If you’re learning Mahjong, you don’t need a 3,000-word rulebook every time you play.
You need something simple.
Clear.
Quick to glance at mid-game.
This printable Mahjong cheat sheet summarizes:
- Winning hand structure
- Meld types
- Common scoring patterns
- Variant differences
- Beginner reminders
If you’re new to the full rules, start with our detailed Chinese Mahjong Rules Guide — this sheet is designed as a quick reference, not a full tutorial.
🀄 Mahjong Winning Hand Structure (All Variants)
Most Mahjong versions follow this structure:
✔ 4 Melds
✔ 1 Pair
A meld can be:
• Chow – 3 consecutive tiles in same suit
• Pung – 3 identical tiles
• Kong – 4 identical tiles
A pair is:
• 2 identical tiles
Example winning structure:
- 2–3–4 Bamboo
- 6–7–8 Dots
- Red Dragon ×3
- 9 Characters ×3
- East ×2
If you want detailed examples, see:
Mahjong Winning Hands Explained
🀄 Quick Tile Reference
Suits
Dots (1–9)
Bamboo (1–9)
Characters (1–9)
Honor Tiles
Winds: East, South, West, North
Dragons: Red, Green, White
Bonus Tiles (Chinese Style Only)
Flowers
Seasons
Not used in Riichi Mahjong.
🀄 Common Winning Hand Types (Quick List)
✔ All Chows (sequence-based hand)
✔ All Pungs (triplet hand)
✔ Half Flush (one suit + honors)
✔ Full Flush (one suit only)
✔ Seven Pairs
✔ Thirteen Orphans
For full explanations and scoring value, see:
Mahjong Winning Hands Guide
🀄 Hong Kong Minimum Fan Reminder
⚠ You must reach the minimum Fan (usually 3) to win.
Common easy Fan sources:
• Dragon Pung (1 Fan)
• Seat Wind Pung (1 Fan)
• Self-Draw (1 Fan)
• All Pungs (3 Fan+)
If your hand has 0 Fan, you cannot declare Mahjong.
🀄 Riichi Mahjong Yaku Reminder
⚠ You must have at least one Yaku to win.
Common beginner Yaku:
• Riichi
• Tanyao (no 1s, 9s, honors)
• Pinfu (all sequences)
• Yakuhai (dragon or seat wind pung)
• Tsumo (self-draw)
No Yaku = No Win.
Dora add value but do NOT count as Yaku.
🀄 American Mahjong Reminder
In American Mahjong:
• Winning hands must match the NMJL card
• Jokers allowed
• Fixed hand patterns
Structure is different from Chinese / HK / Riichi.
🀄 Defensive Reminders
✔ Watch discards
✔ Don’t chase Full Flush blindly
✔ Count visible tiles
✔ Late game = safer discards
For common beginner traps, see:
Common Mahjong Mistakes Beginners Make
📄 Printable Mahjong Cheat Sheet (Clean Version)
You can copy and print the section below:
MAHJONG QUICK REFERENCE
Winning Structure:
4 Melds + 1 Pair
Meld Types:
Chow = 3 consecutive same suit
Pung = 3 identical tiles
Kong = 4 identical tiles
Common Hands:
All Chows
All Pungs
Half Flush
Full Flush
Seven Pairs
Thirteen Orphans
Hong Kong Rule:
Minimum 3 Fan to win
Riichi Rule:
Must contain at least 1 Yaku
American Rule:
Must match NMJL card pattern
Reminder:
Dora ≠ Yaku
Flowers not used in Riichi
Watch discards carefully
🀄 Practice Makes Recognition Faster
The fastest way to memorize hand patterns is repetition.
Playing online helps because:
• Yaku are highlighted
• Fan is auto-calculated
• Legal wins are confirmed
We compared beginner-friendly platforms in our
Best Online Mahjong Platforms Guide.
If you’re learning American-style play specifically, our
I Love Mahj Review explains how guided practice works.
🀄 Want to Practice With a Physical Set?
If you’re learning at home, a clear, readable tile set makes a difference.
We reviewed beginner-friendly options in
Best Mahjong Sets Guide.
Good tiles improve pattern recognition and speed.
Final Thoughts
Mahjong looks complex.
But structurally, it’s simple:
4 Melds + 1 Pair.
The rest is scoring logic layered on top.
Keep this sheet nearby while you play.
After a few games, you won’t need it anymore.
And that’s when Mahjong becomes second nature.