![]() ![]() Since we are interested in learning Chinese here, rather than winning competitions, I will not discuss specific rule sets and variants. Some of thees variations have a huge impact on how the game is played, but others are mostly cosmetic. There are many different ways to play the game depending on where you are. The first person to combine all his or her tiles in this way wins. Gradually, you upgrade the tiles you have on your hand until all tiles are part of different sets of three or four of the same tile or three tiles with consecutive numbers (a straight). The game is played by drawing one new tile to your hand each round, then discarding one. The easiest way to get the hang of the rules of Mahjong is to think of it as a card game (which it originally was). Naturally, Chinese people tend to talk a lot while playing the game, but we’ll focus on the game itself here. From a language point of view, playing mostly consists of naming the tiles you play and, sometimes calling an action based on what someone else just played. I have played in Chinese with people who don’t even study Chinese, so it’s definitely doable for zero beginners. Learning Chinese by playing Mahjong is also great fun!Īpart from the numbers 1-9, you only need a handful of words and most of them are useful outside the game as well. ![]() Native speakers are usually impressed when foreigners know how to play their games, which is not limited to Mahjong, but is true for other classic Chinese board games like 象棋 ( xiàngqí, “Chinese chess”, not to be confused with Chinese checkers) and 圍棋 ( wéiqí, “Go”). It can also be a gateway to Chinese culture, both as it appears in the game and the people you get to know by playing the game. Mahjong is extremely popular throughout the Chinese-speaking world and beyond. In the word lists below, I will include both simplified and traditional so you can use the set you prefer, but note that the characters on the tiles in the game are rarely simplified. In this article, I use simplified characters for the name of the game, 麻将, which would be 麻將 in traditional Chinese ( read more about simplified and traditional characters here). Once you have the basic numbers, down, you’re ready to play Mahjong, or májiàng as it’s written in Pinyin. Or you can play games like Mahjong, where you use the numbers all the time! Learn Chinese by playing Mahjong (麻将, májiàng) Don’t just study the numbers and learn them for the test, count in Chinese whenever you get the chance! Use 三 ( sān, “3”) eggs for your pancakes, do (十二 ( shíèr,” 12″) push ups, or count 三十六 ( sānshíliù, “36”) steps up to your apartment. Tune in to the Hacking Chinese Podcast to listen to the related episode:Īvailable on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, YouTube and many other platforms! This can be difficult when you only know a few words, but there are lots of things in your life you can convert to Chinese after just one week of studying. One of the most important pieces of advice I give beginner students of Chinese is that they should learn by doing. If you answered, "YES!" to any of these questions, we hope mahjongtiles™ will help you.Why learn Chinese by playing Mahjong (麻将, májiàng)? Because it’s both fun and effective! Back in 1920, an American named Joseph Babcock introduced "Mah Jongg" to the United States and ever since, it has been a popular game here and the world over.ĭo you love to play mahjong? Do you have a set that you can't use because you're missing one or more tiles? Do you use the National Mah Jongg League Standard Hands, but need extra flower or joker tiles? Do you have an old set that has mismatched or off-colored tiles? Do you just need a few spare tiles? Originating in China a long time ago-exactly when is still being debated-mahjong has enjoyed a 21st Century rebirth in popularity. The basic game of the "Four Winds" is the same. It doesn't matter if you're playing Hong Kong Style, National Mah Jongg League, Japanese Style, Philippines Style, Singapore Style or your own house rules. The game is known as Mahjong, Mah Jong, Mah Jongg, Pung Chow, Ma Jeuk, Pe Ling, Tung Wah, Ma Chiang, Ning Po, and Ma Jung-just to name a few. 5/28/23 Update: The next batch of tile request orders/returns (received on/after May 28, 2023) will be processed/shipped on/after J.
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