Mahjong Terminology Glossary: Every Term Explained
Learning mahjong means learning a whole new vocabulary. This glossary covers every term you’re likely to encounter in Hong Kong Mahjong, with Cantonese pronunciation where relevant. Bookmark this page — you’ll come back to it.
A-C
All Chows (平和 / Ping Wu)
A winning hand made entirely of chows (sequences) plus a pair. Worth 1 faan in most rule sets. Sometimes called “Peace” or “All Sequences.”
All Honors (字一色 / Ji Yat Sik)
A limit hand composed entirely of wind and dragon tiles. Extremely rare.
All Pungs (對對和 / Deui Deui Wu)
A hand where all four sets are pungs (triplets). Worth 3 faan.
All Terminals (清么九 / Ching Mo Gau)
A limit hand where every tile is a 1 or 9. No middle tiles, no honors.
Bamboo (索子 / Sok Ji)
One of the three suits. Tiles depict sticks of bamboo. The 1-Bamboo is traditionally shown as a bird.
Base Unit (底 / Dai)
The minimum payment amount agreed upon before the game. All faan-based payments are multiplied from this base.
Big Three Dragons (大三元 / Daai Saam Yun)
A hand containing pungs of all three dragon tiles. Worth 8 faan.
Bonus Tiles
Collective term for flower and season tiles. They don’t stay in your hand but earn bonus faan.
Characters (萬子 / Maan Ji)
One of the three suits. Tiles display Chinese numerals with the character 萬 (ten thousand).
Chicken Hand (雞糊 / Gai Wu)
A winning hand worth zero faan. Only valid if the table plays with no minimum faan requirement.
Chow (順子 / Seun Ji)
A set of three consecutive tiles in the same suit. Example: 4-5-6 of Dots. Cannot be formed with honor tiles.
Concealed (暗 / Am)
A set formed entirely from tiles you drew yourself, not from claiming discards. Concealed sets remain hidden from other players.
D-F
Dealer (莊家 / Jong Ga)
The player designated as East for the current round. The dealer goes first and has enhanced payouts (both winning and losing are multiplied by 1.5x).
Discard (打 / Daa)
The tile you place face-up in the center after your turn. Also refers to the pile of discarded tiles.
Dots (筒子 / Tung Ji)
One of the three suits. Tiles show circular designs resembling coins.
Dragon Tiles (三元牌 / Saam Yun Paai)
The three honor tiles: Red Dragon (中 / Jung), Green Dragon (發 / Faat), and White Dragon (白 / Baak). A pung of any dragon is worth 1 faan.
Draw (流局 / Lau Guk)
When all tiles in the wall have been drawn and no one has won. No payments are made.
East (東 / Dung)
The first wind position. The dealer is always East. East rotates counterclockwise when the dealer fails to win.
Faan (番)
The scoring unit in Hong Kong Mahjong. More faan means higher payouts. Most games require a minimum of 3 faan to win.
Flower Tiles (花牌 / Fa Paai)
Four bonus tiles: Plum, Orchid, Chrysanthemum, and Bamboo. Each matching flower (corresponding to your seat position) earns 1 bonus faan.
Full Flush (清一色 / Ching Yat Sik)
A hand composed entirely of tiles from a single suit, with no honor tiles. Worth 7 faan.
Furiten
A Japanese Riichi rule (not used in Hong Kong Mahjong). Included here because players sometimes confuse variants.
G-K
Great Winds (大四喜 / Daai Sei Hei)
A limit hand containing pungs of all four wind tiles.
Green Dragon (發 / Faat)
One of the three dragon tiles. Often associated with wealth and prosperity. A pung of green dragons is worth 1 faan.
Hand (手牌 / Sau Paai)
The 13 tiles you hold during play (14 when it’s your turn to discard or when you win).
Honor Tiles (字牌 / Ji Paai)
Collective term for wind tiles and dragon tiles. They cannot form chows.
Kong (槓 / Gong)
A set of four identical tiles. Can be concealed (all drawn) or revealed (using a claimed tile). Declaring a kong grants an extra draw from the back of the wall.
L-N
Limit Hand (滿貫 / Mun Gun)
A hand worth the maximum faan (typically 10 or 13, depending on house rules). Certain special hands are automatically limit hands regardless of their component faan.
Meld
Another word for a completed set (chow, pung, or kong) that has been revealed.
