Pung, Kong and Chow: Mahjong Melds Explained

Almost everything in a mahjong hand is built from three kinds of set: the pung, the kong, and the chow. Learn these three and the rest of the game suddenly makes sense — a winning hand is just four of them plus a pair. Here is what each one is, how you form it, and when you can snatch one from an opponent’s discard.

The pung — three of a kind

A pung (sometimes spelled pong) is three identical tiles: three red dragons, three 5-of-circles, three East winds. That’s it. You can form one entirely from tiles you draw, or you can claima pung: if you already hold a pair and any player discards the third, you may call “pung,” take the discard, and lay the set down face-up. Claiming a pung lets you jump the turn order — play continues from your right, regardless of whose turn it would have been.

The kong — four of a kind

A kongis four identical tiles. Because a normal set is only three tiles, a kong is special: whenever you complete one you draw an extra replacement tile from the end of the wall, since the kong “uses up” a tile your hand would otherwise need. You can form a kong three ways — drawing all four yourself, claiming a discard to turn a concealed pung into a kong, or adding a fourth tile to a pung you already melded. Kongs are worth more points, but exposing them also tells your opponents what you’re collecting.

The chow — a run of three

A chowis three consecutive tiles in the same suit — the 3, 4 and 5 of bamboo, for example. Honors (winds and dragons) can’t form chows, since they have no sequence. The catch: you may only claim a chow from the player directly to your left (the person whose turn is immediately before yours), whereas a pung or kong can be claimed from anyone. Drawn chows, of course, you can build from any tiles you like.

Putting it together

A standard winning hand is four sets and a pair, and each of those four sets can be any mix of pungs, kongs and chows. A hand made entirely of concealed pungs scores differently from one full of chows — which is where strategy comes in, and where the game stops being about luck. New to all of this? Start with the beginner’s guide.