Mahjong 101

Mahjong may look complicated at first, but once you learn the basics, it’s fun, social, and surprisingly easy to pick up. Here’s a simple introduction to get you started.

A standard Mahjong set has 144 tiles, divided into groups:

• 3 Suits:
  • Dots (Circles)
  • Bamboo or “Bams” (Sticks)
  • Characters or “Cracks” (Numbers in Chinese)
• Winds: (East, South, West, North)
• Dragons (Red, Green, White/Soap)
• Flowers
• Jokers

Think of suits like “hearts, spades, diamonds” in a deck of cards.

The goal is to build a winning hand of 14 tiles based on the options in the NMJL Card for that year. Most hands are made up of four sets (three or four matching tiles, or a run of three in the same suit) plus one pair. In short:

• Pair = 2 matching tiles
• Pung = 3 of a kind (same suit)
• Kong = 4 of a kind (same suit)
• Quint = 5 of a kind (same suit)

1. Four players sit around the table.
2. Players roll the dice to find out who is “East.” This person is the first dealer.
3. Tiles are dealt to each player — 14 to the dealer and 13 to all other players.
4. The remaining tiles form the “Walls” which are used for game play.
5. Players take turns drawing one tile and discarding one tile.

1. Draw a tile from the wall (or the discard pile if you can use it).
2. Decide: Keep it or discard it.
3. Other players may claim your discard to complete a set.

When your hand is complete (14 tiles), you declare “Mahjong!” and show your hand.

• Don’t fixate on one plan—stay flexible! This becomes easier as you get more familiar with reading the card.
• Watch what others are discarding.
• Learn to balance offense (building your hand) with defense (avoiding giving others what they need).