Mahjiku › Questions › How many players do you need for mahjong?
Four players is standard across every major variant. A three-player version exists in some regions (notably Japanese sanma), but four is the norm.
Mahjong is a four-player game in every major variant — Hong Kong, Riichi, Chinese Official, Taiwanese, American, and Singaporean all seat four, one to each wind (East, South, West, North). The four-wind structure is built into the rules: the round rotates through the seats, and the dealer is whoever sits East.
Three-player variants exist — Japanese sanma is the best known — usually by removing one suit to keep the game fast. But if someone says "mahjong" without qualification, they mean the four-player game.
Last reviewed 2026-08-23.
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