Mahjiku › Mahjong variants › Hong Kong vs Taiwanese
Hong Kong and Taiwanese mahjong differ above all in how a hand is scored: Hong Kong counts in faan (番) (faan-counting), Taiwanese in tai (台) (additive tai-counting, no exponential doubling). Beyond the scoring, a winning hand is 13 tiles against 16. Both are played by 4 players, and the everyday consequence is that a hand worth a lot at one table can be worth very little at the other.
How Hong Kong and Taiwanese mahjong differ — the tile set, the hand, and above all how each one is scored.
| Hong Kong | Taiwanese | |
|---|---|---|
| Also called | 廣東麻雀 / 香港麻雀 | 臺灣麻將 |
| Played in | Hong Kong, Guangdong | Taiwan, diaspora communities |
| Tiles | 144 | 144 |
| Flowers | 4 flowers + 4 seasons (8 bonus tiles) | 4 flowers + 4 seasons; drawn flowers are exposed and replaced from the wall, scoring bonus tai outside the hand |
| Jokers | none | none |
| Hand size | 13 | 16 |
| Scored in | faan (番) | tai (台) |
| Scoring system | faan-counting | additive tai-counting, no exponential doubling |
| Learning curve | beginner | intermediate |
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.
Taiwanese. Taiwanese mahjong is defined by its 16-tile hand (17-tile win: 5 sets + a pair), flowers drawn and replaced into play for bonus tai, and an additive, largely uncapped tai scoring system.
Last updated: 2026-08-27.
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