Minimum Faan (起糊 / Hei Wu)
The minimum number of faan required for a valid win. Usually 3 in Hong Kong Mahjong.
Mixed One Suit (混一色 / Wan Yat Sik)
A hand using tiles from only one suit plus honor tiles. Worth 3 faan.
Nine Gates (九蓮寶燈 / Gau Lin Bo Dang)
A limit hand requiring 1-1-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-9-9 of one suit plus any tile of that suit. Considered the rarest and most beautiful hand.
North (北 / Bak)
The fourth wind position. Seated opposite East at the table.
O-R
Pair (對子 / Deui Ji)
Two identical tiles. Every standard winning hand requires exactly one pair.
Pung (碰 / Pung)
A set of three identical tiles. Can be formed by claiming a discard or by drawing tiles yourself.
Red Dragon (中 / Jung)
One of the three dragon tiles. Often depicted as a red Chinese character. A pung is worth 1 faan.
Revealed (明 / Ming)
A set formed by claiming another player’s discard. Revealed sets are placed face-up for all to see.
Robbing a Kong (搶槓 / Cheung Gong)
When a player adds a tile to a revealed pung to form a kong, another player can claim that tile to win. Treated as a discard win.
Round (圈 / Hyun)
A complete cycle of dealer rotations. A full game typically consists of four rounds (East, South, West, North).
Round Wind (圈風 / Hyun Fung)
The wind corresponding to the current round. A pung of the round wind is worth 1 faan.
S-T
Seat Wind (門風 / Mun Fung)
The wind corresponding to your seat position. A pung of your seat wind is worth 1 faan.
Season Tiles (四季牌 / Sei Gwai Paai)
Four bonus tiles: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. Like flowers, matching seasons earn bonus faan.
Self-Drawn (自摸 / Ji Mo)
Completing your winning hand by drawing the tile yourself from the wall. Worth 1 extra faan, and all three opponents must pay.
Shooter (出銃 / Cheut Chung)
The player who discards the tile that completes another player’s winning hand. The shooter pays the full amount alone.
Small Three Dragons (小三元 / Siu Saam Yun)
A hand with pungs of two dragon types and a pair of the third. Worth 5 faan.
South (南 / Naam)
The second wind position. Seated to the right of East.
Suited Tiles (數牌 / Sou Paai)
The three numbered suits: Bamboo, Dots, and Characters. Each suit has tiles numbered 1-9 with four copies each.
Tenpai (聽牌 / Ting Paai)
Being one tile away from a winning hand. Also called “waiting” or “ready.”
Terminal Tiles (幺九牌 / Yiu Gau Paai)
The 1 and 9 tiles of each suit. Important for several scoring patterns.
Thirteen Orphans (十三幺 / Sap Saam Yiu)
A limit hand consisting of one of each terminal and honor tile, plus one duplicate. One of the most famous hands in mahjong.
W-Z
Wall (牌山 / Paai Saan)
The arranged tiles from which players draw. Built at the start of each round by stacking tiles in a square formation.
West (西 / Sai)
The third wind position. Seated to the left of East.
White Dragon (白 / Baak)
One of the three dragon tiles. Usually depicted as a blank tile or with a border. A pung is worth 1 faan.
Wind Tiles (風牌 / Fung Paai)
The four honor tiles representing cardinal directions: East, South, West, North.
Winning Hand (糊 / Wu)
A complete hand of 14 tiles (4 sets + 1 pair) that meets the minimum faan requirement. Also used as the call when declaring a win.
FAQ
What’s the difference between faan and han?
Faan (番) is the scoring unit in Hong Kong/Cantonese Mahjong. Han (飜) is the equivalent in Japanese Riichi Mahjong. They work similarly but apply to different scoring patterns in their respective variants.
Do I need to learn all the Cantonese terms?
Not necessarily, but knowing the common ones (faan, pung, chow, kong, wu) helps you communicate at the table. Most groups use a mix of English and Cantonese terminology.
What does “sik wu” mean?
“Sik wu” (食糊) is what you call out when you win by claiming a discard. “Zi mo” (自摸) is what you call when you win by self-drawing.
Is there a quick reference I can use during a game?
TileBuddy includes a built-in reference for all hand patterns and their faan values, so you don’t need to memorize everything from day one.
Keep this glossary handy while you play, and download TileBuddy for free on the App Store for instant scoring help at the table.