Mahjong glossary: the words you hear at the table
Reviewed by Jayesh, Admin · Last updated 27 October 2026
Mahjong has its own vocabulary, and different groups use different words for the same thing. This glossary explains the words used in 16-tile Taiwanese mahjong and the Dubai house rules, as Mahjong Dubai uses them. Where a word has a common alternative, the alternative is given too.
The sets
The building blocks of a winning hand: a pong, a gong and a sheung, plus a pair.
Glossary
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Pong | Three identical tiles. You can claim a pong from any player's discard. Also called a pung. |
| Gong | Four identical tiles. A gong counts as a set, and you draw a replacement tile after making one. Also called a kong. |
| Concealed gong | A gong made entirely from tiles you drew yourself, kept hidden in your hand. |
| Sheung | Three tiles in a row in the same suit, such as 3-4-5 bamboo. You can only claim a sheung from the player on your left. Also called a chow. |
| Pair, or eyes | Two identical tiles. Every standard winning hand needs exactly one pair. |
| Meld | A set you have claimed from a discard and placed face up in front of you. |
| Concealed | Tiles and sets that stay hidden in your hand because you drew them yourself. A concealed hand has no melds. |
| Suits | The three sets of numbered tiles, 1 to 9: bamboo, circles (also called dots) and characters. |
| Honours | The wind and dragon tiles. |
| Winds | East, South, West and North. Each player has a seat wind, and each round has a round wind. |
| Dragons | Red, Green and White. |
| Flowers | Eight bonus tiles that are never part of a set. You put a flower face up as soon as you draw it and draw a replacement. |
| Dealer | The player in the East seat, who starts with 17 tiles and discards first. |
| Self-pick | Winning with a tile you drew from the wall yourself. All three other players pay. Also called self-draw. |
| Mahjong | Declaring a win. You can claim the winning tile from any player's discard. |
| Tai | The unit Classic Taiwanese uses to value a winning hand. Each scoring pattern adds tai. |
| Points | The unit the Dubai house rules use to value a winning hand. A base is added to every win. |
| Base point | The points added to every win under the Dubai house rules. |
| Half-flush, or Semi Pure Hand | A hand in one suit plus honours. |
| Pure Suit Hand | A hand in one suit only, with no honours. Also called a full flush. |
| Dragon run | The full run of 1 to 9 in three sheungs: 1-2-3, 4-5-6 and 7-8-9. |
| Nico Nico | A special winning hand of seven pairs and one pong. |
| Dead hand | A hand with the wrong number of tiles. The player keeps drawing and discarding but cannot win that hand. |
| Chasing tiles | Under the Standard Dubai house rules, when all four copies of a tile are discarded in the same round, the player who discarded the first one pays a penalty. |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a pong and a gong?
A pong is three identical tiles and a gong is four. Both count as one set. After you make a gong, you draw a replacement tile so your hand stays the right size.
What is a sheung in mahjong?
A run of three tiles in the same suit, such as 3-4-5 bamboo. Many players call it a chow. In Taiwanese mahjong you can only claim a sheung from the player on your left.
What are the eyes in mahjong?
The pair in a winning hand. Every standard winning hand has five sets and one pair, and that pair is called the eyes.
What does self-pick mean?
Winning with a tile you drew from the wall yourself, rather than one another player discarded. When you win by self-pick, all three other players pay.
What is a tai?
The unit Classic Taiwanese uses to value a winning hand. A dragon pong, for example, is worth 1 tai.