Winning a hand in Mahjong is always exciting — but knowing exactly how to calculate your score afterward is just as important, especially for new players. Unlike the complicated point systems used in Japanese Mahjong, Taiwanese Mahjong uses a simpler scoring method based on Tai (台). Each Tai acts as a multiplier to a base score, making it easier to calculate your total points and understand your winnings clearly.
Mahjong Scoring Formula (Taiwanese)
The basic formula to calculate your total score after winning is:
Total Points = Base Score + (Value per Tai × Number of Tai)
- Base Score:
This is the fixed minimum amount agreed upon before the game starts. It represents the basic payout for winning a hand. - Value per Tai:
Each Tai (point unit) corresponds to a specific point value, set before the game. The higher the value, the bigger the rewards. - Number of Tai:
The total Tai your winning hand earns, calculated by adding up all the scoring conditions from the Mahjong scoring table.
What Is a Tai (台)?
A “Tai” is a scoring unit. Each scoring condition (like having a Pong of dragons or winning with the last tile) gives you a certain number of fan. Your total fan is added up at the end to determine your payout.
Taiwanese Mahjong Scoring Table Cheatsheet
| Scoring Condition | Fan / Tai | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Dealer Bonus | 1 | Dealer wins: +1 Tai. Dealer discards into a win: winner gets +1 Tai. |
| Dealer Streaks | 2N+1 | +2 Tai per dealer streak. Total = 2N + 1 |
| Prevailing Wind Pong/Kong | 1 | Triplet or quad of the prevailing round wind. |
| Seat Wind Pong/Kong | 1 | Triplet or quad of your seat wind. |
| Drangon Pong | 1 | Triplet or quad of dragon suit. |
| Own Flower Tile | 1 | Flower tile matching your seat wind. |
| Self-Draw / Tsumo | 1 | Win by drawing the tile yourself. |
| Concealed Hand | 1 | Win without any exposed sets (no chi, pong, kong). |
| Single Wait | 1 | Waiting for a lone pair when the rest of the hand is complete. |
| Edge Wait | 1 | Waiting for the end tile of a sequence. |
| Closed Wait | 1 | Waiting for the middle tile of a sequence. |
| Fully Exposed Hand | 1 | All melds are called (no concealed sets). |
| Discard on Last Tile | 1 | Win by claiming the final discarded tile. |
| Self-Draw on Last Tile | 1 | Win by drawing the last tile from the wall. |
| Robbing a Kong | 1 | Win by stealing a tile used to form a kong. |
| Flat Hand (Ping Hu) | 2 | A winning hand with no honor tiles, no flower tiles, no triplets or kongs, not self-drawn, and ends in a two-sided wait (e.g., having 2–3 of a suit and waiting for either 1 or 4). |
| Flower Kong | 2 | Collect all four seasons or all four plants. |
| Three Concealed Pongs | 2 | Hand contains three concealed triplets. |
| Concealed Self-Draw | 3 | Self-drawn win with a fully concealed hand. |
| All Pongs (Kong) | 4 | Hand consists entirely of triplets (Pong) or quads (Kong). |
| Half Flush | 4 | One suit + honor tiles. |
| Small Three Dragons | 4 | Two dragon triplets and a pair of the third. |
| Four Concealed Pongs | 5 | Hand contains four concealed triplets. |
| Five Concealed Pongs | 8 | Hand contains five concealed triplets. |
| Full Flush | 8 | All tiles from one suit only. |
| Big Three Dragons | 8 | Three dragon triplets. |
| Small Four Winds | 8 | Three wind triplets and a pair of the fourth wind. |
| Seven Flowers Steal Last Flower (Qi Qiang Yi) | 8 | When a player collects any 7 flower tiles, they win by “stealing” the 8th flower tile drawn by another player. |
| Eight Flowers | 8 | Collected all eight flower tiles. |
| Early Ready / Earth Listen | 8 | Declared ready within the first two rounds, no melds. |
| All Honors | 16 | Hand consists of only winds and dragons. |
| Big Four Winds | 16 | Four wind triplets. |
| Earthly Hand | 16 | Non-dealer self-draws before any discard. |
| Heavenly Hand | 24 | Dealer self-draws before any other action. |
Detailed Breakdown of Mahjong Scoring with Illustrations
Below is a comprehensive explanation to help you fully understand each scoring element.
