American Mahjong Guides
Quick, plain-language answers to the questions beginners ask most.
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How to Play American Mahjong: A Complete Beginner's Guide
American Mahjong is a race to match one hand on the NMJL® card, played with 152 tiles, Jokers, and a tile-passing Charleston. Here's the whole game, start to finish, in plain language.
Start Here
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.
American Mahjong vs Chinese Mahjong: What's Different?
Same tiles, very different game. The card, Jokers, the Charleston, and how you win all set American Mahjong apart from the Chinese game. Here's a clear side-by-side.
American Mahjong Rules: A Beginner's Rulebook
All the rules of American Mahjong, organized: setup, the Charleston, turns, calling, Jokers, winning, and scoring — each in a few sentences, with links to the deep dives.
American Mahjong vs. Mahjong Solitaire: What's the Difference?
Mahjong solitaire is a single-player tile-matching puzzle; American Mahjong is a four-player card game with a Charleston, calling, and scoring. Same tiles, completely different games.
Tiles & the Card
The 2026 NMJL Card: What to Know
The National Mah Jongg League releases a new card every April, and you need the current year's to play. Here's what changes, what doesn't, and how to learn the new hands fast.
How Many Tiles Are in an American Mahjong Set?
An American Mahjong set has 152 tiles: 108 suit tiles, 16 winds, 12 dragons, 8 flowers, and 8 jokers. Here's the full breakdown — and why it differs from a Chinese set.
What Are Flowers in American Mahjong?
Flowers are eight special tiles that are all interchangeable — any flower satisfies a Flower (F) on the card. Here's how they're used, and why a Joker can't replace a pair of them.
Pung, Kong, and Quint: The Groups in American Mahjong
A pung is three identical tiles, a kong is four, a quint is five. Here's how each group works, where Jokers fit, and how you call and expose them.
Exposed vs Concealed Hands: What C and X Mean on the Card
Every hand on the NMJL® card is marked X (exposed — you may call discards) or C (concealed — you can't call except for your winning tile). Here's the difference and why C hands pay more.
Playing a Hand
Can a Joker Be Used for a Pair in American Mahjong?
No — a Joker can never stand in for a pair or a single tile. Here's exactly where Jokers can and can't go in American Mahjong, plus how the Joker swap works.
What Is a Dead Hand in American Mahjong?
A dead hand is one that can no longer legally win — usually from an exposure that matches no hand on the card, or the wrong number of tiles. Here's what causes it and how to avoid it.
What Is the Charleston in American Mahjong?
The Charleston is American Mahjong's tile-passing ritual at the start of a hand. Here's the order of the passes, how many tiles you pass, and the rules around Jokers and the courtesy pass.
When Can You Call a Tile in American Mahjong?
You can call the last discard to complete a group of three or more — but you must expose it, and you can't call for a pair (except to win). Here are the calling rules, simply.
How to Set Up American Mahjong: The Wall, the Deal & Who's East
From a pile of 152 tiles to a dealt game: roll for East, build four walls, break the wall, deal counter-clockwise in fours until East has 14 and everyone else has 13.
Winning & Scoring
American Mahjong Scoring: Who Pays What
Every hand on the NMJL® card has a printed value, and only three things change what each player pays: who threw the winning tile, self-pick, and a jokerless hand. Here's the whole system.
How to Win at American Mahjong: Strategy for Beginners
You can't control the draws, but consistent winners share the same habits: pick a target hand and a backup, read the exposures, count what's dead, and know when to defend. Here's the core strategy.
Playing with Others
How to Play American Mahjong with 3 Players
Three people is enough for American Mahjong. The official NMJL® way skips the Charleston entirely; the popular house-rule version adds a "ghost" fourth player to keep it. Here's both.
Siamese Mahjong: How to Play American Mahjong with 2 Players
Siamese Mahjong is the standard 2-player format: each player builds two winning hands at once on two racks, and must complete both to win. Here's the setup, the rules, and how scoring works.
American Mahjong Etiquette: The Unwritten Rules
Some Mahjong etiquette is official NMJL® rule, some is custom — but every table expects it. Naming your discard, pausing before you rack, joker-exchange manners, and the table-talk rules.
How to Host an American Mahjong Game Night
A set, four people, the current NMJL® card, and snacks — that's a Mahjong night. Here's what to have on hand, how the evening flows, and how to make it work when nobody's an expert.