Mahjong trend
Mahjong is still climbing: overall interest is up +40% in a year, and holding over the last three months (+9%). Next Big's projection: likely to level off over the next 12 months.
- Data qualityHow well its sources carry the Pulse's line over the last 13 weeks. Medium data quality: sources from more than one company carry the line lately, not all of them steady. Every label
- Medium
- StageRegular: neither exploding nor peaked: rising slower, holding, or not yet doubled. Every label
- Regular
- VerdictThe Pulse's verdict on Hunger and Heat. Hunger is how many people search for it; Heat is how much people post and see about it. Steady: hunger level and Heat not up: searches holding level. Every label
- Steady
Three things to know
- Mahjong is tracked on the Next Big Pulse, +40% in a year, about 1.3M searches a month in the US.
- Hunger + Heat: steady, searches holding level.
- Near its peak: at 100% of its two-year peak; searches at this point were higher a year later 76% of the time, against 73% for any search.
What is mahjong?
Mahjong refers to the tile game that originated in China, played in American, Chinese, Japanese and Hong Kong variants, and to the online and app versions of mahjong solitaire. People search it to learn the rules, play online, buy sets and find clubs. In practice interest has grown in the United States as young women and social clubs took up American mahjong, with designer tile sets, lessons and game nights spreading through social media. The trend runs alongside steady app play. Lessons, events, designer sets, accessories and beginner guides all serve this growing hobby.
- Wikipedia Mahjong
Behind the rise
Rising around it: the related search sweet jojo mahjong (Breakout).
Where the line turned
- 1Turned down Nov 2024. Wikipedia views moved first.
- 2Turned down Jan 2026. Web mentions moved first.
- 3Turned up Mar 2026. Google web search moved first.
Things that happened around the rise, never a claim of what caused it.
Latest news about mahjong
The newest coverage we read for it, +403% on a month ago.
- Searches a month
- 1.3M
- The Pulse now, US, between 808K and 2.0M
- Rise so far
- Near its peak
- At 100% of its 2-year peak, climbing 15 weeks. Searches here were higher a year on 76% of the time (any search 73%)
- Overall interest, a year
- +40%
- from 932K to 1.3M searches a month (rough)
- Last 3 months
- +9%
- from 1.2M to 1.3M searches a month (rough); within its own noise, so flat
- Next 12 months
- Levelling off
- Next Big's projection, +2%
- Stage
- Regular
- growing faster each month
- Trend score
- 54/100
- Worth building on, from eight parts: how it's made is below the numbers
- Peaks
- All year
- no seasonal peak
- A click is worth
- $1.43
- what advertisers pay
- Ranking difficulty
- 56/100
- takes a good page
Searches a month added are rough: right direction about 3 times in 4, size within ×2 (check 14a). What that means.
How the trend score is made
| Part | Reading | Weight | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Growth over a year | 44/100 | 25% | 10.9 |
| The last weeks | 52/100 | 15% | 7.8 |
| Fits a business (judged in review) | 70/100 | 15% | 10.5 |
| Interest now | 89/100 | 10% | 8.9 |
| Kept rising | 0/100 | 10% | 0.0 |
| What a click is worth | 29/100 | 10% | 2.9 |
| Posts about it | 83/100 | 10% | 8.3 |
| Searches a month | 100/100 | 5% | 5.0 |
| Before adjustments | 100% | 54.2 | |
| Trend score | 54/100 |
How worth building on a search is, not how big it is. Every weight is on the methodology.
What's next for mahjong
- Direction
- Climbing; level over the last 3 months (+9%, within its own noise).
- Next 12 months
- Next Big's projection: likely to level off (+2%).
- What it opens
- Lessons, game nights and clubs for new American players, plus designer tile sets, accessories and beginner guides for social hosts.
The next wave inside it
Searches rising fastest alongside mahjong. Breakout means more than five thousand percent.
- sweet jojo mahjongBreakout
- national mahjong league cards 2026Breakout
- american mahjong card 2026Breakout
- mahjong 2026 cardBreakout
- mahjong row and coBreakout
- mahjong cards 2026+4,950%
- alibaba mahjong tiles+3,900%
- alibaba+3,250%
Is mahjong really trending?
Steady: searches holding level. Of the searches read this way over the last two years, 66% were searched more half a year later, against 63% of all searches (1,526 cases).
- Hungerwhat people go looking forlevel over 3 monthsFrom Google web search, YouTube search, Google News search, Bing searches, Wikipedia views, web popularity, Wikipedia views in other languages
- Heatwhat the crowd is shown, unaskedlevel over 3 monthsFrom news coverage (GDELT), web mentions, Bluesky posts a week
Real when people are shown it and go looking for it; Early when the crowd is shown it first; Hype when it's shown and not sought; Quiet demand when searches rise with little talk. How the two sides are read.
