Some (mostly American?) people know Mahjong as a solitaire game [1] that they likely have played on their phone or Windows PC/Mac.

This article is talking about the (arguably less known?) 4-player competitive game [2], and assumes you already know the difference (which some may not).

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahjong_solitaire

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahjong

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djyde 16 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

Playing mahjong together during Chinese New Year has become an essential tradition.

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bfbf 8 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Probably it’s less popular in America, but it’s huge in Asia, so I doubt the solitaire version is more well known globally

	▲	jader201 8 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Yes, but most of HN is outside Asia, so I feel the clarification is helpful here.
	▲	phantomathkg 7 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Solitaire version should be pretty well known due to the computer game.

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yapyap 5 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Less known to the Western centric HN crowd, maybe.

	▲	kyleblarson 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		I only have 2 data points, but my mom in the southeastern US (in her 70's) and all of her friends have started playing and are fully addicted and the same seems to be true at my golf club in Inland Northwest. Maybe it's getting a toehold? (in a very non-HN demographic)

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msla 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

This is generational. Of course, the generation of Westerners who played a lot of four-hand Mahjong is dead now, but still...

https://bamgoodtime.com/blog/history-of-american-mahjong

> What followed was one of the biggest game fads in American history. Between roughly 1922 and 1924, mahjong exploded across the United States. Department stores couldn't keep sets in stock. Demand grew so quickly that bone and bamboo tiles had to be imported from China in enormous quantities. Newspapers ran columns explaining the rules. Eddie Cantor performed a hit song called "Since Ma Is Playing Mah Jong." Fashion designers created mahjong-themed clothing. Entire social calendars reorganized around the game.