The Discard — Mahjong Cheat Sheet

THE

DISCARD

Beginner's Mahjong Cheat Sheet

Page 1 of 4 · The Tiles

The Three Suits — Numbered 1 through 9 · 4 copies of every tile

Characters

Man · Wan · Cracks

🀇1

🀈2

🀉3

🀊4

🀋5

🀌6

🀍7

🀎8

🀏9

Chinese numerals 一–九. The trickiest suit for beginners — the numbers become familiar quickly once you start playing.

Bamboo

Bam · Sticks · Strings

🀐1

🀑2

🀒3

🀓4

🀔5

🀕6

🀖7

🀗8

🀘9

Looks like bamboo stalks. Note: The 1-Bamboo usually shows a bird instead of one stalk — don't let it surprise you.

Circles

Dots · Balls · Coins

🀙1

🀚2

🀛3

🀜4

🀝5

🀞6

🀟7

🀠8

🀡9

Just count the dots. The most beginner-friendly suit. Start here when sorting your hand.

Honor Tiles — No numbers · Cannot form sequences

Wind Tiles

4 winds × 4 copies = 16 tiles

🀀

East 東

🀁

South 南

🀂

West 西

🀃

North 北

Each player holds a seat wind based on their position. East is always the dealer. Three of a kind (a Pung) of your seat wind scores bonus points.

Dragon Tiles

3 dragons × 4 copies = 12 tiles

🀄

Red 中

🀅

Green 發

🀆

White 白

Three of any Dragon (a Pung) scores points in most rulesets. Worth chasing if you draw two early — the third is never far away.

One thing to remember

A standard set has 144 tiles. Three numbered suits (Characters, Bamboo, Circles) plus the Wind and Dragon honor tiles. You don't need to memorize everything at once — focus on recognizing the suits first. Everything else clicks into place from there.

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1 / 4

THE

DISCARD

Beginner's Mahjong Cheat Sheet

Page 2 of 4 · What You're Building

The Three Main Sets — The building blocks of your hand

Pung

碰 · Three of a kind

🀄

Three identical tiles. Any tile — suit, wind, or dragon. You can take a Pung from any player's discard, no matter where you're sitting.

Chow

吃 · Sequence of three

🀛

🀜

🀝

Three consecutive numbers in the same suit. Honor tiles (Winds, Dragons) cannot form a Chow. In most styles, you claim a Chow only from the player to your left.

Pair

雀 · The "eyes"

🀡

Two identical tiles. Every winning hand needs exactly one pair. Called the "eyes" of the hand. No pair, no win — protect it.

The Winning Hand

4

Sets
Pung or Chow

+

1

Pair
The Eyes

=

14

Tiles Total
= Mahjong!

Mix Pungs and Chows freely — any combination works.
You win the moment your 14th tile completes the formula — whether you drew it yourself or claimed it from someone else's discard.

Note: scoring rules vary by style of Mahjong — but the winning formula above applies to most.

The most common beginner mistake

Holding onto tiles that don't connect to anything because they look valuable. A lone Red Dragon is impressive — but without a second one, it's just taking up space. Keep tiles that connect. Let go of tiles that don't. The faster you learn to discard isolated tiles, the faster your game improves.

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THE

DISCARD

Beginner's Mahjong Cheat Sheet

Page 3 of 4 · How to Play

How a Round Works — Repeat until someone wins or the wall runs out

1

Draw

Take one tile from the wall. You now hold 14 tiles.

2

Look

Does this tile complete a set or your pair?

3

Win or Discard

If you have 4 sets + 1 pair, declare Mahjong. Otherwise, discard your least useful tile.

4

Claim Window

Before the next draw, any player may claim your discard.

5

Next Player

If no one claims, play moves clockwise. Repeat from Step 1.

Claiming Someone's Discard — You must act before the next player draws

Win
Any player can claim a discard to win. If it completes your hand (4 sets + 1 pair), declare Mahjong immediately. This always beats every other type of claim.
Pung
Any player can claim a discard to complete a Pung. You need to already hold two of that tile. Show the set face-up, then discard one tile from your hand.
Chow
In most styles, only the player to the discarder's left can claim a Chow. You need the two tiles that complete the sequence. Show the set face-up, then discard.

A note on rules: Mahjong has several popular styles — Chinese, Hong Kong, Japanese Riichi, and American (NMJL). The basics on this sheet apply to most. Some details (like who can claim a Chow, or how scoring works) vary between them. Always ask your table what style you're playing before you start.

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THE

DISCARD

Beginner's Mahjong Cheat Sheet

Page 4 of 4 · Key Terms & Table Etiquette

Key Terms — The words you'll hear at the table

WallThe face-down tiles stacked in a rectangle. You draw from here each turn.

RackThe holder that keeps your tiles upright and facing only you.

DrawTaking one tile from the wall on your turn. You then hold 14.

DiscardThe tile you throw away, placed face-up in the center.

MeldA completed set placed face-up after claiming a discard.

PungThree identical tiles. Can be claimed from any player's discard.

ChowThree consecutive same-suit tiles. Usually claimed from left neighbor only.

PairTwo identical tiles — the "eyes." Every hand needs exactly one.

Seat WindYour position's wind tile. Three of a kind may score bonus points.

Self-DrawWinning by drawing your own winning tile from the wall.

Mahjong!What you call when you win. Also: "Hu!" or "Ron!" depending on the style.

DealerThe East player. Deals first, draws 14 tiles to start.

Table Etiquette — The unwritten rules

Announce your discard out loud. "Three Bamboo." "West Wind." Every turn. It's standard table manners.

Never touch tiles that aren't yours. Not to look, not to straighten. Even at casual tables, this is a serious breach.

Claim immediately or not at all. Once the next player draws from the wall, the window is closed.

Don't narrate your hand. "I almost had that!" tells every other player exactly what you need. Stay quiet.

Tell the table you're new. "I'm still learning — I might be slow." Most tables are kind once you've set expectations.

Join the shuffle. When tiles go face-down, all four players mix them — hands flat, in circles. Don't sit it out.

The Discard — Beginner's Mahjong Cheat Sheet