# Hong Kong mahjong rules at a glance

The main points of every lesson in the Learn Mahjong Quick Hong Kong mahjong course. Web version: https://learnmahjongquick.com/hong-kong-mahjong-rules-at-a-glance

## The basics

### [1. Meet the tiles](https://learnmahjongquick.com/learn-hong-kong-mahjong/meet-the-tiles)

- There are 144 tiles: Dots, Bams and Craks, numbered 1 to 9, 4 of each.
- Winds and dragons are honor tiles. They have no numbers.
- Flowers and seasons are bonus tiles. There are no jokers.

### [2. Making sets](https://learnmahjongquick.com/learn-hong-kong-mahjong/making-sets)

- A chow is 3 in a row in one suit. A pung is 3 alike. A kong is 4 alike.
- Honors can make pungs and kongs, never chows.
- A winning hand is 4 sets and a pair.

## Playing

### [3. Your turn](https://learnmahjongquick.com/learn-hong-kong-mahjong/your-turn)

- Draw a tile, then discard one. You end with 13 tiles.
- Play goes counter-clockwise: the player on your right is next.
- Set aside flowers and seasons, then draw a new tile.

### [4. Calling tiles](https://learnmahjongquick.com/learn-hong-kong-mahjong/calling-tiles)

- Call a chow only from the player on your left.
- Call a pung or kong from anyone. Show the set, then discard.
- Winning beats a pung or kong, and a pung or kong beats a chow.

### [5. Kongs](https://learnmahjongquick.com/learn-hong-kong-mahjong/kongs)

- Make a kong from a discard, from 4 tiles you drew, or by adding to a pung.
- After any kong, draw an extra tile from the back of the wall.
- Another player can rob a kong you add to, if the tile wins for them.

### [6. Winning](https://learnmahjongquick.com/learn-hong-kong-mahjong/winning)

- You win with 4 sets and a pair, either self-drawn or from a discard.
- To win, you can call any tile from anyone.
- Your hand needs at least 3 faan, unless your group agrees on another minimum.

## Scoring

### [7. Faan scoring](https://learnmahjongquick.com/learn-hong-kong-mahjong/faan-scoring)

- Dragon pungs, your seat wind and the round's wind score 1 faan each.
- All pungs and mixed one suit score 3. Pure one suit scores 7.
- Self-drawn, concealed hand and matching bonus tiles add 1 faan each.
- The limit is the top score. It's 10 faan in our game.

### [8. Special hands](https://learnmahjongquick.com/learn-hong-kong-mahjong/special-hands)

- Faan from different parts add up, up to the limit.
- Small three dragons is 5 faan. Great three dragons is 8. Don't add the dragon pungs on top.
- Small four winds is 6 faan, plus your seat and round winds. Great four winds and thirteen orphans score the limit.
- Heaven's hand (East wins with the tiles dealt) and Earth's hand (you win on East's first discard) score the limit.

## Playing well

### [9. Strategy basics](https://learnmahjongquick.com/learn-hong-kong-mahjong/strategy-basics)

- Find a source of faan early, like a dragon pair or one suit.
- Keep tiles that wait on more winning tiles. Let go of lone winds that don't score.
- Late in a hand, discard tiles that are already showing.