.
Heavenly hand
100 taiEast starts with a complete hand before anyone discards.
Scoring
Base point added at the end
Special hands
Rare hands with their own shapes and payouts.
Scoring
Nico Nico
Nico Nico base
40 taiSeven pairs plus one pong. No gong may be declared.
Nico Nico with one gong
+10 taiOne undeclared four-of-a-kind held as two pairs adds this bonus.
Nico Nico with two gongs
+25 taiTwo undeclared four-of-a-kinds held as four pairs add the larger bonus.
Scoring
13 Orphans and 16 Orphans
13 Orphans
90 taiAll 13 terminal and honour tile types appear, one of them pairs, and the extra three tiles form a legal set.
16 Orphans
50 taiOne gapped orphan group in each numbered suit, all winds and dragons, plus one pair.
Scoring
Chicken hand and all step-up hand
Chicken hand (round minimum, base included)
20 tai, 22 tai, 24 tai, 26 taiChicken is a scorer fallback. If the pre-base hand only has a single low-value trigger, the trigger is replaced by a Chicken row that pays exactly the round minimum with the base inside it: 20 tai in East, 22 in South, 24 in West, 26 in North, so a Chicken always wins. A dealer point or dealer streak is added after.
All step-up hand
20 taiAll five sheungs step upward one number at a time, using all three suits.
All step-up hand in one suit
90 taiAll five sheungs step upward one number at a time in ONE suit. Pure Suit 90 also adds when the eyes are that suit. On by default on Taiwanese.
Scoring
Jewel hands
Named jewel hand
20 taiThe hand uses one named suit plus a pong or kong of its matching dragon — a pair is not enough: Jade, Ruby, Diamond, or Sapphire.
Semi Pure also applies
+30 taiBecause a jewel hand is one numbered suit plus dragons, Semi Pure scores separately when the hand qualifies.
Table rules
Claims, rounds, and table payments
A complete printed book must explain more than score rows. It also needs claim priority, false Mahjong, draw handling, and side payments.
Table payments
Mixed bouquet and full bouquet immediate settlements
5 to 10 tai A bouquet uses flower and season numbers 1 to 4. Mixed bouquet covers all four numbers with both colours present. Full bouquet is all four plants or all four seasons. Read each illustrated row separately. Match the exact pattern before awarding the tai.Mixed bouquet
5 tai from each opponentThe revealed flowers cover numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4, with at least one plant and one season.
Full bouquet
10 tai from each opponentAll four plants or all four seasons make the higher immediate bouquet settlement.
Table payments
Open gong, concealed gong, and immediate concealed gong payout
1 to 5 tai Open and concealed gongs add hand value. A concealed gong also creates an immediate table payment. Read each illustrated row separately. Match the exact pattern before awarding the tai.Open gong in hand score
1 taiFour matching tiles declared from a claim or exposed upgrade count as one gong set. Upgrading your own exposed pong must be declared on the tile as you pick it up — keep the fourth tile in hand and the upgrade is gone. A concealed gong is different: four matching tiles hidden in your hand may be declared on any of your turns, however long you have held them.
Concealed gong in hand score
2 taiFour matching tiles declared from your own concealed hand score more in the final hand.
Concealed gong immediate payout
5 tai from each opponentA concealed gong also creates immediate table money when it is declared.
Table payments
Unshown concealed gong penalty
10 taiRound flow
Random dealer selection
Round flowClaiming
Claim priority and multiple mahjongs on one discard
ClaimingClaiming
Missed discard cannot be claimed again for same tile in same turn cycle
ClaimingTable payments
Chasing tiles and West-wind exception
5 to 10 tai Chasing pays when every copy of a tile is discarded, with a special consecutive-West exception. Read each illustrated row separately. Match the exact pattern before awarding the tai.All four honour copies discarded
5 taiWhen all four copies of the same honour tile appear in the discard flow, chasing pays.
All four suit copies discarded
10 taiWhen all four copies of the same numbered tile appear in the discard flow, chasing pays more.
Fourth consecutive West wind discarded
5 taiFour West winds discarded consecutively trigger the special West-wind exception once.
Round flow
Dealer streak bonus die (no threshold change)
3 to 7 tai Dealer streak dice add tai for repeated East wins or East-discarded winning tiles. They do not reduce the winning minimum. Read each illustrated row separately. Match the exact pattern before awarding the tai.First consecutive East win or East discard
3 taiOn the first dealer-streak step, East winning or East discarding the winning tile adds 3 tai.
Second consecutive East win or East discard
5 taiOn the second dealer-streak step, the same East-paying event adds 5 tai.
Third consecutive East win or East discard
7 taiOn the third dealer-streak step, the same East-paying event adds 7 tai. Later steps continue 2n plus 1.
Table payments
Triple dice side settlement
5 to 10 tai Triple dice create an immediate table payment. Read each illustrated row separately. Match the exact pattern before awarding the tai.Triple 1 to 5
5 tai from each opponentEast opens the deal by rolling three dice; three that match, one through five, pay an instant table settlement before a tile is drawn.
Triple 6
10 tai from each opponentThree sixes is the top roll — it pays double the ordinary matching triple, still settled the moment it lands.
Round flow
False mahjong penalty and replay
25 taiRound flow
Draw round dealer pass and self-draw kitty
5 taiChapter 10
Practice pages make the rules stick
The last section turns the book into a workbook: tile recognition, set building, claim decisions, score receipts, and false-Mahjong checks. Every answer key shows the exact tiles that make the ruling true.
- 01 Identify every tile in a mixed row.
- 02 Split 17 tiles into five sets plus one pair.
- 03 Decide whether a discard can be claimed.
- 04 Score a hand one row at a time.
- 05 Spot false Mahjong before the table pays.