What's the difference between 上 and 吃?

They mean the same thing, taking the previous player's discard to complete a chow. Hong Kong players say 上 (soeng5); mainland and Taiwanese players say 吃.

What are 番子 (dragon and wind pungs)?

Many Hong Kong tables score 1 faan for each pung of dragons, and for a pung of your seat wind or the round wind. The New Style rules Mahjong Versus uses don't score these on their own, only full patterns such as Small and Big Three Dragons.

Why is it called a chicken hand?

雞糊 means a win with no faan at all, a hand as small as a chick. Tables with a 3-faan minimum don't allow it.

Hong Kong Mahjong Glossary: Cantonese and English Terms

What are the tiles called?

牌

Hong Kong mahjong uses 144 tiles: 36 in each of three number suits, 28 honors and 8 bonus tiles.

Term	Jyutping	English	Meaning
萬子	maan6 zi2	Characters	One to nine of Characters, four of each.
筒子	tung4 zi2	Dots	One to nine of Dots, four of each.
索子	sok3 zi2	Bamboo	One to nine of Bamboo, four of each. The one is usually drawn as a bird.
字牌	zi6 paai2	Honors	Winds and dragons together.
風牌	fung1 paai2	Winds	East, South, West and North, four of each.
三元牌	saam1 jyun4 paai2	Dragons	Red, Green and White, four of each.
么九	jiu1 gau2	Terminals	The ones and nines of the number suits.
花牌	faa1 paai2	Bonus tiles	Plum, Orchid, Chrysanthemum and Bamboo (flowers) and Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter (seasons), one of each.
正花	zing3 faa1	Seat flower	The flower or season that matches your seat: East has Plum and Spring, South has Orchid and Summer, and so on.

What are the moves called?

動作

Term	Jyutping	English	Meaning
摸牌	mo2 paai2	Draw	Take a tile from the wall.
出牌	ceot1 paai2	Discard	Throw out a tile.
上	soeng5	Chow	Take the previous player’s discard to complete a run of three in one suit. You can only chow from the player before you.
碰	pung3	Pung	Take anyone’s discard to complete three of a kind.
槓	gong3	Kong	Four of a kind; after a kong you draw a replacement from the end of the wall.
明槓	ming4 gong3	Exposed kong	You hold three and claim the fourth from a discard.
暗槓	am3 gong3	Concealed kong	You drew all four yourself.
加槓	gaa1 gong3	Added kong	You add a drawn fourth tile to a pung you already made.
補花	bou2 faa1	Replace a bonus tile	Set a drawn bonus tile aside and draw again.
落地	lok6 dei6	Exposed melds	The chows, pungs and kongs laid face-up on the table.
聽牌	teng1 paai2	Ready / waiting	One tile away from a win.
眼	ngaan5	Pair (eyes)	The pair every winning hand needs.

What are the ways to win called?

食糊

Term	Jyutping	English	Meaning
食糊	sik6 wu2	Win	Complete four sets and a pair, and declare.
自摸	zi6 mo2	Self-draw	You draw your winning tile yourself, and all three opponents pay.
食出	sik6 ceot1	Win off a discard	You win on a tile someone else threw out.
出銃	ceot1 cung3	Deal in	Your discard lets someone else win.
搶槓	coeng2 gong3	Robbing the kong	Someone adds a kong with the tile you’re waiting for, and you take it to win.
起糊	hei2 wu2	Minimum faan	The fewest faan a hand needs to win; most Hong Kong tables use 3.
詐糊	zaa3 wu2	False win	Declaring a win that isn’t valid or is short of faan, usually penalised.
流局	lau4 guk6	Washout	The wall runs out with no winner, and nobody pays.

How many faan is each hand worth?

番種

These values follow the Hong Kong New Style rules Mahjong Versus uses. House rules at other tables may differ, so agree on them before you play.

