Mahjong 101: The Basic Rules

It is important to remember that there are many different kinds of Mahjong (sometimes spelled Mah-Jongg). The rules that follow are known as modern American rules.

Generally Mahjong is played with four players (a fifth person may be a bettor) but can also be played with 3 players if necessary. The object of modern American Mahjong is to make the tiles match up with a hand on a Mahjong card.

There are currently two leagues which publish a Mahjong card: The National Mah Jongg League and the American Mah-Jongg Association. The cards change yearly and cost around $10.

Below is a Mahjong 101 overview of the basic rules of American Mahjong. We will be going over each in detail. Click on one to get started.

• The Tiles
• Dealing
• Passing
• The Play
• The Hands
• Reading the Card
• Picking a Hand
• Sample Hands
• Calling Tiles
• Jokers
• Making Mahjong
• Going Dead