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What are pung, chow, and kong in mahjong?

They are the three kinds of set you build a hand from: a chow is a run of three consecutive tiles in one suit, a pung is three identical tiles, and a kong is four identical tiles.

A winning mahjong hand is made of sets, and there are three kinds:

• Chow (順) — a run of three consecutive tiles in the same suit, like 3–4–5 of bamboo. Only suited tiles form chows; winds and dragons cannot.
• Pung (碰) — three identical tiles, like three Red Dragons. A triplet.
• Kong (槓) — four identical tiles. Declaring a kong sets the fourth tile aside and lets you draw a replacement, so a kong is worth a small bonus and can chain into more.

A standard hand is four of these sets plus a pair (two identical tiles) as the "eyes." Which sets you have also shapes the score — a hand made entirely of pungs, for instance, scores as All Triplets.

Last reviewed 2026-08-23.

© 2026 Steven Eka Halim · Mahjiku records game points only.