How to play
American mahjong, made simple.
Everything you need to play your first hand, from the Charleston to calling Mahjong. Learn the basics here, then practice against friendly AI opponents.
Quick start
A game in four steps
5
DOT
5
BAM
5
CRAK
Deal
Everyone is dealt 13 tiles. The dealer, East, gets a 14th and opens play with the first discard.
3
DOT
5
BAM
9
CRAK
Charleston
Pass three tiles you don’t want to the right, then across, then left, to shape your hand.
7
DOT
1
CRAK
Draw and discard
On your turn, draw a tile from the wall and discard one. Claim a discard to complete a group.
2
DOT
2
DOT
JOKER
Mahjong!
Match your 14 tiles to one hand on the card and declare Mahjong. First to finish wins.
The rules
Everything else, in plain English
01
The goal
Build a 14-tile hand that exactly matches one of the hands on the card. The first player to complete one calls Mahjong and wins the round.
2
DOT
2
DOT
2
DOT
4
BAM
4
BAM
4
BAM
6
CRAK
6
CRAK
6
CRAK
6
CRAK
8
CRAK
8
CRAK
8
CRAK
8
CRAK
222 Dot · 444 Bam · 6666 Crak · 8888 Crak: one complete hand from the card.
02
The tiles
An American mahjong set has 152 tiles. You play with three suits numbered 1 to 9 (Dots, Bams and Craks), plus Winds, Dragons, Flowers and Jokers.
5
DOT
Dots
36 tiles
5
BAM
Bams
36 tiles
5
CRAK
Craks
36 tiles
N
WIND
Winds
16 tiles
CRAK
Dragons
12 tiles
FLWR
Flowers
8 tiles
JOKER
Jokers
8 tiles
Each dragon belongs to a suit. When a hand asks for a suit’s matching dragon, use the one in that suit’s color.
CRAK
3
CRAK
Red goes with Craks
BAM
3
BAM
Green goes with Bams
DOT
3
DOT
Soap goes with Dots
03
The Charleston
Before play starts, everyone passes three tiles they don’t want: first to the right, then across, then to the left. After that you can play an optional second Charleston and finish with a courtesy pass of up to three tiles with the player across. Jokers can’t be passed.
3
DOT
5
BAM
9
CRAK
1. Right
3
DOT
5
BAM
9
CRAK
2. Across
3
DOT
5
BAM
9
CRAK
3. Left
Pass right, across, then left. The second Charleston and the courtesy pass are optional.
04
On your turn
Draw one tile from the wall, then discard one face up. Play moves to your right. If the tile you draw completes your hand, declare Mahjong instead of discarding.
7
DOT
1. Draw a tile
1
CRAK
2. Discard a tile
05
Calling tiles
When another player discards a tile you need, you can call it to complete a group of three or more matching tiles, then expose that group on your rack. You can also call any discard that finishes your whole hand, even one that completes a pair.
7
DOT
7
DOT
7
DOT
06
Jokers
Jokers stand in for any tile in a group of three or more. They can’t be used in a pair or as a single tile.
If an exposed group holds a Joker and you have the real tile it stands for, swap your tile in on your turn and take the Joker, even from another player’s rack.
N
WIND
JOKER
Trade your North Wind for the Joker in an exposed Pung of North Winds.
07
Winning
Every winning hand is a line on the card. Each line shows the tiles you need, which suits they can be in and how many points the hand is worth. Complete any line exactly and call Mahjong.
Even Flow · Any 3 suits
222 444 6666 8888
25
Everyday Mahj uses its own card, with 67 hands in nine sections, so it may differ from the card you play with in person.
See every winning hand in the app
Keep learning
Help is built into every game
Tile Guide
Every tile in the set, how many copies there are, and which dragon goes with which suit.
Open in the app
Winning Hands
All 67 hands on the Everyday Mahj card, grouped into sections, with points for each.
Open in the app
Hand Analysis
Mid-game, see which hands your tiles are closest to and exactly what you still need.
Open in the app
Ready for another hand?
Your next game is always waiting.