01The one thing that makes American mahjong different
In American mahjong you don't invent your own winning hand — you build one of the hands printed on the card.
Every year the National Mah Jongg League (NMJL) publishes a card listing about 70 legal hands, each worth a set number of points. Your whole job is to pick a hand from the card and collect the exact tiles it calls for. This is why the card is the first thing every American player buys — and why two of the same tiles can mean totally different things from one year to the next.
iIf you've played Hong Kong or Riichi, unlearn one habit: there are no chows (runs claimed off a neighbour) in American mahjong. You match the card, not generic four-sets-and-a-pair.
02The tiles — plus the ones unique to American
American uses the same three suits (dots, bamboo, characters) and the same winds and dragons as classic mahjong. What's different is a set of special tiles you'll use constantly:
Jokers, Soap and Flowers
Eight Jokers (wild), the Soap (the white dragon, used as a zero in some hands), and Flowers — eight interchangeable tiles used inside many card hands (not set-aside bonuses as in Hong Kong).
The number suits carry small corner indices
American sets print a small number/letter in the corner so a rack of tiles is easy to read at a glance.
!Jokers are powerful but limited. A Joker can stand in for any tile inside a pung, kong or quint (3, 4 or 5 of a kind) — but never for a single tile or in a pair.
03The Charleston — passing tiles
Before play begins, American mahjong has a ritual no other style shares: the Charleston. Everyone passes three unwanted tiles to the right, then across, then left — often a second round in reverse, then a final courtesy pass of 0–3 tiles with the player across — to help everyone improve toward a hand on the card.
Jokers may not be passed in the Charleston. Use it to dump tiles that don't fit any hand you're considering, and watch what comes back — it's your first read on what others are building.
04How a turn works
Play passes counter-clockwise. On your turn you draw a tile and then discard one face-up, calling it out loud. Your hand holds 13 tiles; the 14th completes a winning hand.
When someone discards a tile you need, you may call it to complete a group — but only to make an exposure (a pung/kong you place face-up on your rack) that matches your card hand:
Pung
Three of a kind — claim a discard, expose it on your rack.
Kong
Four of a kind — Jokers may fill in.
Joker swap
If a Joker sits in an exposure, you may trade the real tile for it on your turn. And one rule that surprises beginners: a discarded Joker is dead — no one may claim it, not even for mahjong.
05Building a hand & winning
Pick a hand on the card early, then collect toward it — staying flexible enough to switch if the tiles aren't coming. Hands are marked C (concealed) or X (exposures allowed); concealed hands score more.
When your 14 tiles exactly match a hand on the card — whether you draw the final tile or claim a discard — call "Mahjong!", lay down your hand, and the table checks it against the card.
Beginner tip: choose two candidate hands from the card each game and keep both alive as long as you can — committing too early is the most common rookie mistake.
06Scoring
You don't add up patterns like Hong Kong faan — each hand's value is printed right on the card (commonly 25–75 points). The winner is paid that value by the other three players; if you win off a discard, the discarder pays double; win by self-draw and everyone pays double. Picking a higher-value hand is a real strategic choice against the risk of not completing it.
07Frequently asked questions
Do I need the NMJL card to play? +
Yes — American mahjong is defined by the yearly card. You build one of the hands printed on it, so every player needs the current card.
What is "Soap"? +
Soap is the players' nickname for the white dragon tile, because its frame looks like a bar of soap. In some hands it stands in as a zero.
Can a Joker be anything? +
Almost — a Joker substitutes for any tile inside a pung, kong or larger group, but never for a single tile or in a pair.
Is American mahjong harder than Hong Kong? +
It's a little more to learn at first because of the card and the Charleston, but it's wonderfully social. If you want the gentlest start, try
Hong Kong first — or compare styles in
which mahjong to learn first.
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