Jokers may replace identical tiles in groups of three or more. A group may contain any number of Jokers, including all Jokers. Jokers may be used in: Pungs Kongs Quints Sextets Jokers may not be used: In pairs As single tiles To replace a single tile in a run To replace a tile in a NEWS combination To replace a tile in a year combination (such as 2026) A discarded Joker is dead and may never be claimed.

If a Joker appears in any exposed combination and you hold the matching natural tile, you may exchange it during your turn, after drawing and racking a tile or after calling a discard and completing an exposure. To perform a Joker exchange: Replace the Joker with the matching natural tile. Rack the Joker with your other tiles. You may exchange a Joker from any player’s exposed combination, including your own. You may perform multiple Joker exchanges during the same turn. A discarded tile may not be reclaimed for a Joker exchange once it has been discarded.

A hand is considered dead if: Mahjong is falsely declared. A concealed hand is improperly exposed. A player fails to maintain the correct number of tiles. Once a hand is dead, the player remains out of play until the next round begins.

When your hand is complete: Declare “Mahjong!” Reveal your tiles. Verify your hand against the NMJL card. If your hand matches a valid hand shown on the NMJL card, you win the round.

When a player discards a tile, another player may claim only the most recently discarded tile. A discarded tile may only be claimed if it immediately completes one of the following: Chow Pung Kong Mahjong A Chow may only be claimed from the player immediately before you in turn order (the player to your right). To claim a discarded tile, call clearly before the next player draws: “Chow!” “Pung!” “Kong!” “Mahjong!” Then: Take the discarded tile. Expose the completed combination by placing it face up in front of you. Discard one tile to end your turn, unless you declared Mahjong. Claiming a discarded tile counts as your turn. After you discard, play continues with the player to your right. Any players between the discarder and the player who claimed the tile lose their turn.

If more than one player claims the same discarded tile, priority is given in the following order: Mahjong Pung or Kong Chow (next player only) If two players make the same type of call, the player nearest in turn order from the discarder has priority.

A winning hand must contain: 4 sets 1 pair The winning tile may be: Drawn from the wall, or Claimed from another player’s discard. When your hand is complete: Declare “Mahjong!” Reveal your tiles. Verify that your hand forms a valid Mahjong hand. If your hand is valid, the round ends and you win the hand.

Flower and Season tiles are bonus tiles. They are not counted as part of your four sets and one pair. Some players choose to play without Flower and Season tiles, creating a 136-tile game. If you are learning for the first time, you may find it easier to leave them out. If you choose to use Flower and Season tiles: If you draw a Flower or Season tile, immediately expose it and set it aside. Draw a replacement tile. Flower and Season tiles may provide bonus points, depending on the scoring system being used. Some rules award an automatic win if a player collects all eight Flower and Season tiles.

Scoring methods vary between different Chinese Mahjong rulesets, so players should agree on a scoring system before beginning play. Beginners can simply award 1 point to the winner of each hand. For more advanced play, many scoring systems use Fans to reward special winning combinations, such as: Winning with a self-drawn tile Pungs or Kongs of Dragons or Winds Concealed sets Hands made entirely from one suit Fans are added together to determine the value of the winning hand. For full scoring rules and official fan values, see the Mahjong Competition Rules (MCR) .

A hand ends when: A player declares Mahjong, or All tiles from the live wall have been drawn. If no player wins, the hand ends in a draw.

If East wins: East remains the dealer. If East does not win: The deal passes counterclockwise to the next player. A new hand then begins.

Mahjong Instructions

HOW TO PLAY

This set contains everything needed to play both American Mahjong and Chinese Mahjong. Start with the tile guide below, then follow the rules for the version you’re playing.

Jump to American Mahjong or Chinese Mahjong.

INCLUDED IN THE SET

1
Lacquered Box
164
TILES
2
DICE
1
WIND INDICATOR

Tile Types

This set contains everything needed to play both American Mahjong and Chinese Mahjong.

