How to Play American Mahjong

What is American mahjong?

American mahjong is mahjong played with a yearly card of winning hands. You may also see it spelled American mah jongg.

The National Mah Jongg League (NMJL) makes the card. The League started in New York City in 1937. It prints a new card every year, so the hands change every year.

Three things set this style apart: jokers, the card and a tile swap called the Charleston. A joker is a wild tile. It can stand in for a tile you need.

What do you need to play?

You need a set, 4 racks, this year's card and 2 dice.

• A 152-tile American set. Many sets add spare tiles, so the box may say 160 or 166.
• Four racks. A rack holds your tiles up so no one else can see them.
• This year's card. The 2026 card costs about $14, or about $15 in large print. Prices can change.
• Two dice. They pick the dealer and show where to break the wall.

The 152 tiles include 108 number tiles in three suits: dots, bams and craks. There are also 16 winds, 12 dragons, 8 flowers and 8 jokers.

New to the card? Read the mahjong card explained.

How do you set up the game?

To set up, you pick a dealer, build a wall and take your tiles.

1. Pick East. Everyone rolls the dice. The highest roll is East, the dealer.
2. Build the wall. Mix the tiles face down. Each player builds a row 19 tiles long and 2 tiles high. Push the 4 rows into a square. This square is the wall.
3. Break the wall. East rolls 2 dice. East counts that many stacks from the right end of East's row. East splits the wall there.
4. Take your tiles. Start with the stacks to the left of the split. Each player takes 4 tiles at a time, 3 times around.
5. Finish the deal. East takes 2 more tiles. Everyone else takes 1. Now East has 14 tiles and the others have 13.

How do you swap tiles in the Charleston?

The Charleston is a tile swap before the first turn. Each pass is 3 tiles, so you can trade away tiles you don't want.

1. First Charleston (required). Pass to the right, then across, then to the left.
2. Second Charleston (optional). Pass left, then across, then right. Any player can stop it.
3. Courtesy pass (optional). Trade 0 to 3 tiles with the player across from you.

You may never pass a joker. For every detail, see the Charleston in mahjong.

How do you take a turn?

On each turn, you take one tile and then throw one away. A tile you throw away is called a discard.

East goes first. East already has 14 tiles, so East starts with a discard. Then play moves to the right.

1. Take a tile. Draw one from the wall, or call the last discard.
2. Check your hand. Compare your tiles to the card.
3. Discard. Throw out one tile, face up, and say its name.

To call a discard means to take it for yourself. You may only call a tile for two reasons:

• To finish a group of 3 or more of the same tile. Three alike is a pung, and four is a kong. You set the group face up on your rack. This is called an exposure.
• To win the game.

Jokers can fill in for a missing tile. But they only work in a group of 3 or more alike.

They can never be a single tile or part of a pair. Learn more about mahjong jokers.

How do you win?

You win when your 14 tiles match one hand on the card exactly. Say "Mah Jongg" and show your tiles.

Only the winner gets paid. Each hand's value is printed on the card.

If you win on a discard, the player who threw it pays you double. The other two pay the card value. If you draw the winning tile from the wall, all three pay double.

If the wall runs out before anyone wins, it is a wall game. No one gets paid.

For dead hands, bonuses and more, see the full American mahjong rules.