Learn American mahjong
Start with a short tour of an American mahjong round, then learn the tile names, table setup, Charleston, and joker rules. Each lesson uses tile pictures and small examples you can follow on a phone beside a real set. Two quick drills help you practice recognition and decisions without an account.
Guides in order
- How to play American mahjong
Four players build walls, deal 14 tiles to East and 13 to everyone else, exchange tiles in the Charleston, then take turns drawing and discarding.
- American mahjong tile names
An American mahjong set has 152 tiles: numbered Bams, Craks, and Dots; four winds; three dragons; eight flowers; and eight jokers.
- American mahjong setup and deal
Four players each build a wall 19 stacks long and two tiles high.
- The Charleston in American mahjong
The Charleston is the face-down tile exchange before regular play.
- American mahjong joker rules
A joker may replace a matching tile in a group of three or more, but it cannot be used as a single or in a pair.
Begin with the whole round
How to play American mahjong takes you from a closed set to the end of a round. Read it once for the big picture, then come back to the shorter lesson you need at the table.
Learn what you are looking at
American mahjong tile names puts the tile faces into labeled rows and gives you a few memory cues for the ones beginners mix up. When the faces start to look familiar, use the tile names drill to practice saying and sorting them.
Get the table ready
Setup and deal walks through the seats, walls, dice roll, wall opening, and starting counts in order. Keep it open on your phone while four players work with a real set.
Follow every pass
The Charleston gives you the pass order, the stop point, blind passes, and the final courtesy pass. The diagrams stay in your point of view, so right and left match the way you are sitting.
Make sense of jokers
American mahjong joker rules uses tile rows to show where a joker works, where it does not, and how an exchange changes an exposed group. Finish with the calls and jokers drill when you are ready to make the choice yourself.
Your progress stays in this browser. Start at the top the first time, or jump straight to the lesson that answers today’s question.
You can take the lessons one at a time. There is no need to hold the whole game in your head before you begin.
All common questions
- What are the basic rules of American Mahjong?
- How many charlestons are in mahjong?
- Why would anyone discard a joker in mahjong?
- Does American mahjong use 8 or 10 jokers?
- What equipment do you need to play Mahjong?
- How many flowers are you supposed to play with in American Mahjong?
- What are the four winds in Mahjong?
- How many tiles do you need to play American mahjong?
- Can you use three jokers in a pung?
- How can I practice American Mahjong by myself?
- Do you have to rack your tile in Mahjong?
- Why is the white dragon called soap?
- How do I start dealing in Mahjong as a beginner?
- When should you stop the Charleston in mahjong?
- What are some common terms used in American Mahjong?
Common questions
What are the basic rules of American Mahjong?
After the deal and Charleston, East makes the first discard. Play moves to the right. On an ordinary turn, you draw from the live wall, rack the tile, then discard one face up and name it aloud. You may call the newest discard only when it completes an allowed group or finishes the hand. A player with a valid 14-tile hand declares mah jongg; if the live wall runs out first, the round is a wall game. Learn more in Start regular play.
How can I practice American Mahjong by myself?
Start with skills you can practice from visible tiles. Name one face at a time, then sort a mixed rack by family and put each numbered suit in order. Next, use small examples to compare a discard with a stated group or a natural tile with an exposed joker. You do not need an annual card for these exercises, and they never ask you to build a complete hand. Learn more in Shuffle and build four walls.