companion

Mahjong-Japanese rules

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A swindler

Quick Summary

Gathering 14 tiny tiles (called "Pai")
And collating those you gathered and competing with 4 persons...

It appears that, "Mahjong(g)" appeared in ancient China. Mahjong gradually became popular for all of the world with their trading commerces.
In early 20th century, one japanese person purchased a Mahjong playing set in China, and came back to Japan with that.
That is a beginning of all, then Mahjong has been developed in Japan independently.

Well, I am apprehensive about you read these articles with a hardship that is caused by our English skill and funny specialized vocabularies that are mixtures of Japanese and Chinese.
And, this is a very sound and clever mathematical simulative game if you do not bet moneys.

Calculating Points(the bottom of this page)

Enlightenment of Mahjong

companion suu-ankou
A form of meld(hand):

XX-AAA-BBB-CCC-DDD

This is the Basic form!
2-tiles are called "Atama or Toitsu", 3-tiles are called "Mentsu".

To beginner, I recommend to ....

1 >> Tan-yao, only number tiles of 2 to 8.
2 >> Dragon Tiles hand.
3 >> Hon-itsu, All the same suit tiles and Character tiles(Jihai) Atama.

Aim for one of these!
On the situation 2, You can use your wind's tiles and the stage's tiles as the Honor tiles of substitutes for Dragon tiles.
On the situation 3, if the Atama are also number tiles(the same suit), turn into Chin-itsu, to be stronger!

English speakers learn Chinese characters. (but japanese pronunciations)

一二三四伍六七八九   
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 1000(0)(called Wan, Man or "thousand")
東  南  西  北    
east, south, west, north, Hatsu(green), Chung(red)

And, plain-colored(White, called Haku, ain't spare tiles!)

There is an exceptional form, like this:

XX-AA-BB-CC-DD-EE-FF

.........called Chii-toitsu, seven pairs, What a strange!
(but, this has been born in Amerikan rules, reimported one)

If your hand is short of one tile for your meld, that shape is called Tempai, you can cast a Riichi!!

And, ask other player, counting the points you got!


companion hatsu-dora3
↑ expectant 2, 5, 8 Wan to win.
(Sounds bad....) Atama or Toitsu, are the same 2-tiles.
3-tiles, called Mentsu, is the same 3-tiles or continuous 3 numbers at a suit. But, you can not join between 9 and 1.

You can get the Mentsu out of getting tiles that other player discarded.
If you have the same 2-tiles, you can get the same one that someone discarded, with calling "Pon!" And game's turn are changed into yours.

you have 55 ---> 5(someone discarded) ---> Pon! → 555(your Mentsu)

If you have 2-tiles that are the same suit and have relation to be able to become Mentsu, and your previous player's tile discarded agrees with your require, you can get that with calling "Chii!".

you have 45 ---> 3(previous discarded) ---> Chii!345(yours)
you have 35 ---> 4(previous discarded) ---> Chii! → 345(yours)
you have 34 ---> 5(previous discarded) ---> Chii! → 345(yours)

Pon, Chii(gestures, calling "Naku, Naki") cuts down your points you'd get, especially Hon-itsu, Chin-itsu (in the previous instructor's examples).
※In the rest, there is an action of "Kan", out of the same 4-tiles(quartet)※

If you reached Tempai without Pon, Chii, you can cast a Riichi. This action gives you a hope of double your income, but your meld are fixed.


companion Tsumo-Pinfu-iipeekoo
↑ Ryammen Machi, expected 2, 5 Wan, Got it!!
Primarily, especially, beginners should aim for Pinfu.
But this form is hard to their skills..... tentatively, I teach you that way.

>> Without Pon, Chii.
>> Atama must be numbers or except honor tiles.
>> Tempai stand-by, is waiting both sides of continuous 2 number tiles.
( Bad: 4 → 345 / Good: 3 → 345 or 5 → 345, called Ryammen-Machi)

And so on et cetra...........


A cheater
companion(sob)
(sob)


For further details, call Wikip****(sob), or search Mahjong Manga, Anime(sob) because this page is for beginner mahjong players only(sob)
& my English is un-skillful for explanations. X0

If you want to play Mahjong, but there aren't players who have knowledges of mahjong in your neighborhood(sob), I recommend to get some of game softwares(sob).
Attention(sob), between Japanese Mahjong and others, there are great walls nobody can jump over(sob).


"Tamen-Machi"

companion"Machi" means "Waiting, expecting ready to finish". A situation of previous to finish. Gates to go through to the win.
But, the Tile that ought to give you win, may or may not be ONE peace only.
A situation of the plural "Machi" is called "Tamen-Machi". It is hard to ascertain for beginners.

[TEST]
Can you seek tiles of "Machi" of forms below?

machi1
Ans. Machi of Circles 3, 6, 9
345-66-789 / 456-66-789 / 456-678-99

machi2
Ans. Machi of Bamboos 4, 5, 6, 7 ※Bamboo's 1 is a Bird, I don't know why※
11-123-456-456 / 111-234-555-66 / 111-234-55-666 /
11-123-456-567

machi3
Ans. Machi of Circles 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
345-44-666 / 444-456-66 / 444-55-666 /
44-456-666 / 444-567-66

machi4 <--- fabricated
Ans. Bamboos 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 !!!
123-22-456-777-999 / 222-234-567-77-999 /
222-33-456-777-999 / 22-234-456-777-999 /
222-345-567-77-999 / 222-345-66-777-999 /
22-234-567-777-999 / 222-345-678-77-999 !!!!