Suits

36 tiles per suit: 4 of each tile numbered 1–9.

Character Tiles (Craks)

Bamboo Tiles (Bams)

Circle Tiles (Dots)

Wind tiles

16 tiles total: 4 of each North, East, South and West.

Dragon tiles

12 tiles total: 4 of each Red, Green and White Dragons.

In American Mahjong, Dragons are matched to a suit:

Green Dragon = Bamboo (Bams)
Red Dragon = Characters (Craks)
White Dragon (“Soap”) = Dots or Zero

These suit matches are used when completing hands shown on the NMJL Card. The White Dragon (“Soap”) is the only tile with a double purpose and may be used as a Zero on the NMJL card.

Flower tiles

8 Flowers.

In American Mahjong, all Flower tiles are interchangeable, regardless of their number, colour or season.

Season tiles

Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn.

Season tiles are not used in American Mahjong and only used for Chinese Mahjong.

Joker tiles

10 Joker tiles are included in this set to accommodate different styles of play.

Standard NMJL American Mahjong is played using 8 Jokers. Jokers are not used in Chinese Mahjong.

Blank tiles

6 blank tiles are included as replacement tiles in case any tiles are lost.

Blank tiles are not used during play.

Part one

American Mahjong

Setting up the game for standard NMJL American Mahjong.

Use

Suits
Winds
Dragons
8 Flowers
8 Jokers

Remove

Seasons
Blank tiles
Wind indicator
2 Jokers

You should have

152

tiles

Play with: The official National Mah Jongg League (NMJL) Card.

Goal: To complete a valid 14-tile hand shown on the NMJL card.

01

Choosing East (dealer)

Each player rolls two dice and the player with the highest total becomes East. If there is a tie, those players roll again until one player has the highest total.

The dealer (East) rotates counterclockwise to the next player after each round.

02

Building the wall

All tiles are shuffled face down in the centre of the table before the walls are built. Using the shuffled tiles, each player builds a wall in front of their pusher.

Each player builds a wall of:

19 stacks long
2 tiles high

(38 tiles per player)

03

Using your pusher

The pusher is used to gently move a wall of tiles towards the centre of the table when that wall is ready to be used.

East’s wall is pushed forward first, as the deal begins from East’s wall. Once all the tiles from East’s wall have been used, the player to East’s left pushes their wall towards the centre. Players continue pushing their own walls in clockwise order.

When a player pushes, or “curtsies”, their wall, they move the right end of the pusher towards the centre of the table at a 45-degree angle.

The final stack on the left may be turned perpendicular to the wall as a reminder to deal or draw tiles from right to left. This is called “putting the tail on the dragon.”

04

Breaking the wall

“Breaking the wall” is the process of selecting a point in the wall and separating the tiles to create the opening from which dealing begins.

East rolls one or two dice.
Starting at the right end of East’s wall, count the number rolled in two-tile stacks, moving towards the left.
Break the wall at that point.
The counted stacks remain on the right-hand side of the break, against East’s pusher. These tiles are not used during the deal and are used last during game play.

05

Dealing the tiles

After the wall has been broken, dealing begins with the first stack to the right of the break.

East takes 2 stacks (4 tiles) and places them in front of themselves.
Moving counterclockwise, each player takes 2 stacks (4 tiles) in turn.
Repeat this process until every player has 12 tiles.
East then takes the 1st and 3rd top tiles, bringing their total to 14 tiles.
The other three players take one more tile, so each player has 13 tiles.

Final tile count:

East: 14 tiles
All other players: 13 tiles

06

Before play begins – the Charleston

Before play begins, players exchange tiles of their choice in a series of passes called the Charleston to improve their hand. The aim is to build towards one line on the NMJL card. After each pass, keep useful tiles and pass tiles that do not help your hand.

Players pass tiles face down and simultaneously.
Jokers cannot be passed.

