Beginner's Guide to Korean Mahjong

Korean Mahjong is an interesting variant and is best known as a two-suited mahjong variant because it does not use the bamboo suit tiles at all. Lacking one suit, the gameplay and dynamics are different. This variant is similar to Japanese 3 player mahjong in the sense that all pungs or single-suited hands are common ones to go out on. These rules are not the same rules used by the KML (Korean Mahjong League) which uses similar rules to Riichi Mahjong.

Korean Mahjong Tiles

Korean Mahjong uses the standard 144-tile standard mahjong set (Cracks, Bams, Dots, Dragons, Winds, and Flowers). An American set (152 tiles) can be used, but the eight joker tiles should be removed however you remove all bamboo suit tiles but does use flowers! 

Rules of Korean Mahjong

Every turn goes the same way:

1. Draw a tile from the wall or by take the tile that somebody just discarded
2. Try to make a winning hand! The goal is to arrange your tiles into four sets of three (meld) and one pair. If you can't, go to step 3.
3. Discard a tile in the center of the table, officially ending your turn.
4. Immediately after a tile is discarded, someone else can take it to form a meld or to complete their winning hand. If nobody takes the discarded tile, that tile is out of play for the rest of the game and the next player draws from the wall.

By default, the next player is the player to the right (counterclockwise). Even if it is not your turn yet, this is not a time to sit idle. Although the next person is the player to the right by default, there are certain circumstances that allow somebody to jump ahead to call a discarded tile. Also, even if you are unable to call the tile, it is important for you to know what is thrown and what is out of play, so that you are not waiting for it in vain later on.

How to Setup Korean Mahjong

Like most variants of mahjong, Korean mahjong is intended for four players. Rules and customs for dealing the tiles out vary from version to version and table to table.

Determining The Dealer

The first step is to determine the dealer. At the start of the first game, shuffle one each of the wind tiles face-down, then have each player turn one up and take the respective seat. After each game, the next person to the right (counterclockwise) becomes the dealer. The round wind always starts at East. After each hand, the dealer changes. After 4 hands, one complete rotation of dealers, the round wind changes in order of East, South, West, and North. You can alternatively roll the dice and sit accordingly around the table. High roller deals first. After the first game, if the dealer wins, they will be the dealer again and they hold onto their position until they lose. Otherwise, the next person to the right (counterclockwise) becomes the dealer.

Setting up the Wall

The next step is shuffling the tiles and building the wall. Turn the tiles face side down and give them a good shuffle or “wash”. 

Then, each player should build their segment of the wall, which should be 13 tiles long and 2 tiles high (26 tiles total). Maneuver the wall segments to form a closed square.

Breaking the Wall

Once the dealer has been selected, the dealer rolls the dice to determine the starting wall. Let’s say you are the dealer and you roll a seven. 

Starting with your own wall, count the walls in front of each player, moving counterclockwise around the table: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. You should now be pointing at the wall of the player to your left. 

The next step is to determine where to break the wall.

Use the same number from determining the starting wall. Starting on the end of the wall segment closest to you, count out seven tiles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Pick up that seventh tile (since you rolled a seven) because it counts from the indicated player's right to his left (not players but tiles this time) the total sum of the rolls. The tiles immediately after become the draw wall.

The wall is basically like a long deck of cards wrapping around the table in a square. The draw wall is like the top of the deck where the tiles will be dealt from and where the players will draw tiles from during gameplay. The dead wall is like the bottom of the deck, from which players only occasionally draw in order to replace tiles for flowers and kongs (four-of-a-kind sets). The wall must be broken in order to separate the ends of the draw wall and the dead wall.

Dealing the Hand

The next step is dealing the tiles. Starting from the draw wall, deal yourself four tiles (2 stacks). Whoever is sitting in front of the draw wall should help out with this. Continuing to the right (counterclockwise), deal each player four tiles in the same manner. Repeat this for one more round until all players have a total of 12 tiles. After grabbing 12 tiles, each player grabs 1 more tile for a total of 13 tiles. As the dealer, you should grab a 14th tile from the draw wall as your first draw, because you will be the first to discard.

Getting a Tile

The main way to get a tile is to draw it from the draw wall. If you draw a flower, you must display the flower face up with your other flowers and replace the tile by drawing from the dead wall.

You can also get a tile when somebody discards it if it completes a a valid combination of three or four tiles, also known as a meld, or a winning hand. The called tile must be displayed face up with the completed meld. This open meld cannot be altered for the rest of the game.  The discarded tile must be called immediately or else the tile becomes dead and will remain in the discarded tile area for the rest of the game. 

Calling Tiles

A pung is a three-of-a-kind.

