Play Mahjong Online

Are you a mahjong fan? If so, you're in the right place! Our extensive collection of free online mahjong games includes addicting titles like Mahjong Dimensions, Mahjong Dark Dimensions, Mahjong Candy, and Mahjong Solitaire. With all of these addicting games, you’ll want to play mahjong 24/7!

Mahjong is an ancient Chinese strategy game that is played today by people all over the world. You can test yourself against other players in live settings or settle down for a session on your own by playing Mahjong online.

We’ve got enough Mahjong variations to keep you entertained for hours. Try our free Mahjong games now and start putting your skills to the test!

What is Mahjong?

Mahjong is an enormously popular Chinese game of strategy, skill, and summation. The classic version of the game uses 136 tiles and requires you to make identical sets from these tiles.

Like our other online memory games, Mahjong is also an excellent game to play if you're looking to improve your memory skills!

While there are a huge number of regional variations to it, the basic principles of many Mahjong games are the same and feature the following tiles:

36 characters
36 bamboos
36 circles (suits)
16 wind tiles
12 dragons

When you’re playing Mahjong online you may find that there’s a total of 144 tiles. This is because these Mahjong games include the following additional tiles:

Four flowers
Four seasons

What is the Objective of Mahjong?

The objective of mahjong is very simple — to get Mahjong!

You have 14 tiles and you get Mahjong by getting all 14 tiles into four sets and one pair. Sets of tiles are called pung or chow and they equal:

Pung = three identical tiles
Chow = three consecutive numbers
Pair of identical tiles (can be any)

You earn points based on the moves you make and the speed at which you make the correct ones. The points you get depend on the version of Mahjong you play.

So, make sure you check how the points are recorded when you’re playing free Mahjong. Because if you don’t you might find that you don’t earn as high a score as you could.

How to Play Mahjong

Playing free Mahjong games is a great way to test your ability to think strategically. There are different versions of the game you can play online and the simplest way to learn how to play it is to start with traditional Mahjong.

These are the key things you need to know about playing traditional Mahjong games online:

Your goal is to get Mahjong by using discarded tiles
Mahjong is four sets of three tiles and one pair of tiles
You make sets in Mahjong games in two ways
- Pung
- Chow
The game starts with all 144 tiles laid out as a "wall" in the center of the game surface
You have to match these tiles, finding ones that are the same
You score points by matching ones that are:
- Not covered
- Away from the sides
- Special characters

We have a range of free Mahjong games and these may feature different rules from the basic version of the game. Make sure you check how to play the version you’re interested in before you sit down for a game.

Top Tips When Playing Online Mahjong Games

Concentration is necessary to become a true master of online Mahjong.

But that’s not all you need to be able to play games successfully. These top tips will help you make better decisions, score more points, and finish your games faster:

Always try and match tiles that will reveal the most hidden titles
Horizontal tiles are harder to remove
If you have three of the same tile then match the two that unveil the most tiles
If you get into a situation you can’t solve then shuffle the tiles

Our free online Mahjong games are strategic matching games. To play Mahjong, you must remove all Mahjong tiles from the board before time runs out.

There’s a catch, though!

You can only select unblocked Mahjong tiles that do not have other tiles to their right or left. It’s a race against time — the faster you go, the more points you score.

Now, go play!

How Long Does a Game of Mahjong Take?

If you play a four-person live game of Mahjong then you’ll find that hands can often take 15 minutes. This means that a full live Mahjong game takes around four hours to complete.

One of the best things about playing Mahjong online is games can take less time to complete. This is because some of the free Mahjong games you can play have a timer setting.

Games like these may be scheduled to last no more than ten minutes, meaning that they take barely any time at all to play.

What Does Mahjong Mean?

Mahjong means "little sparrows".

It’s thought that the game’s name comes from the noise the tiles make when they’re shuffled, which is said to sound like sparrows talking to each other.

How Do I Say Mahjong?

Mahjong is pronounced "maa-zhong".

To say it correctly you treat it as two separate words that are joined together. This will allow you to correctly accent the two parts of Mahjong, while ensuring that you pronounce it as one word.

The History of Mahjong

Mahjong is a game with a fascinating history.

Traditional Mahjong is an ancient Chinese strategy game with a slightly different concept than our free Mahjong games.

The ancient strategy game is played with bamboo Mahjong tiles, and was introduced to the rest of the world in the early 20th century.

In traditional Mahjong, there are usually four players and 144 Mahjong tiles, based on Chinese characters and symbols. Each player begins with 13 tiles and takes turns drawing and discarding tiles until they form a winning hand.

Today, Mahjong is a strategy game, with many different variations around the world!