# Kemono Mahjong

> Full Japanese Mahjong implementation with AI and online multiplayer. (iPhone/iPad app by Michael Starling.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kemono-mahjong/id1207602683 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Michael Starling](https://appshunter.io/developer/380864352)
- Category: Games, Board, Card
- Price: $3.99 with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.90/5 from 311 App Store ratings · 113 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 100 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2017-08-20
- Data updated: 2026-09-06
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kemono-mahjong/id1207602683/reviews.md

## What is Kemono Mahjong?

No mere tile-matching solitaire game, this is a full implementation of Japanese Mahjong. A fun, strategic variant of the classic Chinese 4-player game!

Features:

* Real (4-player) mahjong! (you vs. 3 CPU opponents, or play online!)
* 3-player (Sanma) mode!
* Japanese/Riichi style following European Mahjong Association (EMA) rules
* Unique layout designed for mobile devices
* Beautiful, easy-to-read tiles (with traditional and simplified tile sets)
* Colourful cast of characters
* Beautiful music
* Multiple languages! (English, Spanish, French, Dutch, German, Polish, Thai, Chinese Simplified, Korean, Japanese)
* Tutorials and in-game help, ideal for new players!
* No ads!

Online Terms of Service: http://cyberdog.ca/kemono-mahjong/terms-of-service/

## Key features

- 4-player Mahjong (AI or online)
- 3-player (Sanma) mode
- Japanese/Riichi style rules
- Mobile-optimized layout
- Traditional and simplified tile sets
- Multiple language support

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: $3.99.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Supporter | $0.99 | per month |


## Chart rankings

- #34 in Top Paid · Board (US App Store)
- #23 in Top Paid · Card (US App Store)

## What do users think of Kemono Mahjong?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 👍 Excellent tutorial for beginners
- 🎨 Beautiful graphics and UI design
- 🎮 Engaging AI opponents with different playstyles
- 💰 One-time purchase with no ads
- 📱 Fully playable offline
- 🔧 Customizable tile styles and settings
- 🎵 Great music and sound design
- 📚 Comprehensive yaku reference guide
- ⚙️ Adjustable game speed and difficulty
- 🎭 Charming character designs and voice acting
- 🏆 Detailed scoring breakdowns after games
- 🎯 Clear and intuitive interface
- 📊 Stats tracking and game history

**Cons**

- 🐛 Pung/Chi calling bugs preventing valid moves
- 📱 Portrait-only orientation on iPhone
- 👁️ Tiles too small on some devices
- 🎨 Recent tile graphics update poorly received
- ⚡ Slow AI discard speed after updates
- 🎭 Furry character theme not for everyone
- 🔗 Online multiplayer connection issues
- 🎮 Questionable AI fairness and luck
- 🔊 Sound/music playback issues
- 📐 iPad landscape mode display problems
- 🖱️ Discard button placement causes thumb strain
- 🎯 Furiten rule implementation confusing
- 📊 No iCloud save synchronization

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Pung/Chi notifications not triggering for valid moves
- Tiles overlapping on iPad after version 26 update
- Game freezing/soft-locking during gameplay
- Online account registration email verification failing
- Online game progress stuck in loading state
- Tile visibility issues in landscape mode on iPad
- Furiten rule incorrectly preventing tsumo wins
- Ron declaration causing game crashes
- Data loss after app updates
- Tile rendering issues with light colors on iPad Air 2
- Occasional invalid move notifications appearing
- Character unlock display not showing unlocked characters

**Most requested features**

- Landscape orientation support for iPhone and iPad
- Larger tile sizes for better visibility
- Humanoid character alternative DLC
- Larger/repositionable discard button
- Opponent hand reveal in replay mode
- Local multiplayer/hot-seat mode
- Red dora (5s) option
- Alternative starting points (25000 instead of 30000)
- Japanese voice acting
- Left-handed button layout option
- Full table view with all tiles visible
- Furiten status indicator improvement
- iCloud save synchronization
- Additional female characters
- Game speed adjustment slider
- Other mahjong rule sets beyond Riichi

## Recent user reviews (10 of 113)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kemono-mahjong/id1207602683/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Cute and Fun app

*2026-06-26, version 1.52.01*

It’s a cute app and worth the cost. Whenever I can’t play Mahjong Soul, this app fills my need for riichi.

### 5/5 — Мультиплеер

*2026-05-28, version 1.51.00*

Хотелось бы как-то в мультиплеер поиграть, пасс энд плей или по сети. Благодарю за отличную игру!