Term	Jyutping	English	Faan	Meaning
雞糊	gai1 wu2	Chicken hand	0	A win with no faan. Not allowed at a 3-faan table.
平糊	ping4 wu2	All Sequences	1	Four chows, with a pair that isn’t dragons, your seat wind or the round wind.
對對糊	deoi3 deoi3 wu2	All Triplets	3	Four pungs or kongs.
混一色	wan6 jat1 sik1	Half Flush	3	One number suit plus honors.
清一色	cing1 jat1 sik1	Full Flush	7	One number suit only.
小三元	siu2 saam1 jyun4	Small Three Dragons	3	Two dragon pungs and a pair of the third dragon.
大三元	daai6 saam1 jyun4	Big Three Dragons	8	Pungs of all three dragons.
小四喜	siu2 sei3 hei2	Small Four Winds	5	Three wind pungs and a pair of the fourth wind.
大四喜	daai6 sei3 hei2	Big Four Winds	Limit	Pungs of all four winds.
字一色	zi6 jat1 sik1	All Honors	Limit	Honors only.
十三么	sap6 saam1 jiu1	Thirteen Orphans	Limit	One of every terminal and honor, plus a pair of any of them.
天糊	tin1 wu2	Heavenly Hand	Limit	The dealer’s first fourteen tiles already win.
地糊	dei6 wu2	Earthly Hand	Limit	A non-dealer self-draws on their first draw, before anyone has claimed a tile.
八仙過海	baat3 sin1 gwo3 hoi2	All eight bonus tiles	Limit	Collecting all eight bonus tiles wins at once.

What are the extra faan called?

加番

These add to the hand’s pattern faan. A limit hand gets nothing extra.

Term	Jyutping	English	Faan	Meaning
自摸	zi6 mo2	Self-draw	1	You drew the winning tile.
門前清	mun4 cin4 cing1	Concealed hand	1	No chow, pung or exposed kong, even when you win off a discard.
正花	zing3 faa1	Seat flower	1 each	Each bonus tile that matches your seat.
無花	mou4 faa1	No bonus tiles	1	You drew no bonus tiles all hand.
海底撈月	hoi2 dai2 laau4 jyut6	Last tile from the wall	1	Self-draw on the wall’s last tile.
河底撈魚	ho4 dai2 laau4 jyu4	Last discard	1	Win on the final discard before a washout.
搶槓	coeng2 gong3	Robbing the kong	1	Win by robbing an added kong.
槓上開花	gong3 soeng6 hoi1 faa1	Win on a kong replacement	2	Self-draw on the replacement tile after a kong, self-draw included.
花上自摸	faa1 soeng6 zi6 mo2	Win on a bonus replacement	1	Self-draw on the replacement after a bonus tile, scored as a self-draw.
番子	faan1 zi2	Dragon or wind pung	None	Many Hong Kong tables give 1 faan for each dragon pung and for a seat-wind or round-wind pung; Mahjong Versus doesn’t.

What does the payout slang mean?

找數

The full price tables are in Hong Kong Mahjong Payouts.

Term	Jyutping	English	Meaning
番	faan1	Faan	The scoring unit. Each pattern is worth some faan, and the total sets the payment.
爆棚	baau3 paang4	Limit / cap	The faan cap, usually 8, 10 or 13. Anything above it pays the cap.
滿糊	mun5 wu2	Limit hand	A win that reaches the cap.
例牌	lai6 paai2	Limit hand	A special hand, such as Thirteen Orphans, that pays the cap outright.
半辣上	bun3 laat6 soeng5	Half-spicy	Payments double every two faan above 4.
辣辣上	laat6 laat6 soeng5	Full-spicy	Payments double on every faan; often called 全辣.
二五雞	ji6 ng5 gai1	25-cent stake	One share is worth 25 cents at 0 faan.
五一	ng5 jat1	50-cent stake	One share is worth 50 cents at 0 faan.
一二蚊	jat1 ji6 man1	1-dollar stake	One share is worth one dollar at 0 faan.
半銃	bun3 cung3	Half-discard	The discarder pays two shares and the other two pay one each.
全銃	cyun4 cung3	Full-discard	The discarder pays everything.
包	baau1	Responsibility	One player pays for everyone, for example after feeding an opponent’s Big Three Dragons.

What are the dealer, rounds and hands?

莊家

Term	Jyutping	English	Meaning
莊家	zong1 gaa1	Dealer	The player in the East seat, who starts.
閒家	haan4 gaa1	Non-dealer	The other three players.
連莊	lin4 zong1	Dealer repeats	The dealer keeps the deal after a win or a washout.
過莊	gwo3 zong1	Deal passes	The dealer loses and the next player deals.
局	guk6	Hand	One deal, from shuffle to a win or a washout.
圈	hyun1	Wind round	Every player deals once; East, South, West and North rounds make a full game.
門風	mun4 fung1	Seat wind	The wind of your seat: East, South, West or North.
圈風	hyun1 fung1	Round wind	The wind of the current round.
牌牆	paai2 coeng4	Wall	The face-down tiles waiting to be drawn.

To learn from the start, read How to Play; to see what a hand is worth, try the faan calculator.