Cheat sheets for American mahjong.
Not cheating. Just the rules, the Charleston and the payouts, on your phone, at the table, the moment someone asks.
Tools for the table
Payout calculator
Who owes the winner what: discard or self-pick, jokerless or not, at your table's stakes.
3PASSCharleston trainer
Walk through every pass, step by step, with arrows. Right, across, left, and the parts everyone forgets.
152TILESTile chart
All 152 American mahjong tiles: what they're called, how many of each, and what jokers and flowers are for.
New to mahj? Start here.
- How to play American mahjongEverything you need for your first real game, in the order it happens at the table.
- Mahjong joker rulesJokers win games. They also cause most of the arguments. Here are the rules everyone at the table should agree on.
- How to read the mahjong cardFive rules unlock every line on the card, whatever year it is.
- When does the new mahjong card come out?Short answer: orders open in January, cards arrive in spring. Here's the timeline and how to get yours early.
- How to choose an American mahjong setSix things to check before you buy, so you don't end up with missing jokers or tiles nobody can read.
- American vs. Chinese vs. Japanese mahjongSame tiles, very different games. If you learned one, here's what changes in the others.
- Mahjong terms, in plain EnglishYour group says 'pung,' 'Soap' and 'quint' like it's English. Here's what they mean.
- Where to play mahjong near youLibraries, taprooms, restaurants and new mahjong studios run weekly American mahjong games. Here's where to look, what it costs, and what to bring.
Why this site
Most mahjong help online is a 40-minute video or a page buried in ads. These are one-screen answers you can pull up mid-hand: who pays what, which way to pass, which tile is which.
Every rule is checked against the sources listed on each page. We don't reproduce the official card; buy yours from the National Mah Jongg League. When we earn money from something, it's on one public list.