### 5/5 — Riichi at its furry finest

*2026-04-15, version 1.51.00*

I bought this already knowing how to play Riichi. But this app is patient, understanding, fun, and clever in its teaching methods. You will feel confident in learning. Options to swap out the Japanese Character tiles for anglicized numbers is a welcome choice for those who wish or need it. The multitude of characters are awesome. Programmed in with different playstyles and thus "difficulties" is a grand touch. Speed of discard is able to be modified as well so you can play a faster game too. What sets this game apart is that is a one time purchase with zero ads. Ever. And can be played fully offline. There is no matchmaking lobby BUT if you have three friends who wish to play you can create a room and play against them, live. I highly recommend this game!

### 3/5 — Bug that prevented Pung

*2026-04-11*

I was liking this, aside from the fact that the tiles are extremely small. I found a bug that prevented me from punging a 3 of bamboo even though it was the player who went ahead of me who discarded it and I had chow/pung notifications turned on. Devs should fix this. Otherwise it obfuscated the rules.

### 4/5 — シンプルな内容、広告無しの買切り

*2026-02-13*

スマホの麻雀アプリで、シンプルな内容で広告無しの買切りは珍しいし、これらの点だけで十分評価できる。ただ、不自然な序盤の1・9牌のポンが気になるので、ルールに「後付け」の有無を追加して欲しい。

### 4/5 — 아이패드 26버전 업데이트 이후, 마작 패가 겹쳐보여요.

*2026-01-08*

업데이트 이후 여전히바닥에 버리는 마작 패가 겹쳐보여요. 해결 부탁드립니다.

### 4/5 — Could be better

*2025-11-29*

This game is one of the best implementations of offline mahjong, and I really love it. But sometimes it’s a bit sus how opponents are playing. It’s weird when a relatively weak opponent (2 stars) finishes the game with almost 90k points, winning one game after another. I would appreciate if developer could implement a feature to see opponent’s deck in replay mode. Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems that some games are designed to lose or win.

### 4/5 — IOS 26 problem

*2025-10-13, version 1.40.60*

Just updated to IOS 26 and the board does not render properly.

### 2/5 — Meh

*2025-09-08*

Release a ten buck DLC/in-app purchase that exchanges the furry characters for humanoid ones and you’ll make bank. As it is the furry characters are pretty distracting.

### 5/5 — Awesome Riichi Game

*2025-06-23, version 1.40.10*

I am a Western & Hong Kong Mahjong Player.  This App is a really great phone App if you are learning Japanese Riichi Mahjong.  The graphics are beautiful and the layout unique especially for phones.  The bots have different playing styles.  The Tutorial easy to understand. It offers a vastly different play experience to the normal manga-anime style games out there in Riichi land.  Highly recommended : )

## Frequently asked questions about Kemono Mahjong

### What is Kemono Mahjong?

Kemono Mahjong is a comprehensive implementation of Japanese Mahjong, offering both 4-player and 3-player (Sanma) modes. It follows the European Mahjong Association (EMA) rules for the Japanese/Riichi style and is designed for mobile devices.

### What are the key features of Kemono Mahjong?

Key features include real 4-player Mahjong against AI or online opponents, a 3-player Sanma mode, adherence to Japanese/Riichi rules, a mobile-optimized layout, beautiful and easy-to-read tile sets, multiple language support, and tutorials for new players.

### Is Kemono Mahjong free to play?

The application is free to download and play. While the description mentions in-app purchases, it also explicitly states 'No ads!', indicating a monetization model that does not rely on advertisements.

### What languages does Kemono Mahjong support?

Kemono Mahjong supports a wide range of languages, including English, Spanish, French, Dutch, German, Polish, Thai, Chinese Simplified, Korean, and Japanese. This makes it accessible to a global audience.

### Who is Kemono Mahjong suitable for?

This app is ideal for anyone interested in playing Japanese Mahjong, whether they are new to the game or experienced players. The included tutorials and in-game help make it easy for beginners to learn, while the full implementation and online play appeal to seasoned enthusiasts.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.52.01 — 2026-06-19

* Japanese Terms are now enabled by default for new installs
* Bug tweaks/fixes.

### 1.52.00 — 2026-05-29

* Japanese Terms are now enabled by default for new installs
* Bug tweaks/fixes.

### 1.51.00 — 2026-02-10

* Updated 3D/Landscape View (for Tablets)
* Bug fixes/Tweaks

### 1.50.32 — 2026-02-07

* Updated 3D/Landscape View (for Tablets)
* Bug fixes/Tweaks

### 1.50.31 — 2026-01-30

* Updated 3D/Landscape View (for Tablets)
* Bug fixes/Tweaks

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## More apps by Michael Starling

- [Mahjong Helper & Calculator](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mahjong-helper-and-calculator/id380864349)

All apps by Michael Starling: https://appshunter.io/developer/380864352

## Related topics

[mah jongg practice](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/mah-jongg-practice) · [riichi mahjong](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/riichi-mahjong) · [riichi](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/riichi)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-06.*