Lesson 8 of 12
Calling and exposing
You can call the latest discard if it completes a group of three or more identical tiles (a pung, kong, quint or sextet) for an exposed hand, or if it completes your hand for mahjong. Say "call", place the group face up on top of your rack, then discard. You cannot call a discard for a pair unless it wins the game.
Step by step
- Groups have names. Pung = 3 of a kind, kong = 4, quint = 5, sextet = 6. Quints and sextets need jokers, because each tile has only four copies.
- Say "call" before the next pick. When a discard would complete a group, say "call" before the next player picks from the wall.
- Expose the group. Place the called tile with the matching tiles (and any jokers) face up on top of your rack. Exposed groups can't be taken back.
- Then discard. Calling replaces your pick, so you discard straight away. Play then continues to your right, which can skip players.
- Two players call the same tile. A call for mahjong beats a call for an exposure. If two players call for exposures, the player whose turn would come first gets it.
Common mistakes
- Calling for a pair. You can only call for a pair (or a single) when it completes mahjong.
- Exposing a group that no hand on the card can use, which can make your hand dead.
Words from this lesson
Pung · Kong · Quint · Sextet · Call · Exposure
Questions people ask
What is a pung in mahjong?
Three identical tiles, for example three 5 Dots. Jokers can stand in for any of them.
Can you call for a pair?
Only if that tile gives you mahjong.
What's the difference between exposed and concealed?
Exposed hands (X on the card) let you call discards and show groups. Concealed hands (C) must be built from your own picks, except the final tile.