About Mahjong

Discover Mahjong

From China to the World

Mahjong originated in China, with the modern form of the game generally tracing its development to the nineteenth century. From China, it travelled to Japan and Southeast Asia, and eventually reached Europe and America, where it became a major craze in the early twentieth century. Today, Mahjong belongs not only to one place, but has become a game shared across cultures and generations.

One Game, Many Ways to Play. One of the most fascinating things about Mahjong is that it has never stopped evolving.

As the game travelled, different communities adapted it to their own cultures, habits and preferences. Over time, distinct forms emerged, including Hong Kong Mahjong, Japanese Riichi, Taiwanese Mahjong, American Mah Jongg and Chinese Competition Mahjong, alongside many other regional variations. They share many of the same tiles and fundamental ideas, but their rules, scoring systems and strategies can be remarkably different. Today, dozens of variations are played around the world.

Perhaps Mahjong has travelled so far because it has always known how to change.

Why Do We Teach Hong Kong Mahjong?

At Mahjong Academy, we begin with traditional Hong Kong Mahjong.

Not because we believe Hong Kong Mahjong is better than every other version. Each style has its own character and reflects the culture and playing traditions of the people who developed it.

We choose Hong Kong Mahjong because it preserves many familiar elements of traditional Mahjong: the full 144-tile set, including the three numbered suits, Honor tiles and Flowers; the four Seat Winds and Round Winds; Fan scoring; and a rich collection of customs and traditions around the table.

For us, learning Hong Kong Mahjong is not simply about learning how to play a game. It is a doorway into the culture, history, strategy, psychology and wisdom behind it.

Start in Hong Kong, Explore the World

Learning Hong Kong Mahjong doesn't mean you can only play Hong Kong Mahjong. Quite the opposite. Once you understand the fundamental structure of the game—the tiles, combinations, drawing and discarding, Sheung, Pung, Gong, Sik and Fan—you have a foundation for exploring Japanese, Taiwanese, American and other forms of Mahjong. You can begin to see what they share, what makes each one different, and how different cultures have transformed the same game in their own way.

So we don't want Hong Kong Mahjong to be the end of your journey.

We want it to be your doorway into the wider world of Mahjong.