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Mahjong Solitaire Easy Mahjong

Easy Mahjong

These are our 5 gentlest layouts. Every one uses the full 144 tiles and the normal rules. They are easy because of their shape: short rows, plenty of free tiles at the start, and very few places to get stuck.

The game above is Butterfly, the easiest board on the site. In our tests it was cleared without a shuffle in about 85% of games, compared with about 50% for the classic Turtle.

Why these layouts are easier

A tile is only free when its left or right side is open. On a long row, the tiles in the middle stay blocked until you clear in from the ends. On the easy layouts the rows are short, or broken up by gaps, so tiles come free almost as soon as you need them.

Tips for beginners

  • Take tiles from the top first. High tiles block the most and are almost never a trap.
  • Look before you match. If three or four copies of a tile are free, take the pair that frees the most new tiles.
  • Use Hint when you are stuck. It shows the pair that opens up the most of the board.

When these start to feel easy, try the classic Turtle, then the hard layouts.

All 5 easy layouts

The game above is Butterfly Mahjong. Pick any of these to play a different one.

Butterfly MahjongEasy Two open wings and a slim body. The gentlest board to learn on. 3 layers · 68 free at start · 85% cleared Garden MahjongEasy Four small courtyards that never block each other. Quick and calm. 3 layers · 64 free at start · 75% cleared Spider MahjongEasy A tall body with eight thin legs spread wide. 5 layers · 50 free at start · 70% cleared Arena MahjongEasy An oval ring of seating around an empty floor. 3 layers · 40 free at start · 65% cleared Tower MahjongEasy Narrow and tall, five tiles high at the top. 5 layers · 38 free at start · 60% cleared

See all 24 layouts, sorted by difficulty

Questions people ask

What is the easiest Mahjong layout?

Butterfly, followed closely by Garden. Both have short rows and more than 60 free tiles at the start.

Is easy Mahjong just the normal game with the timer off?

No. The easy layouts are a different shape. Their rows are short, so tiles free up quickly and you are much less likely to get stuck.

Can I still get stuck on an easy layout?

Sometimes, but rarely. If you do, Undo takes back as many moves as you like, and Shuffle rearranges the tiles that are left into a board that can still be cleared.

Is easy Mahjong good for beginners and older players?

Yes. The rules are the same as normal Mahjong Solitaire, so it is a good way to learn. You can also turn on large tile faces in Settings.