What is American Mahjong?
American Mah Jongg is a four-player tile game popular in the United States. It uses a yearly card of valid winning hands, usually includes jokers, and often begins with a tile exchange called the Charleston.
What do you need to play?
You need an American-style Mahjong tile set, four racks, a suitable table, and the current annual hand card used by your group. New players benefit from a teacher or clear rules reference.
What should you learn first?
Start with the tile suits and honors, the difference between exposed and concealed hands, the Charleston, and how to read the yearly card. Then practice building one legal hand at a time.
Where should you go next?
Read our step-by-step how-to-play guide, compare the most important rules, or learn which tiles come in an American Mahjong set.
THE BEGINNER'S PATH
From curious to game night.
Five short lessons, one clear starting point. Follow the path in order or jump to the topic you need.
- 01Meet the tilesLearn dots, bams, craks, winds, dragons, flowers and jokers using the interactive tile atlas.
- 02Understand the rulesGet comfortable with turns, exposures, jokers and what makes a legal hand.
- 03Play your first gameFollow the table setup, Charleston, draws, discards and winning-hand check.
- 04Read the annual cardUnderstand why the card matters and how to use it without memorizing every hand.
- 05Choose a complete setCompare beginner, travel and decorative sets, then check the contents before buying.
This is an independent educational overview. For official play, consult the current National Mah Jongg League card and applicable rules. Annual card patterns are not reproduced here.