Every claim on a discard must be verbalized (3.6.1); Say "Chi" to chow, "Pung" to pung, "Kong" (or "Gang") to kong, "Hu" to declare mahjong, and "Hua" when taking a flower replacement (3.6.1); Players must not call out the names of tiles when discarding, and are forbidden to discuss, gossip, or c...
Why people argue about this
People often assume that silent calls are acceptable as long as they understand each other, leading to misunderstandings when opponents don't hear verbalized calls clearly. The confusion arises because the rule explicitly states that all claims must be spoken aloud for clarity and fairness in every game of Mahjong (MCR/WMO).
