Tiles and terms
Mahjong Terms: A Simple Glossary
Quick answer
Mahjong terms are the words for tiles, groups and moves. A bam is a bamboo tile, and a crak is a character tile. A pung is three matching tiles, and a kong is four. The Charleston is a tile swap before play. An exposure is a group you show face up after calling a tile.
What are the mahjong words for tiles?
The main tile words are suit, dot, bam, crak, wind, dragon, flower and joker.
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Suit | One of the 3 groups of number tiles, each running from 1 to 9. |
| Dot | A suit tile with round circles on it, also called a circle. |
| Bam | A suit tile with bamboo sticks on it, also called bamboo. |
| Crak | A suit tile with a Chinese number on it, also called a character. |
| Wind | A tile named East, South, West or North. |
| Dragon | A red, green or white tile, and some players call the white one Soap. |
| Flower | A tile with a flower or season picture, and in American play all 8 match. |
| Joker | A wild tile in American sets, used only in groups of 3 or more matching tiles. |
To see what each tile looks like, visit our guide to mahjong tile names.
What are the words for groups of tiles?
Most group names tell you how many matching tiles are in the group.
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Pair | Two matching tiles, such as two red dragons. |
| Pung | Three matching tiles, such as three East winds. |
| Kong | Four matching tiles, such as four 9 craks. |
| Quint | Five matching tiles, which usually takes a joker. |
| Chow | A run of 3 numbers in one suit, like 6, 7 and 8 dots. Used in Chinese and Japanese styles, not in American play. |
See pictures of each group in our guide to pung, kong and chow.
What words do you need before play starts?
Before play, you need to know the card, the wall, East and the Charleston.
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Card | The yearly list of winning hands from the National Mah Jongg League. |
| Wall | The square of tiles, stacked 2 high, that players draw from. |
| East | The dealer, who starts with 14 tiles and goes first. |
| Charleston | A swap before play where each player passes 3 tiles at a time. |
Learn each pass step by step in our guide to the Charleston.
What words are used during play?
During play, the key words are discard, call, exposure and concealed.
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Discard | A tile you throw away and name out loud. |
| Call | To claim the last discard to finish a group or to win. |
| Exposure | A group you finish with a called tile and set face up on your rack. |
| Concealed | A hand marked C on the card, where you may only call your last tile. |
What words are used when someone wins?
The big one is Mah Jongg, which is what you call out when you win.
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Mah Jongg | What you call out when your hand is complete. |
| Self-pick | Winning with a tile you drew from the wall yourself. |
| Jokerless | A winning hand with no jokers, which pays double (except Singles and Pairs hands). |
| Dead hand | A hand that can no longer win, such as one with the wrong number of tiles. |
Ready to use these words at the table?
Try these words out on one of our American sets, with 160 or 166 tiles.
Questions people ask
Is mahjong terminology the same in every style?
Mostly. Pung, kong and pair mean the same in American and Chinese play. Chows are used in Chinese and Japanese styles, but not in American play. Jokers and the Charleston are part of American play.
Is it mahjong or mah jongg?
Both are correct. The National Mah Jongg League spells it Mah Jongg. Many other people write mahjong.
What is a wall game?
A wall game is when the wall runs out before anyone calls Mah Jongg. No one wins that game.
Is there a printable list of mahjong terms?
Yes. Our mahjong cheat sheet covers the key words, and you can print it.