How to Play American Mahjong: A Beginner's Step-by-Step Guide

Quick answer: American mahjong is a four-player tile game played with 152 tiles, including 8 jokers, and the current year's card from the National Mah Jongg League (NMJL). To play: choose East, build the wall and deal 13 tiles to each player (14 to East); pass tiles in the Charleston; then take turns drawing and discarding, calling discards to complete groups, until someone matches one hand on the card exactly and declares "Mah Jongg."

The rules look like a lot at first, but once you've seen one round the rhythm clicks: build, deal, pass, draw, discard, repeat. This guide walks beginners through a full hand, step by step.

What You Need to Play American Mahjong

  • An American mahjong set. The game uses 152 tiles, including 8 jokers. Sets are often sold as 160 or 166 pieces with spares, so check what's included. Our guide to how many tiles are in an American mahjong set explains the difference.
  • Four racks with pushers to hold your hand and push your wall forward. Browse our mahjong racks and pushers.
  • The current NMJL card, one per player. The National Mah Jongg League publishes a new card every year listing that year's winning hands; order it from the League.
  • Two dice to decide who is East and where to break the wall.
  • A mat (optional) to quiet the tiles and protect your table.

Starting from scratch? Begin with our starter kits or compare every design in our American mahjong sets.

Four Scalloped Clear acrylic mahjong racks in tinted red, yellow, teal and blue, one holding a row of mahjong tiles

Get to Know the Tiles

The 152 game tiles break down into six groups:

  • Three suits, numbered 1 to 9: Dots, Bams (bamboo) and Craks (characters), with four of each tile (108 tiles).
  • Winds: North, East, West and South, four of each (16 tiles).
  • Dragons: Red, Green and White, four of each (12 tiles). Each dragon goes with a suit: Red with Craks, Green with Bams and White with Dots. The White Dragon, often called "Soap," can also stand in for a zero in year hands on the card.
  • Flowers: 8 tiles. Artwork varies, but all flowers count as the same tile.
  • Jokers: 8 tiles, used as wild cards under specific rules (more on that below).
Kensington Coast American mahjong tile chart showing dots, craks and bams numbered 1 to 9, dragons, flowers, a joker and the North, East, West and South winds

The chart above, from our Kensington Coast set, shows one of each tile. Sorting a set into these groups once makes the card much easier to read.

How to Play American Mahjong Step by Step

Step 1: Choose East and build the wall

Each player rolls the dice; the highest roll becomes East, the dealer. Shuffle all the tiles face down. Each player then builds a wall in front of their rack 19 tiles long and two tiles high, and pushes it forward so the four walls form a square. East rolls the dice to decide where to break the wall and start the deal.

Step 2: Deal the tiles

Starting with East and moving to the right, players take tiles from the wall in groups of four until everyone has 12. East then takes two more tiles and everyone else takes one. East starts with 14 tiles; every other player has 13.

Step 3: Pick a target hand from the card

Arrange your tiles and find the hands on the NMJL card closest to what you hold. Pick one main target and a backup. If the card feels overwhelming, our beginner's walkthrough of the NMJL card explains the categories, color codes and what the C (concealed) and X (exposed) marks mean.

Step 4: Pass tiles in the Charleston

The Charleston, a signature part of American mahjong, is a series of passes that lets everyone trade away tiles they don't need.

  • First Charleston (required): pass three tiles to the right, then three across (often called "over"), then three to the left.
  • Second Charleston (optional): pass three tiles to the left, then across, then to the right. Any player may stop the second Charleston before it begins.
  • Courtesy pass (optional): you may trade zero to three tiles with the player across from you. If you want different numbers, you both pass the lower number.

You can never pass a joker. On the last pass of each Charleston you may "blind pass," passing along some or all of the tiles you were just handed without looking at them. For tactics, read our Charleston strategy guide.

