One hundred fifty-two tiles. Eight jokers. A mandatory tile exchange called the Charleston. And a card — published fresh every spring — that lists every single hand you are allowed to win with. This is the whole game, explained in plain American English: the rules and how to play, start to finish.
Who is this site for? Four kinds of player — find yours and jump straight in.
Who have never played before. Start with the tiles, then follow the six steps below.
Start with the tilesBut struggle with the NMJL card — what each line is really asking for.
Read the cardWanting a quick reference you can check at the table without losing the rhythm.
GlossaryWanting to learn proper table etiquette so the game runs smoothly for everyone.
Table etiquetteAmerican mahjong grew out of the mahjong craze that swept the United States in the 1920s, after Joseph Park Babcock published a simplified rule set for American buyers. Players kept inventing hands, and by the mid-1930s the game had drifted a long way from its Chinese roots.
Each step opens a short tutorial. In this order they take you from the tiles to your first real hand.
The 152-tile set — dots, bams, craks, winds, dragons, flowers and eight jokers.
The compulsory opening exchange — three passes of three tiles, then the optional second round.
The card lists every legal hand for the year. Learn what a line is asking for, and what the colors mean.
Jokers fill a group but never a pair or a single — and you can exchange a tile to win one back.
An (X) hand may be built by calling discards for exposures. A (C) hand must stay in your rack — the only discard you may claim is the winning tile.
Wrong tile count, an illegal exposure, a joker used where it cannot go — know what kills a hand.
Pick the tiles in your rack and the Hand Finder shows which NMJL 2026 sections your hand fits — plus the joker and concealed rules for each. No sign-up, instant, works on your phone.
Why Julia Roberts, Blake Lively & Meghan Markle can't stop playing →
Six free games built from real tiles: connect tiles, match pairs, drop rows, spot differences, rebuild scenes, and train your memory. No sign-up, no card data stored.
The beginner mistakes that trip up most first games — and the rule that fixes each one. Worth a look even if you have played for years.
✕ Using jokers to make a pair
✓ Jokers fill a group of three or more — a pung, kong or quint. Never a pair, never a single.
✕ Mixing up concealed (C) and exposed (X) hand rules
✓ An (X) hand may be built by calling discards for exposures. A (C) hand must stay in your rack — the only discard you may claim is the winning tile.
✕ Getting the Charleston passing order wrong
✓ The order is right, then across, then left — three tiles each time.
✕ Trying to win with a hand that is not on the card
✓ Only a line printed on the current year’s card is a legal winning hand.
✕ Not knowing what makes a hand dead mid-game
✓ Wrong tile count, an illegal exposure, or a joker used where it cannot go — among the most common causes.
✕ Taking the tile to your left to build a run (a “chow”)
✓ In American Mahjong you may claim a discard only to complete a pung, kong or quint — or a specific sequence the card names. You cannot simply take one tile to extend a straight the way Chinese mahjong allows.
Popular free resources — print them, keep them in your tile case, and settle the table before the arguing starts.
Charleston, joker limits, C vs X, scoring multipliers and the dead-hand causes — one page, ready to print.
Open & printPung, kong, quint, soap, NEWS, exposure — the vocabulary, each one drawn out as tiles.
Browse termsEight questions that catch a dead hand before the table does. Printable checklist.
Open & printThe latest news and stories, published from the admin desk.
Twelve cities, beginner and open divisions, and a short list of what to bring if it is your first tournament.
A short note on exposures, prompted by three near-identical questions at last week's league night.
New season, new card. Four things worth confirming in the first two minutes, before the walls go up.
Wednesday open play has been running two tables since spring. From this month there is a third, and a short beginner briefing at the start of each session.
A quick look at the new limited lines and tweaks versus last year, and what they mean for the way you play.
A lunchtime club in a conference room, twelve beginners, and the three things that actually got them to a second session.
First table, first win, and a lesson about the difference between winning and being allowed to win.
I lost for six straight weeks. Then somebody told me to stop reading the card and start reading my rack.
My mother taught me, I taught my daughter, and now my daughter teaches my mother. The game is just the excuse.
Wherever I go, I can always find a table. It has changed how I travel more than any guidebook has.
Most regular games have five players. Four sit; one watches, scores, refreshes drinks, and waits for the next round. It is the seat that teaches you the most.
Tileborne
New lessons, stories, tools, and features, listed with the date each one actually went live.
