Mahjong Terminology

Understanding common Mahjong terms makes lessons and games easier to follow.

• Charleston: The structured tile-passing sequence before play.

• Discard: A tile placed in the center after a turn.

• Exposure: A completed grouping displayed on top of the rack.

• Pung: Three identical tiles.

• Kong: Four identical tiles.

• Quint: Five identical tiles.

• Pair: Two identical tiles.

• Concealed hand: A hand that cannot contain exposures.

• Wall: The stacked tiles from which players draw.

• Dead hand: A hand no longer eligible to win because of a rule violation.

• Mahjong: A completed winning hand.