Mahjong? Or Mah Jongg?

You'll see it spelled both ways. The National Mah Jongg League uses "Mah Jongg" — two words, two g's. That's the official American spelling, and if you want to be proper about it, that's the one. We use "Mahjong" on this site because it's what most people search for and recognize, but Bubbe wants you to know the real spelling.

The Game

American Mahjong is a tile game played by four people around a table. You start with 13 tiles on your rack, and your goal is to be the first to complete a winning hand — a specific combination of tiles that matches one of the patterns on the official card published each year by the National Mah Jongg League. Every year, new hands, new card. That's part of the fun.

Each turn is simple: pick a tile, look at what you've got, discard one you don't need. But what makes Mahjong beautiful is everything happening underneath that simplicity. You're watching what other people discard. You're guessing what they're building. You're deciding when to play offense and when to play defense — when to go for the win and when to just make sure you're not the one paying double.

The Tiles

The tiles themselves are gorgeous — three suits (Craks, Bams, and Dots), Winds, Dragons, Flowers, and those wild cards called Jokers that can save your hand or break your heart. There are 152 tiles in all, and the sound they make when you wash them across the table is half the reason people fall in love with the game.

The Table

But here's what nobody tells you about Mahjong: it's not really about the tiles. It's about the table. It's about Tuesday nights, the snacks, the gossip between rounds, the way Marlene always takes too long to discard, and the way we love her anyway. Mahjong is a game that gives you something to do with your hands while you do the most important thing — sit with people you care about.

The Three Suits

American Mahjong has three suits, just like cards have hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades. Each suit has tiles numbered 1 through 9, and there are four of each tile in the set. That's 108 suit tiles total.

Bams (Bamboo)

Bams have bamboo sticks on them. The 1 Bam is special — it usually shows a bird instead of a single bamboo stick. Count the sticks for the number.

The Winds

There are four Wind tiles: North, South, East, and West. Four of each, so 16 Wind tiles total.

The Dragons

Three Dragons: Red, Green, and White (sometimes called "Soap" because it looks like a bar of soap). Four of each, so 12 Dragon tiles total.

What Is the Card?

Every year, the National Mah Jongg League (NMJL) publishes a new card listing all the winning hands for that year. You need this card to play. It costs about $14 and you can order it from the NMJL website.

How to Read a Hand

Each line on the card represents one possible winning hand. F = Flower, N, S, E, W = Winds, D = Dragon, 0 = White Dragon (Soap), R = Red Dragon, G = Green Dragon. Numbers refer to specific tiles of a suit.

Colors on the Card

When numbers on a line are all the same color, they must be from the same suit. When numbers are in different colors, they must be from different suits.

The "C" Means Concealed

Hands with a "C" must be concealed — you cannot call tiles from discards (except the winning tile). These are harder but worth more.

Categories & Strategy

The card is organized into categories — groups of related hands. As you get more experienced, you'll develop favorites.

Shuffle the Tiles

Turn all 152 tiles face-down on the table and mix them up. Everybody helps. This is called "washing" the tiles — and yes, it should be loud. That clicking sound is part of the experience.

Build the Wall

Each player builds a wall in front of their rack: 19 tiles long and 2 tiles high. Push your wall forward slightly so it's in the center of the table. When all four walls are built, they should form a rough square — the "Great Wall." Don't peek at any tiles.

Pick East

For the first game, roll the dice or draw Winds to determine who is East. East is the dealer and goes first. Seats rotate after each round — East passes to the right (counterclockwise).

Roll the Dice and Break the Wall

East rolls two dice. The total tells you where to break the wall. Count that number of stacks from the right end of East's wall. That's where the break is. At that point, keep the stacks you've counted against the wall and push the rest out to the center of the table.

Deal the Tiles

East deals first by taking 2 stacks (4 tiles) from the wall, starting from the left side of the break. Then each player in counterclockwise order takes 2 stacks. Keep going around until everyone has 6 stacks (12 tiles). If the wall runs out, continue from the next wall to the left.

Now the last tiles: East takes the 1st and 3rd top tiles from the top of the next section of wall. Then each other player, counterclockwise, takes 1 tile each. When it's done, East has 14 tiles and everyone else has 13. East goes first by discarding — no draw needed.

