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How to Read the NMJL Card
A framework for decoding the annual card without trying to memorize every hand.
The National Mah Jongg League publishes a new card of valid hands each year. Everyone at the table plays from the same edition. The card is compact by design, so learning its visual grammar is one of the biggest early breakthroughs.
Start with the sections
Hands are grouped into categories such as year-based patterns, consecutive runs, like numbers, odds, evens, winds and dragons, and special hands. The section title narrows the kind of structure you should expect.
Colors show suit relationships
Red, blue, and green on the card do not permanently mean cracks, dots, or bams. They indicate that the printed groups must use different suits in a particular relationship. You assign the actual suits while building the hand.
Letters and symbols
- F represents a flower.
- N, E, W, S represent winds.
- D represents a dragon matched to the relevant suit.
- R, G, and 0 may identify red dragon, green dragon, and soap/zero where specified.
- X indicates that the hand may be exposed.
- C indicates a concealed hand.
Read the notes in parentheses
Parenthetical instructions are part of the hand, not optional suggestions. They may specify suit relationships, number choices, or how a sequence must be formed. Read them before committing to a pattern.
Check concealed status and value
The letters beside a hand show whether it may be exposed or must remain concealed. The printed number is its point value under standard scoring. Agree with your group about scoring and table stakes before the game.
A five-question scan for every possible hand
- Which section is this in?
- How many suits does it require?
- Where are the singles and pairs?
- Is it exposed or concealed?
- Do the notes restrict the numbers or suit order?