Dealer Bonus (1 Tai): The player who is the dealer gets 1 extra Tai, whether they win the hand or discard a winning tile for someone else.
Dealer Streaks (2N + 1 Tai): If the dealer either wins the round or the round ends in a draw, they remain as the dealer and continue the streak. For each consecutive dealer round, they gain an additional 2 Tai, on top of the base 1 Tai for being the dealer. So the total bonus Tai is calculated as 2N + 1, where N is the number of consecutive dealer rounds.
- Example:
- 1st dealer streak = 3 Tai (2×1 + 1)
- 2nd streak = 5 Tai (2×2 + 1)
- 3rd streak = 7 Tai (2×3 + 1), and so on.
Single Wait (Dan Diao): Waiting for a lone pair when the rest of the hand is complete.
- Example: All sets completed except a missing pair, holding an one circle suit and waiting on another 1 circle suit.
Closed Wait (Zhong Dong): Waiting for the middle tile of a sequence.
- Example: Holding 1 circle suit and 3 circle suit, waiting on 2 circle suit.
Edge Wait (Bian Zhang): Waiting for the end tile of a sequence.
- Example: Holding 1 circle suit and 2 circle suit, waiting on 3 circle suit.
Flat Hand (Ping Hu): A winning hand with no honor tiles, no flower tiles, no triplets or kongs, not self-drawn, and ends in a two-sided wait.
Example: All hands are in a sequence and having 2–3 of a suit and waiting for either 1 or 4).
Flower Kong: Win with a complete set of either Four Seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter or Four Plants: Plum, Orchid, Chrysanthemum, and Bamboo.
- Four Seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter
- Four Plants: Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, Chrysanthemum
All Pongs (Kong): Hand consists entirely of triplets (Pong) or quads (Kong). Whether the hand is concealed or not, as long as it’s made entirely of pungs (triplets) or Kongs (quads), it qualifies as a All Pongs.
Half Flush: A hand made up of tiles from only one suit (Dots, Bams, or Craks) and honor tiles (Winds and Dragons).
Full Flush: This hand is made up entirely of one suit, with no honor tiles at all—just pure character, circles, or bamboo suits.
Small Three Dragons: A winning hand that contains two pungs (or kongs) of dragon tiles—Red (中), Green (發), or White (白)—and a pair of the third.
※ Note: Additional points for individual dragon pongs cannot be claimed — this hand already includes them as part of the Small Three Dragons bonus.
Big Three Dragons: A winning hand that contains three sets of dragon tiles — a pung or kong of Red (中), Green (發), and White (白).
※ Note: Additional points for individual dragon pongs cannot be claimed — this hand already includes them as part of the Big Three Dragons bonus.
Small Four Winds: A winning hand that contains three pungs (or kongs) of Wind tiles—East (東), South (南), West (西), North (北) —and a pair of the fourth.
Big Four Winds: A winning hand that contains four sets of wind tiles — a pung or kong of East (東), South (南), West (西), North (北).
All Honors: Win with a hand made entirely of honor tiles — that is, only winds and dragons, with no suited tiles
Seven Flowers Steal Last Flower (Qi Qiang Yi): If a player collects any seven flower tiles, they automatically win by “stealing” the eighth flower from another player who draws it.
※ Note: This win doesn’t require a complete hand — it is triggered solely by flower collection.
Eight Flowers: Win instantly by collecting all 8 flower tiles. Counts as a self-draw.
※ Note: This win doesn’t require a complete hand — it is triggered solely by flower collection.
Example: Calculating Your Score Step-by-Step
Imagine you are the dealer and the agreed base score is 100, with each Tai worth 20 points. You win by self-draw and your hand includes an Edge Wait (Bian Zhang) worth 1 Tai. You also get:
- 1 Tai for being the dealer
- 1 Tai for winning by self-draw
- 1 Tai for the Edge Wait
Total Tai = 3
Using the formula: Total Points = 100 + (20 × 3) = 160 points
Since you are the dealer, each player pays you 160 points.
Why Calculate Mahjong Score Matters for Beginners
- Understanding this formula helps you quickly and confidently calculate your winnings.
- It ensures fair and transparent gameplay among players.
- Knowing how Tai and points interact allows you to strategize better and aim for higher-scoring hands.