Mahjong FAQ · Learn at the table

What are honor tiles and how do they differ from suit tiles?

A practical answer from Omaha Mahjong Club’s Chinese Mahjong learning library.

From the FAQ library

Chinese Mahjong

Honor tiles are the Wind tiles (East, South, West, North) and Dragon tiles (Red/中, Green/發, White/白). Unlike suit tiles, honor tiles have no numerical sequence and cannot form a chow; only pungs or kongs are possible with them. They carry special scoring value, particularly when matching the current round wind or a player's seat wind, and they form the basis of many high-value hands like All Honors and Big Four Winds.

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Mahjong FAQ

What refreshments should I bring for Mahjong?

Good Mahjong deserves good refreshments. Every class includes access to our self-serve station: - Chinese tea - Light snacks, such as pretzels and candy - Bringing your own snacks and beverages (of any kind) are welcomed

How does seating and wind assignment work at the start of a game?

At the start of a game, seats are typically assigned randomly by rolling dice or drawing tiles. Each seat corresponds to a wind: East, South, West, and North, which determines each player's seat wind tile bonus for that round. East seat is the dealer for the first hand. After each hand, seats and wind assignments rotate, though the exact rotation method varies by ruleset. The game typically consists of at least one full East round and one South round.