First Charleston (Required)

Pass:

3 tiles to the right.
3 tiles over (across).
3 tiles to the left.

Players may use newly received tiles in the next pass.

Second Charleston (Optional) - The second Charleston is played only if all four players agree.

Pass:

3 tiles to the left.
3 tiles over (across).
3 tiles to the right.

The first two Charleston passes are commonly remembered as R-O-L-L-E-R:

R-O-L = Right Over Left
L-O-R = Left Over Right

Courtesy Pass (Optional)

After the Charleston, players sitting opposite each other may exchange 0–3 tiles. Both players must agree how many tiles to exchange. The exchange is limited to the lowest number agreed by both players.

07

Starting play

East begins by discarding one tile face up.

The player to East’s right continues play.

On your turn

Draw: Take the next available tile from the wall.
Rack: Arrange your tiles to build or improve your combinations.
Discard: Place one tile from your hand face up in the centre of the table.

To “rack” means to place the tile you have drawn onto your rack.

Players always hold:

14 tiles during their turn.
13 tiles after discarding.

TILE COMBINATIONS ON THE NMJL CARD

2
PAIR · IDENTICAL TILES
3
PUNG · IDENTICAL TILES
3+
CHOW · CONSECUTIVE NUMBERS IN THE SAME SUIT
4
KONG · IDENTICAL TILES
5
QUINT · IDENTICAL TILES, USUALLY INCLUDING AT LEAST 1 JOKER
6
SEXTET · IDENTICAL TILES, USUALLY INCLUDING AT LEAST 2 JOKERS

American Mahjong

Quick reference: from setup to play

Build the walls
Deal the tiles
First Charleston – required Pass three tiles: Right – Over – Left
Do all players agree to continue the Charleston?
Yes Proceed to the Second Charleston (Optional)
Pass three tiles: Left – Over – Right

No Skip the Second Charleston
Courtesy pass – optional Exchange zero to three tiles with the player opposite you. Both players must agree on the number of tiles exchanged.
East discards one tile to begin play
Regular play begins
Play continues counterclockwise: Draw – Rack – Discard

AMERICAN MAHJONG

Rules in detail

Calling discards

When a player discards a tile, any player may claim the most recently discarded tile. A discarded tile may be claimed until the next player places their drawn tile onto their rack.

A discarded tile may only be claimed if it immediately completes one of the following:

Pung
Kong
Quint
Sextet
Mahjong

When a discarded tile is claimed, the completed combination must be exposed by placing it on top of your rack for all players to see.

Claiming a discarded tile counts as your turn and must be followed by a discard, unless you are declaring Mahjong.

After you discard, play continues with the player to your right. Any players between the discarder and the player who claimed the tile lose their turn.

Priority of calls

If two or more players call the same discarded tile, priority is given in the following order:

Mahjong
Next player in turn order

Exposed sets

Any set completed by claiming a discarded tile must be placed face up on top of your rack so that all players can see it. This is called an exposed set.

Once exposed, they cannot be changed except through a Joker exchange.

Jokers

Jokers may replace identical tiles in groups of three or more. A group may contain any number of Jokers, including all Jokers.

Jokers may be used in:

Pungs
Kongs
Quints
Sextets

Jokers may not be used:

In pairs
As single tiles
To replace a single tile in a run
To replace a tile in a NEWS combination
To replace a tile in a year combination (such as 2026)

A discarded Joker is dead and may never be claimed.

Joker exchange

If a Joker appears in any exposed combination and you hold the matching natural tile, you may exchange it during your turn, after drawing and racking a tile or after calling a discard and completing an exposure.

To perform a Joker exchange:

Replace the Joker with the matching natural tile.
Rack the Joker with your other tiles.

You may exchange a Joker from any player’s exposed combination, including your own.

You may perform multiple Joker exchanges during the same turn.

A discarded tile may not be reclaimed for a Joker exchange once it has been discarded.