A cheatercompanionThere is a convenient practice for Tamen-Machi, playing Mahjong with Bamboo's suit only!
(because, perhaps, Bamboo's suit has All-green(one of yakuman = higher grade hands, 32000-48000 points)? If you want to play under other suit, I can not block it)
But, this is 2-person playing only because tiles are too short to play(36 pieces only!).
Play without Pon, Chii because the game will be not thrown confusion.
And, I don't know why that times of stirring tiles are longer than playing times :-(

(you would arrange yourself for detailed rules, under stopgap solutions)


Dora, the bonus tile

The "Dora" is the next tile in sequence after the "Dora" indicator that has been turned upside down in "Wang-pai"(dead tiles).
If a final tile( e. g. "9", "北"(north), ""(red) ) in sequence has been indicated, "Dora" goes back to the first( e. g. "1", "東"(east), "□"(white) ).


Play-Mahjong (majangokko)

Tables of Calculating Points of Mahjong
but, Japanese language.....

Previous

A table of Fu A table of Fan
[A table of Fu (or Pu)]
Fu or Pu is "base of your points". The meld that you gather harder, is higher points.
= Base of your points
[A table of Fan (or Han)]
Han or Fan is "Level of your meld". The meld that you gather harder, is higher levels.
or = Level of your meld

※Pronunciations of Kanji(Chinese characters) fluctuate loosely in Japan because these letters are ideographs that don't depend on pronounces.
After all, these are letters of foreign language for japanese people :-)
And, Tables above I created is also hard to read for japanese people X0

※The points you should have got, must be had calculated before being acquired by you. I'm sorry that it is seriously very hard for beginners.

An addition
A table of Fan (easy)A table of "Fan" I put above is hard to read for you!! .... I reconfirmed this case.
On that account, I have created again new other one of a part of appearing frequently.
New one is created as easier as possible.
(directly finding answers without calculating)
But, I guess that the skill of reading the numbers is still necessary.
I don't know why these numbers of points under japanese rules are exaggerated.
(inflation of numbers!!)
By the way, simplification of calculating "Fu" (left table the above) is impossible because that form is already the simplest.


How to play Mahjong with play cards

If you want to play "Mahjong" but you don't have the set of Mahjong tiles, you can play this game with play cards. ♥♦♠♣
(we call this, "P-type card mahjong") ※ P = "phalsail", our name
You use play cards for Mahjong, You are going to play a similar to Mahjong game.

You can play similar to Mahjong with play cards!

Play cards MahjongThe fixed number of this game is 2 players. because the cards(52+2pieces) are too smaller number than Mahjong tiles(136pieces).

※Later, we often have had tested out this game, we have found that you can play this game with 3 persons.  (^0^)  but that is only about 10-turns playing more speedy!
(with more burning passions? coming to a three-cornered deadlock.)

The hand is made up with 8 cards.
Naturally, the meld hands have modified to fit with the environment of 8 cards.
As you know, there are 2 Jokers who don't conform to the rule of Mahjong, in the play cards. We had to think a treatment to them. Then they have been the lucky persons(bonus cards) now.

The composition of the meld is made with 8 cards, with being changing the one of the 8 cards under your intention among players.
"Chii, Pon, Kan" (to take a discard), "Furi-ten"(fake), "Chom-bo"(error),
these should be regulated under your house rule.
"Dora", "Ura-Dora"(indicators of bonus number) are the bottom card and one before card.
If you take the joker as "Dora", take again. If "Ura-Dora"(To be confirmed after a game by the winner) is a Joker, the winner get more one point without discussion.

※Playing this game with 3 persons produces an unexpected hard matter of points you'd get when that is an odd number.
1 point must be left when you get a win because the points are paid by 2 person. nobody can go halve an odd number to two integral numbers.
Therefore, in my opinion, you put aside the left points for a time, and the next winner get all the points as ex posto facto addition points.

Play cards MahjongAA-BBB-CCC
This is the basic form.
"AA" is called "A-ta-ma", means "head, top".
"BBB" & "CCC" are elements combined for the meld, called "Men-tsu", means "figure, material".
"BBB" & "CCC" are able to be made the same numbers(without the selection of the suit) or sequence numbers, but 9 to 1.
(more than 10, cards acquired the right :
If you have been able to collect the meld form, you can get 1 point, but "10, J, Q, K" aren't able to be joined each other. )
The forms of the meld are in accord with Mahjong ones. But this game's ones have been adjusted for playing with 8 cards.
You can join(merge) the meld you have got, with some of other melds.
(according with Mahjong, too)

Play cards Mahjong«EXCEPTIONAL»
AA-BB-CC-DD

called "Suu-toi-tsu", means "four pairs".

A-9-10-J-Q-K-joker & the same one
called "Koku-shi", similar to "thirteen orphans" of Mahjong, one of the special meld. you can get 13 points.
If you have been able to collect these in condition of single suit, you can get 26 points! (Persons expect a miracle)

Play cards Mahjong«Other special melds (13 points) »
Only sequence 1 to 8 or 2 to 9, in single suit, self collected only. Called "Paa-ren".
Meld, made of "J", "Q", "K" only, colled "san-gen-hoo".(←demoted to normal)
Every meld that has been collected from the beginning, colled "Ten-hoo".
These melds are called "Yaku-man".

companion«TREATMENT of JOKERS»
In this game, Jokers are not used as the joker(wild card).
You can declare to pick out the joker, and remove one, and put on the left side of the game field(unoccupied space).
Now, your hand is short of 1 piece, replenish 1 piece from the pile of cards.
If you get a win, the lucky joker is been able to count as 1 point.
If 2 jokers come to your hand, you can repeat above mentioned 2 times.
Well, this method is not an obligation, just one of the right. You can use 2 jokers as "A-ta-ma".


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