Mahjong Cheat Sheet (Free Printable)

What is on this mahjong cheat sheet?

This cheat sheet sums up the main rules of American mahjong on one page. Use it as a help sheet at the table.

To print it, save the picture to your device. Then print it on one sheet of paper. The same facts are written out below, in case you cannot see the picture.

What tiles and sets do you need to know?

An American set has 152 tiles of 7 kinds.

• Suits: dots, bams and craks, each from 1 to 9. There are 4 of each tile, so 36 per suit.
• Winds: East, South, West and North, 16 in all.
• Dragons: red, green and white, 12 in all. The white dragon, called Soap, can also stand for zero.
• Flowers: 8 in all. They all count as the same tile.
• Jokers: 8 wild tiles.

See every tile in our guide to mahjong tile names. Groups of tiles have short names, too.

• Pair: 2 of the same tile.
• Pung: 3 of the same tile.
• Kong: 4 of the same tile.
• Quint: 5 of the same tile.
• Sextet: 6 of the same tile.

How do the Charleston and a turn work?

Before play, players swap tiles in the Charleston. Then everyone takes turns.

The Charleston

1. First Charleston (must do). Pass 3 tiles right, then across, then left.
2. Second Charleston (optional). Pass 3 tiles left, then across, then right. Any player may stop it.
3. Courtesy pass (optional). Trade 0 to 3 tiles with the player across. If you want different numbers, you both pass the lower one.

Never pass a joker.

A turn

1. Take a tile. Draw from the wall, or call the last discard.
2. Check your hand. See if the tile helps.
3. Discard. Throw 1 tile face up and say its name.

East starts with 14 tiles and discards first. Everyone else starts with 13. Play moves to the right, or counterclockwise.

What are the joker and calling rules?

Jokers are wild, but only in groups of 3 or more of the same tile.

• Use a joker in a pung, kong, quint or sextet.
• Never use a joker alone, in a pair, or in a mixed group like N E W S.
• On your turn, you may swap the real tile for a joker in any group that is face up.
• A discarded joker is dead. No one can call it.

Calling a discard

• You may call only the latest discard, before the next player takes a tile.
• Call it to finish a pung, kong, quint or sextet. Then put that group face up on your rack. This is called an exposure.
• Never call for a single tile or a pair, unless it gives you Mah Jongg.
• A call for Mah Jongg beats any other call.

For more detail, see the full American mahjong rules.

How do you win and get paid?

You win when your 14 tiles match a hand on this year's card. Say "Mah Jongg" and show your tiles. The card lists what each hand is worth.

• Win on a discard: the player who threw it pays double. The other two pay the hand's value.
• Win on a tile from the wall: all three players pay double.
• No jokers: a jokerless hand is worth double. This does not count for Singles and Pairs hands.
• Wall game: if the wall runs out, no one wins.