Dead hands

A hand is considered dead if:

Mahjong is falsely declared.
A concealed hand is improperly exposed.
A player fails to maintain the correct number of tiles.

Once a hand is dead, the player remains out of play until the next round begins.

Wall game

If no player declares Mahjong before all playable tiles have been drawn, the hand is a Wall Game.

No points are awarded.

Winning the hand

When your hand is complete:

Declare “Mahjong!”
Reveal your tiles.
Verify your hand against the NMJL card.

If your hand matches a valid hand shown on the NMJL card, you win the round.

Understanding the NMJL card

The colours on the card do not correspond to Craks, Bams or Dots. They simply indicate when a change of suit is required.

One colour = any one suit
Two colours = two different suits
Three colours = all three suits

Example

If only one colour is shown, you may choose any one suit.
If two colours are shown, you must use two different suits.
If three colours are shown, you must use all three suits.

Each line contains instructions in brackets, explaining the allowed suit and number combinations for that hand.

At the end of each line:

X = Exposures are allowed.
C = Concealed hand.

Concealed hands may not call discarded tiles except for the final tile needed to declare Mahjong.

Each hand on the card is worth a different number of points.

Many players simply play for fun and do not keep score.

Part two

Chinese Mahjong

Setting up the game.

Use

Suits
Winds
Dragons
4 Flowers
4 Seasons

Remove

Jokers
Blank tiles
The 4 extra Flower tiles

You should have

144

tiles

Players: Mahjong is played with four players.

Goal: Be the first player to complete a valid Mahjong hand consisting of 4 sets and 1 pair.

01

Seating, winds and choosing East

Players are seated as:

East (dealer)
South
West
North

Choosing East (dealer)

Each player rolls two dice and the player with the highest total becomes East. If there is a tie, those players roll again until one player has the highest total. Players are then seated as follows:

South sits to East’s right.
West sits opposite East.
North sits to East’s left.

Play proceeds counterclockwise.

02

Building the wall

All tiles are shuffled face down in the centre of the table.

Each player then builds a wall which is:

18 stacks long
2 tiles high

(36 tiles per player)

03

Breaking the wall

“Breaking the wall” is the process of selecting a point in the wall and separating the tiles to create the opening from which dealing begins.

East rolls one or two dice.
Starting at the right end of East’s wall, count the number rolled in two-tile stacks, moving towards the left.
Break the wall at that point.

04

Dealing the tiles

After the wall has been broken, dealing begins with the first stack to the right of the break.

East takes 2 stacks (4 tiles) and places them in front of themselves.
Moving counterclockwise, each player takes 2 stacks (4 tiles) in turn.
Repeat until every player has 12 tiles.
East then takes 2 additional tiles from the live wall.
Moving counterclockwise, each of the other players takes 1 additional tile.

Final tile count:

East: 14 tiles
All other players: 13 tiles

05

Starting play

East begins the game by discarding one tile of their choice. The player to East’s right then draws the first tile from the live wall.

On your turn

Draw the next available tile from the live wall.
Arrange your hand and complete or improve your combinations.
Discard one tile from your hand by placing it face up in the centre of the table.

Players always hold:

14 tiles during their turn.
13 tiles after discarding.

TILE COMBINATIONS

2
PAIR · IDENTICAL TILES
3
CHOW · CONSECUTIVE TILES OF THE SAME SUIT
3
PUNG · IDENTICAL TILES
4
KONG · IDENTICAL TILES

CHINESE MAHJONG

Rules in detail

Chows

A Chow is 3 consecutive tiles of the same suit.

A Chow may only be made using Character (Craks), Bamboo (Bams) or Circle (Dots) tiles. Winds and Dragons cannot be used in a Chow.

Kongs

A Kong counts as one complete set, even though it contains four tiles.

If you declare a Kong:

Expose the Kong, unless it is a concealed Kong.
Draw one replacement tile.

Concealed Kong

A concealed Kong is made from four matching tiles that you have drawn yourself, without claiming a discarded tile.

