Rules · 3 min read

Sets in mahjong: Pong, Chow and Kong

A winning hand is made of 4 sets and 1 pair. A set is a group of three or four tiles that follows a pattern. There are three kinds of set.

Pong

Three identical tiles. They can be any kind of tile, including winds and dragons.

Pong of Red Dragon

Chow

Three tiles of the same suit with consecutive numbers. Only Dots, Bamboo and Characters can make a Chow.

Chow 4-5-6 Dots

The numbers must be consecutive and the suit must be the same. 4 Dots, 5 Bamboo and 6 Characters is not a Chow.

Kong

Four identical tiles. A Kong counts as one set. After you make a Kong, you take one replacement tile so your hand keeps the right number of tiles.

Kong of 7 Characters

Pair (eyes)

Two identical tiles. Every winning hand needs exactly one pair, also called the eyes.

Pair of East Wind

Remember: winds and dragons cannot make a Chow. They can only be a Pong, a Kong or a pair.

Exposed and concealed sets

A set you form yourself from the tiles in your hand is concealed. If you take another player's discard to complete a set, you must lay that set open on the table, and it is called exposed. A hand whose sets are all concealed earns an extra point.