If you need the discarded tile to complete a pung, you have to say “pung,” grab it, and display the completed pung face up next to your flowers. Pungs are powerful because you can seize it even if it isn’t your turn, and everyone before you will lose their turn.

A kang is a four-of-a-kind. 

Kang is like a special type of pung, and can also be grabbed even if it’s not your turn. However, you have to also grab an extra tile from the dead wall. This is necessary for you to have enough tiles to complete a winning hand.

Unlike under varaints, you cannot call a chow (three-tile straight of the same suit) unless it is for a winning hand.

Generally you cannot seize a discarded tile to form a pair. The only exception is if you are waiting for one more tile to win. You might be waiting to complete a pung, a chow, or an eye in order to win. No matter what you’re waiting for, you can seize it if somebody discards it, anytime. Winning using a discarded tile is called mahjong.

FAQ: What Happens If Two People Want to Call a Discarded Tile?

In general, priority is given based on what the tile is being called for: winning takes precedence over pungs/kongs. If more than one player needs the discarded tile for mahjong, it goes to whoever is closer in turn after the person who discarded the tile.

Arranging Your Tiles

Remember, the goal of mahjong is to have all of your tiles arranged into four sets and one pair.  After getting a tile, you should arrange your tiles and attempt to incorporate your new tile into your hand.

As discussed above, kong is a four-of-a-kind, which may be formed from a discarded tile. Related to kong is a concealed kong when you have four-of-a-kind that’s hidden in your own hand, which means that you drew it yourself and did not complete it using a discarded tile. In this case, because it’s concealed, the identity of the tile is valuable information and should not be displayed. But because it is a four-tile set, you must declare it and get a tile from the dead wall. Turn the outside tiles facedown to mark it as a concealed kong. Just like with open meld, your secret tiles will be out of play the rest of the game with no changes permitted.

Another related concept is open melded kong. Open melded kongs are generally locked in and cannot be changed. If you created a pung from a discarded tile, and later on, somebody throws the fourth matching tile, you will not be able to kong the discarded tile, because your pung was already open. However, there is a special exception: if it’s your turn and the tile that you draw from the wall happens to be the fourth matching tile, then you can add it to your completed pung. Declare the open melded kong and set the matching tile on top of the middle tile of the pung. Since this is now a four-tile meld, you must draw a replacement tile from the dead wall.

Discarding a Tile

Generally you want to discard tiles that do not go with any of the other tiles in your hand to help you form appropriate set. If you can figure out what other players need, you should try to avoid discarding those tiles.  

Arranging Your Discards and Called Tiles

Discards are arranged on the floor in front of their respective discarded in rows of six, placed from left to right.

Tiles claimed are rotated 90 degrees within the set to show which player had discarded it.

Winning in Korean Mahjong

A player can declare mahjong when they have completed four sets and one pair with a two point minimum excluding flowers, premium tiles, and ready hands. Otherwise you can with with an alternate winning configuration also known as seven pairs.

Ready (Ephe)

Any player to declare ready at on any turn when his/her hand is one tile away (This is very similar to declaring Riichi/Ready in Japanese Mahjong). The following rules applies to a player that has declared ready in Korean Mahjong:

• The hand must have a minimum of two points before declaring
• The player may declare if they are going to win on a self-drawn tile (however they are locked into a self-drawn win) and must reveal the unmelded set
• The most recent discard is rotated within the discard pile to signify which turn ready was declared. If this discard is claimed, the next previous tile in the discard pile is rotated
• The hand must be completely concealed before calling. Concealed kongs are acceptable and still count as being concealed
• No changes can be made to the hand
• When a tile is drawn, if it is not a winning tile it is immediately discarded
• When a tile is drawn, if it is any winning tile that completes the hand it mahjong must be declared. In other words, if you have multiple tiles to go out on the first applicable tile is used.  

Sacred Discard (Djint'ing) Rule

A player who is one tile away from winning cannot go out on an opponent's discard, if the player in waiting had previously discarded the same tile (This is similar to the Japanese Mahjong Furiten Rule). The tiles discarded can be verified by the rows of discards in front of each player, as well as the rotated tiles claimed by opponents. The waiting player may go out on a tile that was previously discarded if the tile is self-drawn. The sacred discard rule includes being ready (ephe).

The Horse Race (Kengma) - The Winning Countdown Counter in Korean Mahjong

Each players receive three Horse Race counters each. After a win with a fully concealed hand, the winning player removes one.

The first player to remove all three gets 2 point from all other players.

Players who still have all 3 counters by the time another player finishes, he pays double (4 point total). The counters reset after the 4 point payout.

