Learn American Mahjong
A clear, beginner-friendly path from opening the box to calling your first Mahjong.
A social game of pattern, decision, and change.
In American Mahjong, four players draw and discard tiles while working toward one of the hands printed on the current National Mah Jongg League card. The card changes each year; the habits that make the game easier to understand do not.
- Learn what every tile can do
- Understand the shape of a legal hand
- Follow the Charleston and the rhythm of play
- Build confidence through practice, not memorization
Choose the question in front of you.
Tiles & terminology
Know bams, cracks, dots, winds, dragons, flowers, jokers, exposures, and the language of a turn.
The Charleston
Learn the passing sequence, what to keep, what to pass, and how courtesy passes work.
Jokers
See where jokers are allowed, when they are not, and how to exchange for one on the table.
The NMJL card
Decode categories, colors, parentheses, X marks, concealed hands, and point values.
Mahjong glossary
A quick-reference collection of the words you will hear around an American Mahjong table.
Beginner FAQ
Plain answers to the questions new players ask about rules, cards, equipment, and etiquette.
You do not need to memorize the card.
Experienced players still read it throughout the game. Your first goal is not speed; it is learning to notice how the tiles in your rack could fit more than one possible hand.