Christmas Tree Charleston mahjong mat with Charleston 1 right over left, Charleston 2 left over right and option to pass 0 to 3 tiles printed on each side

Mats with a printed guide, like our Christmas Tree Charleston mahjong mat, keep the passing order and joker reminders in view at a beginner table.

Step 5: Draw, discard and call tiles

East begins play by discarding one tile without drawing. Play then moves to the right. On your turn you either take the top tile from the wall or call the last discard, then discard one tile face up and say its name out loud. You should always end your turn with 13 tiles.

You may call the most recent discard only if it completes:

  • An exposure of three or more identical tiles, such as a pung (3), kong (4), quint (5) or sextet (6). Place the group face up on top of your rack, then discard. Play continues to the right of you, so any players in between lose their turn.
  • Your winning hand. A discard can complete a pair or single only when it gives you Mah Jongg.

Call quickly: once the next player has drawn a tile from the wall and racked it, that discard can no longer be claimed. If more than one player calls, a call for Mah Jongg takes priority over a call for an exposure. Hands marked C on the card are concealed, so you can't make exposures for them.

Step 6: Declare Mah Jongg

When your 14 tiles match a hand on the card exactly, say "Mah Jongg" and lay your tiles face up so the table can check them. Payment follows the value printed next to the hand. Under standard NMJL rules, the player who threw the winning discard pays double, and if you draw the winning tile yourself, everyone pays double. If the wall runs out and nobody wins, it's a "wall game": reshuffle and deal again, with the deal passing to the right.

How Jokers Work in American Mahjong

Jokers are the most powerful tiles in the set. Three rules to know:

  • Jokers can replace any tile in a group of three or more, such as a pung, kong, quint or sextet.
  • Jokers can never be used in a single or a pair. That is why some hands, like Singles and Pairs, can't use jokers at all.
  • You can swap for an exposed joker. On your turn, if any player has an exposure containing a joker and you hold the real tile it stands for, you can exchange your tile for the joker.

A discarded joker can't be called, so think twice before you throw one away.

Kensington Coast acrylic mahjong joker tile with a light blue Adirondack chair and the word JOKER engraved on a cream face

Common Beginner Mistakes to Avoid

  • Calling a discard for a pair when it doesn't complete Mah Jongg.
  • Forgetting to name your discard. Say every discard out loud so others can call it.
  • Racking the wrong number of tiles. Count to 13 after every turn; too many or too few can make your hand dead under standard rules.

Our American mahjong etiquette tips cover the unwritten rules most groups follow.

Setting Up Your First Game Night

A cushioned mat makes shuffling quieter and keeps tiles from sliding; our mahjong mat guide covers sizes and materials, and you can browse every design in our mahjong mats collection. Still choosing tiles? See our picks of the best beginner mahjong sets. Sets with their own pushers and storage case, such as our Americana Heritage set, keep everything together between games.

FAQ

How do you play American mahjong for beginners?

Four players each start with 13 tiles (East gets 14), pass unwanted tiles in the Charleston, then take turns drawing and discarding. The goal is to be the first to match one hand on the current NMJL card exactly and declare Mah Jongg.

How many tiles are used in American mahjong?

American mahjong is played with 152 tiles: three suits numbered 1 to 9, winds, dragons, 8 flowers and 8 jokers. Many sets include extra tiles and are sold as 160 or 166 pieces.

Do you need a card to play American mahjong?

Yes. Every player needs the current year's card from the National Mah Jongg League. It lists the only winning hands for that year, and a new card comes out every year.

What is the Charleston in mahjong?

The Charleston is the tile-passing round before play begins. The first Charleston is required: pass three tiles right, across and left. A second Charleston (left, across, right) and a courtesy pass of zero to three tiles across are optional.

Can you use a joker in a pair?

No. Jokers can only be used in groups of three or more identical tiles, such as a pung, kong or quint. They can never be used for a single tile or a pair.

How many players do you need for American mahjong?

The standard game is for four players, and it is the best way to learn. There are variations for two or three players, but most groups and classes teach the four-player game first.

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