What Is American Mahjong? A Beginner's Guide
Learn what makes American Mahjong different: four players use one shared card to build listed winning hands.
Read the guideLearn the game,
from zero.
A practical path from your first tiles to a table that feels like yours. Start at the top, follow the next step, or jump to the stage where you are stuck.
Start with a lesson →Get oriented.
What the game is, what the pieces are, and what it costs to try.
Your First American Mahjong Game — What to Expect
See what happens at a first American Mahjong lesson or game, from arrival to a welcoming table.
Read the guideWhat You Need to Play American Mahjong
See what an American Mahjong lesson provides, what to buy later, and what you can skip.
Read the guideMahjong Tiles and Their Families
Learn the American Mahjong tile families: bams, cracks, dots, winds, dragons, flowers, and jokers.
Read the guideHow to Read an American Mahjong Card
Learn to read an American Mahjong card: letters, numbers, and colors that define a hand.
Read the guidePlay a turn.
The mechanics, in the order they happen at a table.
How an American Mahjong Table Is Set Up
Set up walls, racks, dice, and seats before your first American Mahjong game.
Read the guideThe Charleston in American Mahjong
Learn the Charleston, the passing sequence that opens an American Mahjong game.
Read the guideHow to Play American Mahjong
Learn the basic flow of an American Mahjong game — the draw, decide, discard loop that repeats around the table until somebody wins.
Read the guideCalling Tiles and Making Exposures
Learn to claim a discard, make an exposure, and avoid locking a beginner hand too early.
Read the guideHow a Hand Is Won in American Mahjong
Learn how to win an American Mahjong hand: declare mahjong, show your tiles, and handle a wall game.
Read the guideMake better choices.
Where following becomes playing.
How to Choose a First American Mahjong Hand
Choose an American Mahjong card direction by reading the tiles you have, not by forcing a favorite line.
Read the guideWhat to Pass in the Charleston
Choose three Charleston tiles to pass: keep groups, send lonely tiles, and protect pairs.
Read the guideHow Jokers Work in American Mahjong
Learn where American Mahjong jokers work, where they do not, and why a table reacts when one appears.
Read the guideMaking Better Discards as a Beginner
Choose better American Mahjong discards by finding the tile that helps you least and opponents least.
Read the guideBelong and keep going.
The social half of the game and how to keep playing.
Common First-Game Mahjong Mistakes
Learn common first-game mistakes in American Mahjong and quick ways a kind table can fix them.
Read the guideAmerican Mahjong Etiquette for New Players
Simple table manners that make an American Mahjong game feel kind and clear — about rhythm and communication, not formality.
Read the guideHow to Practice American Mahjong Between Lessons
Practice American Mahjong between lessons with short sessions that make your next game feel familiar.
Read the guideHow to Find a Welcoming Mahjong Table
Choose a first American Mahjong lesson, Open Play, or social club where beginners are clearly welcome.
Read the guideHow to Host a Friendly Mahjong Night
Simple planning for a relaxed home mahjong game — seats, timing, food, and how to make sure every guest gets a seat at a table.
Read the guideAmerican Mahjong Glossary for Beginners.
A plain-language reference for the words you will hear at the table.
Open the glossary →