American Mahjong Rules

American Mahjong rules at a glance

The annual card controls the winning patterns

Core mechanics remain recognizable from year to year, but the legal hands change when the new card arrives. Use a card from the same year as the rest of your table. The National Mah Jongg League store currently lists the 2026 card in standard and large-print formats.

Spacing on the card separates groups. Color shows suit relationships, not the physical color of a tile. Symbols identify Flowers, Winds, Dragons, suits, and numbered tiles. The value at the side of a line is used for scoring, while a concealed designation restricts ordinary calls and exposures. If a printed line and a remembered rule conflict, read the current card and the issuing organization’s interpretation together.

Setup, walls, and the deal

1. Confirm the active set has 152 tiles. Many DOREMI MALL listings offer configurations with extra blanks or extra Jokers; those extra pieces are useful replacements but should be removed for standard play.
2. Mix the tiles face down. Each player builds a wall 19 stacks long and two tiles high.
3. Select East and seats by the method your group uses. Dice identify where to break the wall.
4. Deal until East has 14 tiles and the other players have 13. Keep tile faces hidden on the rack.
5. Resolve an incorrect count immediately. Once passing or play begins, a wrong tile count may make the hand dead.

East is the first player to discard. Thereafter, play moves counterclockwise unless a legal call skips the order.

Charleston passing rules

First Charleston

All four players pass three tiles face down at the same time: first to the player on the right, then to the player across, then to the player on the left. The first Charleston is generally mandatory in standard play.

Second Charleston

The return sequence runs left, across, then right. Whether the second Charleston proceeds depends on the governing rules and the table’s agreement. Do not mix parts of two conventions mid-pass; confirm the decision before tiles move.

Blind and courtesy passes

On a permitted final pass, a player who cannot spare three tiles may pass one or two unwanted tiles together with unseen incoming tiles. This is the blind pass, sometimes called a steal. A courtesy pass across may follow, with opposing players agreeing to exchange zero, one, two, or three tiles.

• Exactly three tiles move on each standard Charleston pass.
• Jokers are never passed.
• Players should not pick up incoming tiles until everyone has completed the pass.
• A passed tile is not an exposure; opponents do not see its face.
• Table talk should not reveal what you passed or what hand you are building.

Drawing, discarding, and turn timing

A normal turn begins when a player draws from the live wall. That player may organize the rack, make an allowed Joker exchange, and then discard one tile face up while naming it clearly. The player should finish with 13 concealed and exposed tiles combined, unless declaring a 14-tile Mahjong.

Only the most recent discard is available to call. Once the next player has taken a tile from the wall, the previous discard is normally dead. A tile touched or placed may be subject to stricter tournament rules, so casual tables should agree whether “racked” ends the chance to call.

Calling priority

A valid call for Mahjong takes priority over an ordinary exposure. When two players call the same discard for Mahjong, formal rules determine priority, often by order of play from the discarder. Because this is a dispute-prone edge case, use the issuing organization’s current ruling rather than improvising after hands are revealed.

Calling a discard and making exposures

A player may call the newest discard when it completes a grouping allowed by the chosen card line. The caller places the entire completed group face up on the top of the rack, adds the called tile, and then discards without drawing from the wall. Play continues from the caller, which may skip one or more seats.

An exposure is information and commitment. Once displayed, it fixes part of your hand and may reveal your likely card section. Check suit, number, group size, and whether the chosen line is exposable before calling.

Joker rules and exchanges

• Groups only: a Joker may replace a required tile in an eligible Pung, Kong, Quint, Sextet, or larger grouping shown by the card. It cannot represent a tile in a single or pair.
• No Charleston: keep Jokers on your rack during all passes.
• Exchanges: on your turn, offer the exact natural tile represented by a Joker in any player’s exposed grouping and take the Joker. The exposure must remain legal after the exchange.
• Discarded Jokers: a Joker thrown as a discard cannot be called or exchanged; it is dead.
• Natural tiles are allowed: owning a Joker does not require you to use it. An eligible group may be entirely natural.

A Joker’s identity comes from its position in a valid exposed group. If the exposure itself cannot correspond to the card line, the Joker does not rescue it.

When a hand may be declared dead

A dead hand can no longer win the current round. Common causes include too many or too few tiles, an exposure incompatible with every possible card line, an illegal exposure in a concealed hand, an impossible suit relationship, or a required tile becoming unavailable because all copies are visible.

Etiquette matters here. Do not declare another player dead based on a guess about a concealed rack. State the objective reason and identify the visible evidence. Tournament rules may require a specific timing or may penalize an incorrect declaration. At a teaching table, pause and explain the issue; at a formal event, call the official.

Winning, verification, and scoring

A player wins by completing one exact 14-tile line on the current card and declaring Mahjong. Lay out the hand so the table can verify every group. Check tile values, suit relationships, required pairs, Joker placement, exposure status, and total count.

The card assigns a base value to each hand. Payment conventions can vary by group: self-pick, winning from a discard, concealed status, and dealer position may affect the result under the rules being used. Agree on stakes and multipliers before the wall is built. This guide intentionally does not prescribe a money system.

If the hand is invalid, formal consequences depend on the setting. In a friendly teaching game, correct the mistake and use it as a card-reading lesson. In league or tournament play, follow that event’s procedure.

Table etiquette that prevents rule disputes

• Name discards clearly and place them where everyone can see them.
• Keep exposures separated so group sizes are unambiguous.
• Do not rearrange or touch another player’s rack.
• Pause simultaneous calls before anyone changes the table state.
• Agree before play on second-Charleston, courtesy-pass, wall, scoring, and “racked tile” conventions.
• Use a neutral current source for edge cases instead of arguing from memory.

For a full teaching sequence rather than a lookup page, read how to play American Mahjong step by step.

American Mahjong sets for regular play

These themed sets use the American format described above. Check the configuration selector on each page and choose the tile mix your table wants.

Fresh Green Soccer American Mahjong Tile Set

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Pink Floral Garden American Mahjong Set

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The Cat’s Meow Cat-Themed American Mahjong Set

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Browse all 208 American Mahjong sets

Rules FAQ