25% off all new collection! Use code LAUNCH-MAHJONG now!

Opening Hours

Mon – Fri 9.30am – 8pm

Address

1810 Kings Way, Pretoria

Email

info@mahjongcollective.co.za










About

So, how does this game actually work?

How To Play

Mahjong looks intimidating. It isn’t. It’s a four-player tile game that sits somewhere between gin rummy, poker and the best dinner party you’ve ever been to. Here’s the short version — and when you’re ready to go deeper, we’ve got a full guide waiting for you.

The Basics

👯 Four players. Always four. Grab three friends.

🀄 152 tiles. Dots, bamboo, characters, winds, dragons, flowers, jokers. Each has a job.

🎯 The goal. Be the first to build a winning hand of 14 tiles that matches one of the hands on your NMJL card.

📋 The card. American mahjong is played with the National Mah Jongg League card — a new one is released every April. You’ll need one. (We’ll tell you where to grab it.)

⏱ A game takes 20-40 minutes. Most nights last three or four rounds, plus wine breaks.

The Flow

1. Set up. Tiles are shuffled face-down and built into four walls. It’s weirdly satisfying.

2. The Charleston. Everyone passes tiles around the table to improve their hand. This part is iconic.

3. The game. Players take turns drawing and discarding tiles, racing to complete a hand from the card.

4. Mahjong! First to complete a hand calls it, shows their tiles, and wins the round.

About us

Our Story

Mahjong is currently having its biggest moment in a hundred years. Across New York, Los Angeles and Houston, women are filling warehouses, rooftops and living rooms to play a game their grandmothers might recognise — and the world can’t get enough of it.

We noticed.

Mahjong Collective exists for one reason: South African women deserve in on this. Not in two years when the trend finally trickles down. Now. With beautiful sets, clear instructions and a community that treats the game like the social ritual it’s always been.

Because somewhere between the endless group chats and the back-to-back Sunday plans, we all forgot how good it feels to sit across from three people for three uninterrupted hours. Phones down. Tiles up. Nowhere to be.

This isn’t about replacing wine night. It’s about upgrading it.

Our values 

We honour the heritage. Mahjong was born in 19th-century China. It’s travelled the world, been reimagined by generations of women across cultures, and arrived here 200 years wiser than when it started. We’re the newest chapter — not the author.

We back the ritual. The point isn’t the tiles. It’s the three hours around the table, the laughing, the overthinking, the wine, the “one more round.” We sell sets. We’re really in the business of Thursday nights.

We make it easy. A new game, a new crowd, a new city to start it in. We teach the rules, stock the sets, and take the guesswork out of getting started — so all you have to do is show up.

We start the table. Someone has to go first. Pull up a chair.










FAQs

New to mahjong? New to us? Here’s everything you need to know before you commit. Can’t find your answer? Drop us a line — we’re real humans, we reply.

What is mahjong, exactly?

Mahjong is a 200-year-old Chinese tile game for four players. Think gin rummy meets poker meets the best dinner party you’ve ever been to. Players take turns drawing and discarding tiles to build a winning hand. It’s social, tactile, a little bit strategic, and genuinely addictive in the best way.

Do I need to know how to play before I buy?

Not at all. Most of our customers are brand new to mahjong. Every set comes with beginner-friendly instructions, and we have a full [How to Play guide] on our site that walks you through everything from setup to your first win.

How many people do I need to play?

Four. Always four. It’s the one firm rule. (Three friends, a set, and a free evening = you’re sorted.)

How long does a game take?

A single round takes 20-40 minutes. Most mahjong nights run 3-4 rounds, so budget around 2-3 hours — plus wine breaks.

Which rules do you play?

We play American mahjong, which is the version currently driving the global trend. It uses the National Mah Jongg League card (more on that below) and is the most popular version for social play.

What's the NMJL card and do I need one?

Yes. American mahjong is played using a card released every April by the National Mah Jongg League. It lists the winning hands for that year, which changes annually and keeps the game fresh.

Is mahjong hard to learn?

It looks harder than it is. Most people grasp the basics in one evening and feel confident after two or three games. The strategy develops over months — which is part of the fun.