Mahjong Academy
Free illustrated mahjong lessons and the hub of our mahjong games
Learn mahjong from the tiles up with eight short illustrated lessons, quizzes and a daily puzzle, then pick one of six regional styles to play.
Features
Eight short lessons
From meeting the tiles to scoring and table etiquette, one idea per lesson with tile pictures.
Quizzes and a daily puzzle
Three to five questions after each lesson, plus one shared "which tiles win?" hand every day.
Hand calculators
A wait calculator and a shanten calculator show what a hand waits on and how far it is from ready.
One hub, nine games
Compare six regional styles side by side, then play any of them or three relaxed tile games.
How it works
- 1
Learn the tiles
Lesson 1 introduces the suits, winds and dragons, and the two tiles beginners mix up most.
- 2
Build a winning hand
Later lessons cover sets, the pair, calling discards, ready hands and the basics of scoring.
- 3
Choose a style and play
The styles section compares tile counts, hand sizes and minimum scores, and links to each game.
About the site
Mahjong Academy at mahjong.download is the starting point of Seriauth’s mahjong network. It does not host a game table of its own. Instead it teaches the parts of mahjong that every regional style shares, then sends players to the game that fits them.
The Academy is a course of eight illustrated lessons: the tiles, sets and the pair, the shape of a winning hand, how a hand is played, chow, pung and kong, ready hands and the five basic waits, scoring basics, and table etiquette. Each lesson ends with a short quiz that explains every answer. The home page carries a daily puzzle, the same for everyone, in which you pick every tile that completes a one-suit hand; the answer is computed by the same hand engine our games use.
How it connects the network
A styles section compares the six variants Seriauth has built, Taiwanese, Riichi, Hong Kong, Sichuan, Chinese Official and American, by tile count, hand size, minimum to win and scoring unit, with a short article on each and a link to play it. Three one-player tile games, Mahjong Connect, Mahjong Solitaire and Mahjong Memory, are listed for people who want the tiles without the rules. Free tools round it out: a wait calculator, a shanten calculator and an eight-question quiz that suggests which style to learn.
The interface is available in 11 languages; the long-form lessons are in English, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese.
FAQ
Do I need an account?
No. Everything is free and needs no sign-up. Lesson progress is saved in your browser.
Which languages are the lessons in?
The site interface is in 11 languages. The lessons and articles are currently in English, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese.
Which mahjong should a beginner learn first?
The shared basics are the same everywhere, so start there. Then pick the style your friends play; if no one is waiting, Hong Kong mahjong has the simplest scoring.
Is real money involved?
No. Mahjong Academy is for learning and entertainment only.
More from this series
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