How to Read the NMJL Card: A Beginner's Guide
The NMJL card looks cryptic but follows a consistent shorthand. Here's how to read the sections, colors, numbers, and the C/X and point values — so you can find your hand fast.
The NMJL card lists every hand you're allowed to make this year. To win, your tiles must match one complete line on the card exactly. It looks like code at first, but it's a small, consistent shorthand.
Sections group the hands
The card is divided into categories — things like 2468, Like Numbers, Consecutive Run, 13579, Winds & Dragons, 369, and Singles & Pairs. Each category is a family of related hands. You only need to match one line.
Colors mean suits
Each color on a line is a different suit (Bam, Crak, or Dot) — but the color doesn't lock you into a specific suit. You choose which suit based on the tiles you're dealt. The rule is simple: same color = same suit, different colors = different suits.
Numbers and letters
- Digits are tile numbers (a 1 means a 1, a 5 means a 5)
- A repeated digit is a group: 111 is a pung, 2222 is a kong
- F = Flower, D = Dragon, and 0 = Soap (the white dragon)
- N, E, W, S = the wind tiles
C, X, and the points
Each hand is marked Concealed (C) or Exposed (X) — whether you're allowed to expose tiles by calling, or must keep the hand hidden until you win. The number at the end of the line is the hand's point value.
You'll need the current year's physical card to play — we can't reproduce it here. But once you know the shorthand, any card reads the same way.