Mahjong Basics

• Mahjong Basics | Practice & Tools

  Five Styles, One App: Introducing the Mahjong Mates Special Hands Guide

  ByNaila Baig-Ansari June 28, 2026June 28, 2026

  Never Forget a Special Hand Again There is a particular kind of mid-game panic every mahjong player knows. You are staring at your rack thinking — wait, is this something? You have a pung of Red Dragons, a bamboo flush building nicely. Is that Imperial Jade? Ruby Jade? And does it matter which round you…
• Mahjong Basics

  What is a Faan in Hong Kong Mahjong?

  ByNaila Baig-Ansari May 11, 2026May 11, 2026

  Scoring Guide What is a Faan? Understanding the scoring unit that derives every decision at the Hong Kong New Style table What is Faan? | Mahjong Mates Faan Discarder pays vs. 3 faan 3 16 chips — 5 48 chips 3× 7 96 chips 6× 9 192 chips 12× 10 256 chips 16× 13 768…
• Mahjong Basics

  How to Build a Winning Mahjong Hand

  ByNaila Baig-Ansari March 19, 2026May 11, 2026

  How to Win at Mahjong — Mahjong Mates 📱 For the best experience, view this on a laptop or tablet Beginner’s Guide How to Win at Mahjong — the complete beginner’s breakdown 💻 Best viewed on a laptop or tablet for the full experience. You’ve seen the tiles, you’ve watched someone call “Mahjong!” — and…
• Mahjong Basics

  How to Claim Tiles in Mahjong: Chow, Pung, Kong & Winning Rules

  ByNaila Baig-Ansari March 19, 2026May 11, 2026

  When a player discards a tile, you may be able to claim it. This is one of the important parts of Mahjong. It determines how hands are built, how turns are interrupted, and who gets priority. Here is exactly what you can do and when. The Three Ways to Claim Priority Rules If more than…
• Mahjong Basics

  🖐️ Four Fingers and a Thumb

  ByNaila Baig-Ansari October 18, 2025March 18, 2026

  How to Visualize a Winning Hand Have you ever looked at your mahjong tiles and thought, How do these ever fit together into a winning hand? Here’s a simple way to picture it: your hand is like your own hand: four fingers and one thumb. ✋ The Four Fingers = Your Melds A meld is…
• Mahjong Basics

  🀄️ How to Choose Your First Mahjong Set

  ByNaila Baig-Ansari October 18, 2025March 11, 2026

  🀄️ How to Choose Your First Mahjong Set So many tiles, so much confusion—until you know what matters Choosing which mahjong set to buy can feel confusing for beginners. Between different tile counts, materials, and numbering styles, it’s easy to get lost. After playing with several sets over the past year, here’s what I’ve learned…