How popular is mahjong, and is it still growing?
Mahjong draws about 1.3M searches a month in the US, on the Next Big Pulse. Still growing: overall interest in mahjong is up +40% in a year, and roughly level over the last 3 months (+9%). The line blends every source we read for it, each listed below with its own figures, and the Next Big Pulse confirms the rise.
- +9%in 3 months, within its own noise, so flatJul 2026 to this week
- +40%in 1 yearOct 2025 to this week
- +50%in 2 yearsOct 2024 to this week
Each figure compares overall interest at the end of the window with its start.
Who searches for it, and why
Most people search it to learn about it.
Where it's searched most
Interest in mahjong by US state, against the busiest state.
- Maine100
- Vermont99
- Alabama87
- Kansas82
- Rhode Island81
- South Carolina80
- Louisiana78
- Hawaii77
- Arkansas76
- New Hampshire76
What people ask about mahjong
Questions
- how to mahjong
- how to mahjong with three players
- how to mahjong charleston
- how to mahjong with a kong
- how to mahjong with two people
- how to mahjong play
Best
- best mahjong strategy quit
- best mahjong app
- best mahjong sets
- best mahjong games free download
- best mahjong tiles
- best mahjong app for beginners
Compared
- mahjong vs american mahjong
- mahjong vs rummikub
- mahjong vs dominos
- mahjong vs chess
- mahjong vs bots
- mahjong vs mahjong
Cost
- mahjong apps free
- mahjong cost
Near me
- mahjong near me
- mahjong near me for beginners
- mahjong near me lessons for adults
- mahjong near me today
- mahjong near me lessons
- mahjong near me buy
Alternatives
- mahjong alternative games
- mahjong alternative names
- mahjong alternative spellings
- mahjong alternative
- alternative mahjong cards
- alternative mahjong tiles
Apps and tools
- mahjong app
- mahjong app no ads
- mahjong app for beginners
- mahjong app to learn
For whom
- mahjong for friends
- mahjong for beginners
- mahjong for dummies
- mahjong for seniors
- mahjong for kids
- mahjong for two players
Also searched
- mahjong apparel
- mahjong costume
- mahjong costco
- mahjong costume ideas
- mahjong costco set
- mahjong costume diy
What's built around it
The apps, code and videos mahjong already has: where the market is, and where it isn't yet.
Reference
Brands and companies behind it
Who mahjong names, makes it or builds it, from Wikidata, SEC EDGAR and GitHub. Each name says where it comes from.
Sources
The chart is the Next Big Pulse: every source with a weekly or monthly reading for mahjong, blended into one line of overall interest. A trend counts only when independent sources confirm the rise, each read against what every other search we track did there.
- Bluesky posts a week28%since Feb 2024
- Bing searches15%since Sep 2024
- Google web search13%since Oct 2021
- Web mentions13%since Oct 2022
- Web popularity9%since Oct 2021
- Wikipedia views7%since Oct 2023
- Wikipedia views in other languages7%since Oct 2023
- News coverage (GDELT)5%since Oct 2024
- YouTube search2%since Oct 2021
- Google News search0%since Oct 2024
Data quality: medium, sources from more than one company carry the line lately, not all of them steady. The last week rests on fewer sources: it isn't in Wikipedia views yet. How the grade works
| Source | Rose with it | This search, in a year | The typical search there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bing searches | No rise above typical | ||
| Wikipedia views | Rose | +7%16,965 → 18,198 views a week | -17%the typical search there |
| Bluesky posts | No rise above typical | ||
| Hacker News mentions | No rise above typical | ||
| Research papers | No rise above typical | ||
| New York Times articles | No rise above typical | ||
| News attention (GDELT) | Rose | More than for the typical search there. Named, not quoted: its licence. | |
Searches a month is the Pulse's reading now, in Google Ads' scale for the US; cost per click and ranking difficulty are Google Ads keyword estimates.
The same search on Google Trends · How we read every source
Projections are Next Big's forecasts from public search data. They aren't financial, investment, trading or medical advice.
Questions
Is mahjong still popular in 2026?
Yes. Overall interest in mahjong is up +40% on a year ago, and roughly level over the last three months (+9%).
How many people search for mahjong?
About 1.3 million searches a month in the US, on the Next Big Pulse. It's searched most, for its size, in Maine.
When do searches for mahjong peak?
It doesn't follow a season. Its busiest week in five years was in October 2026.
Will mahjong keep growing?
Next Big's projection says it's likely to level off over the next 12 months (+2%). It's a forecast from public search data, not advice.
What's rising alongside mahjong?
The searches rising fastest with it are sweet jojo mahjong, national mahjong league cards 2026 and american mahjong card 2026: often the next wave inside a trend.
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