Mahjong is a game played all over the world. Whether in the East or the West, Mahjong has established a strong player base that has continued through the years, with origins dating back to ancient China. The game initially spread through different regions of Asia before finally spilling into the West in the 1800s.

This is when Mahjong started to gain worldwide prominence, but as the game was being played by a diverse crowd of people, the gameplay of Mahjong started to deviate from the oldest known original version of the game. People from the West learned about Mahjong and started to have ideas on how to make the game much more conducive to their tastes and interests. Likewise, other areas in Asia aside from China had their own special way of playing the game which has been passed down from generation to generation.

With that in mind, let's discuss the variations between the most popular and well-known major versions of the game based on the global areas where Mahjong continues to have an active and popular following.

Mahjong in Asia

When it comes to Asia, Mahjong is popular as a handed-down tabletop game, which has usually been made into a pastime for seniors and other folks who have a lot of free time on their hands. Countries in Southeast Asia, such as Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, and the Philippines, have their own mahjong player bases. Likewise, Hong Kong (though part of China) has a Mahjong variation of its own. The Japanese call the game Riichi and have developed it as their version as well. However, the most popular versions were Southeast Asians, who based their Mahjong gameplay on the original Chinese Mahjong used in Singapore or the slightly different Hong Kong version.

Singaporean Mahjong

The Singapore/Chinese Mahjong is probably the most widely played version of the game. It pits four players against each other, and each player has to collect sets of three tiles, each one a pair. The tiles in a set have to be the same of a kind or a running tile set (tiles numbered consecutively like 1,2,3, or 5,6,7, and so on. The pair is called a bonus pair and these are usually flower and joker tiles. Since each tile has a symbol or a number and a symbol/Chinese character, the player will have to learn the various tile combinations and sets that denote a winning hand. The player who completes the required tile sets first wins the game.

Playing Chinese Mahjong can be a bit complicated compared to its modified variants. Even the position of the four players in reference to each other has to be taken into account. Traditionally, three dice are rolled by each player to see who gets the highest number, and where he/she sits will depend on this. The other players, based on the number of their dice rolls, will have to sit at a position with respect to their number and the first player. The game itself somewhat relies on the principles of Feng-Shui, the ancient Chinese art of divine geomancy, but when it comes to the traditional Chinese, everything and anything relies on this. Chinese Mahjong is difficult to learn at the start, but as one gets to understand how the game is played fully, one will notice that it becomes second nature to the game's avid crowds.

Hong Kong Mahjong

Although Hong Kong is part of China, it was a separate state under British rule for a very long time. Thus, Hong Kong developed a unique culture of its own, and so, the Mahjong-playing crowd of the former British colony created its own version of the game. Though still similar to the original Chinese version, the scoring system was modified, and additional bonus tiles were added that could be used to complete a winning hand. Hong Kong Mahjong uses specific season and direction tiles which are usually flower and animal symbol tiles. These tiles can be collected and exchanged for scoring points.

Japanese Mahjong

Aside from Southeast Asia, both Japan and Korea have their own versions of the game as well. In Japan, the game is called "Riichi" and uses its own unique scoring system. Still, with four players in competitive mode, a player can call or declare Riichi when they are one tile away from a winning hand. However, this is a spur-of-the-moment, high-risk move that can lead to a win if successful and the loss of a lot of points should the player not be able to complete the winning hand. The Japanese have a different way of doing things, and to many other players from other parts of the world, calling out to your opponents that you have one tile to go may not really be a good idea to begin with. You certainly will not show your cards in poker unless you finally intend to put them on the table. Aside from this, the Japanese have also added their own additional special bonus tiles called "Dora" (nope, not the explorer) and "Red Dora" (definitely not the explorer).

Korean Mahjong

Finally, we go to the land of the K-pop and the most popular primetime TV dramas in the Asian region. South Korea. The Koreans did away with a fourth player, leaving three to duke it out with each other. They heavily modified the game so that the tiles and the scoring system are different from the other known versions of the game. In Korean Mahjong, the tile walls that face each player are shorter, and the addition of a “Flower” round where players can collect flower tiles and exchange them for points. Points are either awarded or deducted depending on the tile combinations the player has on his/her winning hand.

Mahjong in the West

American Mahjong

As mentioned, Mahjong was formally introduced in the 1800s in the West. When it was finally brought to the US, the Mahjong-playing crowd modified the tiles in order to make it a lot more understandable and interesting to play. The scoring system was modified as well. In US Mahjong, aside from collecting sets of three tiles (three of a kind and/or running consecutive tiles) and a pair, one had to collect special "hands" tiles that consist of specific combinations of tiles. What's more, the game has 166 tiles compared to the Chinese version, which has only 144 tiles. Points will depend on the combination of tiles the player has for a winning hand, as they may be added or deducted as such. Regardless, it is well known that Americans love to play Mahjong.

Mahjong in Europe

The European version of Mahjong which was first popularized in the UK is a bit easier to play as compared to both Asian and American Mahjong. Though still a variation of the original Chinese game, Mahjong in Europe has been much more modified for Western players, has a simpler scoring system, and a smaller, more colorful, and attractive tile set. The rules for achieving a winning hand have been made a lot easier than the other variants of the game.

Solo Mahjong a.k.a. Mahjong Solitaire

When one thinks of Solitaire, the original card game (and its variations) is usually the first thing that comes to mind. However, Solitaire is not exclusive to cards. Mahjong has Mahjong Solitaire as well.

Playing Mahjong alone was popularized way back in the 1980s when paraplegic computer programmer/game designer Brodie Lockard released his Mahjong Solitaire version called "Shanghai," which was published by Activision. Shanghai solitaire established Mahjong Solitaire as a formal variant where players could either play it (at the time) via a home computer, or gaming console. If one had access to Mahjong tiles, playing it on a table wouldn't be out of line either.

With the absence of anyone to play against, the objective was to remove or clear the tiles on the stack by pairing them and pulling them out. However, there are rules to do this (like you can't pull a tile that's under another and so on), and Solo Mahjong will definitely provide immersive puzzle-solving gameplay to the most avid of fans.

Mahjong as a game has come a very long way since the dynasty it was invented in ancient China. With its current-day popularity and continual evolution, the game is sure to live on into the future in one variation or another.