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. During your turn, you may give the exact matching tile for a joker in any exposed group, including your own. Once a joker is discarded, nobody can call it or exchange for it.
See where a joker works
A joker can take the place of a matching tile inside a group of three or more. The other tiles tell you what the joker is standing for.
Read the group out loud as “three 7 Craks.” You are naming the group the tiles make, not calling the joker a 7 Crak everywhere it goes.
Quick check: is the group at least three tiles long, and do the visible real tiles match?
Keep jokers out of singles and pairs
A joker cannot stand alone, and it cannot fill either place in a pair. Group size matters even when the two tiles look tempting together.
The same boundary applies to any pair. Replace with the matching real tile before treating those two places as a pair.
Common mistake: “wild” does not mean a joker can be any tile in any part of a hand.
Use a joker in a called group
When you call a discard for an exposed group, the discarded tile must be the matching real tile the group needs. The tiles you expose with it may be matching real tiles or permitted jokers.
A called group may contain three, four, five, or six matching tiles. These rows are only small group examples; they do not show or suggest a complete hand from the official card.
Quick check: name the matching tile first, then count the group.
Find a possible exchange
Look for a joker on top of a rack as part of an exposed group. The matching real tiles beside it tell you exactly which tile you must give in exchange.
Before the exchange:
If you have a , give that 5 Dot to the owner of the exposure and take the joker. A 5 Bam would not match, even though it has the same number.
After the exchange:
Make the exchange during your turn, after you have drawn a tile or completed a called exposure and before you discard. You may exchange with another player’s exposure or one of your own.
Common mistake: seeing a matching tile is not enough if it is not your turn.
Leave a discarded joker alone
An exposed joker on top of a rack may be available for an exchange. A joker face up in the discard area is dead: nobody may call it, pick it up, or exchange for it.
The discarding player may say “joker,” “same,” or the name of the previous discard. None of those words makes the joker or the earlier tile available again.
Quick check: look at where the joker is. Top of a rack and center of the table are different situations.
Practice the decision
The drill gives you one small group at a time and asks whether a call or exchange is available. Check the group size, the matching tile, whose turn it is, and whether the joker is exposed or discarded.
For the rest of the calling rules, return to How to play American mahjong. You can also open the full calls-and-jokers practice page.
Common questions
Does American mahjong use 8 or 10 jokers?
A standard 152-tile American mahjong set uses 8 jokers. Some sets include extra pieces, so separate those before building the walls. You need 152 playing tiles for the standard setup. During play, a joker can stand for a matching tile only in a group of three or more. It cannot stand alone or be used in a pair. Learn more in Meet the tile families.
Can you use three jokers in a pung?
Three jokers may fill a concealed three-tile group because jokers can stand inside groups of three or more matching tiles. A called exposure is different: the discard being called must be the matching natural tile, so a three-tile exposure made by calling would include that natural discard rather than three jokers alone. Jokers still cannot stand as singles or in pairs. Learn more in Find a possible exchange.
Why would anyone discard a joker in mahjong?
Players discard jokers for different reasons, but once a joker is discarded, you cannot call it, pick it up, or use it for an exchange. The player may announce it as “joker,” “same,” or by the previous discard’s name. None of those words makes the joker or the earlier discard available again, so watch the tile that was placed down as well as listening to its name. Learn more in Find a possible exchange.