Mahjiku › Mahjong variants › Chinese Official vs Hong Kong
How Chinese Official and Hong Kong mahjong differ — the tile set, the hand, and above all how each one is scored.
| Chinese Official | Hong Kong | |
|---|---|---|
| Also called | 国标麻将 | 廣東麻雀 / 香港麻雀 |
| Played in | China (competition circuit), international (WMO events) | Hong Kong, Guangdong |
| Tiles | 144 | 144 |
| Flowers | 4 flowers + 4 seasons (8 bonus tiles) | 4 flowers + 4 seasons (8 bonus tiles) |
| Jokers | none | none |
| Hand size | 13 | 13 |
| Scored in | points (the "81 patterns") | faan (番) |
| Scoring system | cumulative fan-counting against a standardized 81-pattern list | faan-counting |
| Learning curve | advanced | beginner |
Chinese Official. Chinese Official (国标麻将 / MCR) is the standardized competition ruleset created in 1998, built around 81 fixed scoring patterns and an 8-point minimum to win — designed to replace regional house rules with one standard.
Hong Kong. Hong Kong (Cantonese) mahjong is the most widely played faan-scored variant: 144 tiles, four sets and a pair, hands counted in faan with house rules set per table.
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