Official American Mahjong Rules

Overview

American Mahjong is card-driven. The wall gives you tiles, the Charleston gives you direction, jokers give you flexibility, but the current card decides whether your hand is legal.

American Mahjong is not the same as Chinese Mahjong, Hong Kong Mahjong, or Riichi Mahjong. In American play, you do not win by making any standard four-sets-and-a-pair shape. You win only by matching a listed hand on the current card.

The annual card is the heart of the game. It tells you which combinations are legal this year, whether a hand is exposed or concealed, how many points it is worth, and where flowers, dragons, winds, suits, pairs, pungs, kongs, quints, and jokers may appear.

The Tiles

A standard American Mahjong game uses 152 tiles: suits, winds, dragons, flowers, and 8 jokers. Players also use racks, pushers, dice, and a current rules card. Many American sets include extra blank or spare tiles, but those extras are not part of normal NMJL-style play unless your table has agreed on a house rule.

Your next step

Pick the style you want at your table

All three sets offer a 152-tile American Mahjong starting configuration. Choose the look you like.

Good to know: Tile sets only. Racks, mats, cases, and the annual card are sold separately unless stated on the product page.

Blue & White Chinoiserie

Classic blue-and-white style.

$250.00–$260.00
View set

Aperitivo Hour

Playful food-and-drink artwork.

$199.00–$205.00
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Coastal Getaway

Relaxed beach-inspired design.

$199.00–$205.00
View set

See all tile setsBrowse every color and theme
Add racks & pushersBuild a four-player table
Add a Mahjong matProtect tiles and soften sound

Setup Rules

East begins regular play by discarding one tile. After that, play continues counter-clockwise around the table unless a discard is called.

The Charleston

The Charleston is the pre-game tile-passing sequence, and it is one of the clearest signs that you are playing American Mahjong.

First Charleston

1. Pass 3 tiles to the player on your right.
2. Pass 3 tiles across the table.
3. Pass 3 tiles to the player on your left.

Second Charleston

If all players agree, a second Charleston may be played in the reverse direction: left, across, right. Many tables also use a courtesy pass after the Charleston, where opposite players may exchange 0, 1, 2, or 3 tiles by mutual agreement.

Gameplay Rules

A normal turn is simple: draw one tile, decide whether to exchange a joker, then discard one tile. The discard is named clearly and placed where everyone can see it. Once the next player draws, most missed calls are gone.

American Mahjong is a game of timing. You are always balancing three questions: does this tile improve my hand, does this discard help someone else, and am I close enough to commit to a visible exposure?

Calling Rules

You may call another player’s most recent discard only when it completes a legal exposure or gives you Mahjong. In regular play, that usually means calling for a pung, kong, quint, or sextet shown by your chosen hand. You expose the completed group face up on the top of your rack.

You generally cannot call a discard just to complete a pair or a single tile, unless that tile completes your Mahjong. This is where beginners get cooked: a tile can be perfect for your hand and still not be legally callable yet.

Exposed vs. Concealed Hands

An exposed hand allows you to call discards and place matching groups face up. A concealed hand must be completed without exposures. On the NMJL card, concealed hands are marked with a “C”.

You may still call the final winning tile for Mahjong on many concealed hands, but you cannot make earlier exposures and then claim the hand is concealed. Once you expose, your hand is committed to exposed-hand rules.

Joker Rules

Jokers are wild tiles, but they are not magic glue for every gap. In American Mahjong, jokers may substitute only in groups of three or more.

• You may use jokers in pungs, kongs, quints, and sextets.
• You may not use jokers for singles or pairs.
• You may use more than one joker in the same eligible group.
• You may not pass jokers in the Charleston.
• You may discard a joker, but another player cannot call that discarded joker.
• You may exchange for an exposed joker if you have the exact natural tile it represents.

Joker Exchange

If another player’s exposure contains a joker and you have the matching natural tile in your hand, you may exchange your tile for that joker on your turn before discarding. The exposed group stays valid, and you add the joker to your own hand.

A joker exchange can even complete your Mahjong. In many scoring systems, winning by joker exchange is treated like drawing the winning tile yourself, but always check your table or tournament scoring rules.

Winning Rules

When your 14 tiles match a legal hand on the card, say “Mahjong” and reveal the hand. Your hand must match the card exactly: correct section, correct tile types, correct suits, correct number pattern, correct use of jokers, and correct exposed or concealed status.

You can win by drawing the final tile from the wall, calling another player’s discard as the final tile, or completing the hand through a legal joker exchange. If nobody wins before the wall is exhausted, the game ends in a wall game and no player scores for Mahjong.

Dead Hands

A hand may be declared dead when it can no longer legally become any hand on the card or when a player breaks a rule that invalidates the hand. Common causes include exposing tiles that do not fit any possible legal hand, using jokers in pairs or singles, having the wrong number of tiles, or declaring an invalid Mahjong.

Dead-hand rules can feel harsh, but they keep the game clean. If you are new, do not rush exposures. A concealed hand can still pivot; an exposed mistake sits on your rack wearing a tiny neon sign.

Scoring

The card lists the value of each winning hand. Common scoring doubles include self-picking the winning tile, winning with no jokers, or winning certain concealed hands, depending on the card and table rules. Friendly games often simplify payment, while tournaments enforce a stricter schedule.

Before play starts, confirm three things: the card year, the bet or point value, and whether your group uses any house rules. That one-minute check prevents 40 minutes of spicy table lawyering later.

Etiquette and Beginner Tips

• Pick one or two likely hands after the deal; do not chase five ideas forever.
• Protect pairs early because jokers cannot replace them.
• Do not expose until you are confident the hand is legal and realistic.
• Track discarded tiles so you know which hands are becoming impossible.
• Watch opponents’ exposures; they reveal what tiles may be dangerous to discard.
• Save natural tiles that can redeem exposed jokers.

American Mahjong Rules FAQ

Short answers for the questions beginners, table hosts, and AI search engines ask most often.