The Basic Turn

Play moves counterclockwise. Pick a tile from the wall, decide if you want it, discard one tile face-up. That's a turn.

Calling a Discard

Any player can call a discard if it completes an exposure (Pung, Kong, Quint, or Sextet). You cannot call for a pair, single, or consecutive run EVER — unless it completes your hand for Mahjong. A call for Mahjong always wins over other calls.

Defensive Play

Late in the game, it's often smarter to discard "safe" tiles rather than chase your own hand. A wall game where nobody wins is better than handing someone a victory.

What Jokers Can Do

Substitute for any tile in a group of three or more identical tiles — Pungs, Kongs, Quints, Sextets. The key word is identical. Four 7-Bams? Jokers welcome. A run of 5-6-7? No Jokers allowed.

What Jokers Cannot Do

They cannot be used for singles, pairs, or consecutive runs/sequences. This is the rule that catches beginners most often.

Joker Exchange

If someone has an exposure with a Joker, and you have the natural tile it's replacing, you can swap — take their Joker, give them the real tile. This happens on your turn, before you discard. But don't get so excited you forget to pick a tile!

Discarding a Joker

You CAN discard a Joker — but why would you, unless you absolutely have to? A discarded Joker is dead. Nobody can call it. It just sits there on the table, wasted. Just don't do it.

Declaring Mahjong

Complete a hand matching the NMJL card exactly — 14 tiles, correct groups, suits, and concealed/exposed status. A call for Mahjong always takes priority.

Wall Game

If all tiles are drawn and nobody wins, it's a wall game. Nobody wins, nobody pays. Start fresh.

Scoring

Self-drawn win: All three players pay you the hand value.
Win from a discard: The discarder pays double; the other two pay single.

Here's a taste of what you'll get:

Mistake #1: Not Looking at the Card Before Passing

Before you pass a single tile, LOOK AT THE CARD. Find two or three hands that might work. Then decide what doesn't fit either of those hands. That's what you pass.

Mistake #2: Passing Jokers During the Charleston

Jokers are the most valuable tiles in the game. They give you flexibility to change strategies mid-game. You should NEVER pass a Joker during the Charleston under any normal circumstances.

Mistake #3: Forgetting About the Blind Pass

On the first left pass, if you can't spare 3 tiles, you can "steal" tiles from the incoming pass and send them along instead — without looking at them. So many players forget this option exists. If your hand is shaping up nicely and you don't want to break it apart, use the blind pass.

What she lacks in stature, she makes up for in personality!

It started with a group text

My girlfriends were trying to learn Mahjong. They wanted to find a teacher, and I knew exactly who to call — my mom. She's been playing for decades with her Tuesday and Thursday groups, she's got tons of energy, and she's full of funny stories. When I offered her up, she didn't hesitate.

She gave us two lessons. She was a huge hit.

How "Bubbe" was born

During one of the lessons, my mom told the story about choosing "Grandma" as her grandmother name when the grandkids came along — and how she's always had a twinge of regret about not picking "Bubbe." The girls loved that. And just like that, they decided: we're calling her Bubbe.

She lit up. She absolutely loved it.

Two lessons wasn't quite enough

Here's the thing — my mom is a great teacher, but Mahjong is a lot to absorb in two sessions. I was still a newbie and wanted to study up on my own between games. So I went looking for resources. And... there wasn't much out there. Nothing good, and certainly nothing fun.

So I built a quiz app. Just for myself — a way to drill the rules and test what I'd learned. Multiple choice, true/false, the basics.

Then mom got involved

I showed my mom the quiz, figuring she'd get a kick out of it. Instead, she found some errors, had thoughts, offered advice, and started improving it on the spot. That's when the idea hit us both: what if we teamed up? What if we brought Mahjong to the masses in a fun, accessible way?

And honestly — how fun to work with my mom on a project she's so passionate about?

Whether you're a complete beginner who doesn't know a Crak from a Bam, or someone who's been playing for years and wants to brush up, you're welcome here. Pull up a chair. Bubbe's got snacks.

"If you show up in a Don't Be a Doris shirt, you'd better be winning. Otherwise, you ARE Doris."

Four designs. Dark and light versions. Printed on demand and shipped to your door.