Points and Payouts in Korean Mahjong

Initial Points

There are no initial points in Korean Mahjong aside from the 3 counters given for the Horse Race (Kengma)

Scoring Payout Tables

Value	Hand	Description	Pattern
1	All Chows	Hand consists of all chows and no honors.	Chow-Based
1	All Simples	Hand consists entirely of simples (tiles with the numbers 2 through 8) *Cannot be used in combination with all chows towards having a two point minimum hand	Numbers-Based
1	Dragon Pung	Hand includes a pung (or kong) of dragons.	Terminals/Honors
1	Seat Wind	Hand includes a pung (or kong) of the player’s seat wind.	Terminals/Honors
1	Concealed Hand	Hand includes four concealed sets and is won by discard.	Going Out
1	Flower Tile*	Each flower tile is worth 1 point. *Cannot be used towards having a two point minimum hand	Special
1	Premium Tile*	The winning tile and any other identical tiles in your hand add 1 point. *Cannot be used towards having a two point minimum hand	Special
1	Ready (Ephe)*	Ready and going out on a discard or self-drawn *Cannot be used towards having a two point minimum hand	Going Out
2	Fully Concealed Hand	Hand consists entirely of concealed sets and is won by self-draw.	Going Out
2	All Pungs	Hand includes four pungs (or kongs) and a pair.	Pung-Based
2	Clear Hand / Half Flush	Hand composed entirely of honors and suit tiles of only one suit.	Suit-Based
2	Pure Straight	Three chows of the numerical sequences from 1-9 of the same suit.	Chow-Based
2	Open Ready (Bulhe)	Declared ready by self drawing the winning tile and going out on a self-drawn tile, showing only the unmelded sets. *Cannot be used towards having a two point minimum hand **If someone declares Open Ready (Bulhe), no one else on the table may declare Ready or Open Ready	Going Out
4	Little Three Dragons	Hand includes two pungs of dragons and pair of the third dragon.	Terminals/Honors
4	Three Concealed Pungs	Hand includes three concealed pungs.	Pung-Based
4	Seven Pairs	Concealed hand consisting of seven pairs.	Special
5	Last Tile Draw*	Winning off the Last Tile in wall *Cannot be used towards having a two point minimum hand	Going Out
5	Robbing the Kong*	Winning off the tile that somebody adds to a melded pung. *Cannot be used towards having a two point minimum hand	Going Out
5	Out with Replacement Tile*	Winning on the replacement tile drawn after declaring a kong. *Cannot be used towards having a two point minimum hand	Going Out
5	Double Ready (Ephe)	Declaring riichi within the first uninterrupted go around. Can be used for the two point minimum hand!	Special
8	Little Four Winds	Hand includes three pungs of winds, and a pair of the fourth wind.	Terminals/Honors
8	Pure Hand / Full Flush	Hand consists entirely of suit tile of the same suit.	Suit-Based
8	Big Three Dragons	Hand includes pungs (or kongs) of all three dragon tiles.	Honors
8	All Terminals	Hand made with only terminal suit tiles.	Terminals
8	Four concealed Pungs	Hand includes four concealed pungs.	Pung-Based
8	All Flowers*	Hand contains all four flowers. *Cannot be used towards having a two point minimum hand	Special
8	Moon at the Bottom of the Sea*	Win by self-drawn from last tile draw, where the last tile is 1-dot. *Cannot be used towards having a two point minimum hand	Special / Going Out
8	Plum Blossom on the Roof*	Win by replacement tile, where the replacement tile is 5-dots. *Cannot be used towards having a two point minimum hand	Special / Going Out
12	Big Four Winds	Hand includes pungs (or kongs) of all four wind tiles.	Honors
12	All Honors	Hand is composed entirely of only honor tiles.	THonors
16	Heavenly Hand	Winning as the dealer on the initial deal.	Going Out
16	Earthly Hand	Winning on a self-drawn tile in the very first go-around.	Going Out
16	Blessing of Man	Player goes out on a discard in the first go around. Hand must be concealed.	Going Out
24	Nine Gates	Holding a concealed hand of 1112345678999 tiles in one suit, and winning on any other tile of the same suit.	Special

 

Who Pays Out?

• Win by a discarded tile: Only the discarder plays the winner double the winner's final score.
  Win by a self-drawn tile: Each player pays the winner the winner’s final score.

Example Calculation 

• Open Hand
• All Pungs - 2 Points
• 2 Flowers - 2 Points
• 1 Premium Tile - 1 Point

The hand earns 2 points All Pungs, 2 points for each of the flowers in the hand (2 flowers), and 1 point for matching the winning tile to a tiles in the hand. The responsible player will pay double the value of the hand which 10 points and no else will pay. No Horse Race counters are removed.