Exposed Kong

An exposed Kong is visible to all players. It is usually made by claiming another player’s discarded tile.

Added Kong

If you already have an exposed Pung and later draw the fourth matching tile yourself, you may add it to create a Kong.

Claiming discards

When a player discards a tile, another player may claim only the most recently discarded tile.

A discarded tile may only be claimed if it immediately completes one of the following:

Chow
Pung
Kong
Mahjong

A Chow may only be claimed from the player immediately before you in turn order (the player to your right).

To claim a discarded tile, call clearly before the next player draws:

“Chow!”
“Pung!”
“Kong!”
“Mahjong!”

Then:

Take the discarded tile.
Expose the completed combination by placing it face up in front of you.
Discard one tile to end your turn, unless you declared Mahjong.

Claiming a discarded tile counts as your turn. After you discard, play continues with the player to your right. Any players between the discarder and the player who claimed the tile lose their turn.

Priority of calls

If more than one player claims the same discarded tile, priority is given in the following order:

Mahjong
Pung or Kong
Chow (next player only)

If two players make the same type of call, the player nearest in turn order from the discarder has priority.

Exposed and concealed sets

Tiles that remain in your hand are concealed.
Sets made by claiming a discarded tile are exposed.
Exposed sets remain face up for the rest of the hand.

Winning a hand

A winning hand must contain:

4 sets
1 pair

The winning tile may be:

Drawn from the wall, or
Claimed from another player’s discard.

When your hand is complete:

Declare “Mahjong!”
Reveal your tiles.
Verify that your hand forms a valid Mahjong hand.

If your hand is valid, the round ends and you win the hand.

Flowers and Seasons

Flower and Season tiles are bonus tiles. They are not counted as part of your four sets and one pair.

Some players choose to play without Flower and Season tiles, creating a 136-tile game. If you are learning for the first time, you may find it easier to leave them out.

If you choose to use Flower and Season tiles:

If you draw a Flower or Season tile, immediately expose it and set it aside.
Draw a replacement tile.
Flower and Season tiles may provide bonus points, depending on the scoring system being used.
Some rules award an automatic win if a player collects all eight Flower and Season tiles.

Scoring

Scoring methods vary between different Chinese Mahjong rulesets, so players should agree on a scoring system before beginning play.

Beginners can simply award 1 point to the winner of each hand.

For more advanced play, many scoring systems use Fans to reward special winning combinations, such as:

Winning with a self-drawn tile
Pungs or Kongs of Dragons or Winds
Concealed sets
Hands made entirely from one suit

Fans are added together to determine the value of the winning hand.

For full scoring rules and official fan values, see the Mahjong Competition Rules (MCR).

End of the hand

A hand ends when:

A player declares Mahjong, or
All tiles from the live wall have been drawn.

If no player wins, the hand ends in a draw.

Dealer rotation

If East wins:

East remains the dealer.

If East does not win:

The deal passes counterclockwise to the next player.

A new hand then begins.

Wind rounds

Chinese Mahjong is traditionally played over four Wind Rounds:

East Round
South Round
West Round
North Round

The wind indicator shows the current prevailing wind.

The prevailing wind remains the same throughout each Wind Round.

Once every player has had a turn as East, and the current East does not retain the deal, the prevailing wind advances:

East to South
South to West
West to North

A full traditional game consists of all four Wind Rounds.

Before you play

Beginner tips

American Mahjong

Study the NMJL card carefully before choosing a hand.
Keep your tiles organised by suit.
Watch what other players discard.
Exposed sets reveal information to your opponents.
Decide early what type of hand you are building.

Chinese Mahjong

Keep your tiles organised by suit.
Watch what other players discard.
Decide early what type of hand you are building.
Exposed sets reveal information to your opponents.
Flexible hands are often easier to complete.
Focus on learning legal hands before worrying about scoring.

Enjoy the game!

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