Every word that's specific to American Mah Jongg, organized by where you'll hear it. Skim it before your first game night. Bring it to the table if you want. Nobody minds.
Every word that's specific to American Mah Jongg, organized by where you'll hear it.
Short for bamboo. One of the three suits, numbered 1 through 9, marked with bamboo stalks on the tile face. The 1 Bam is famously a bird, often a sparrow or a peacock.
You'll hear it as: "Four bam." Called by a player as she discards the tile face up. The number always comes before the suit.
An unmarked tile, included with most American Mah Jongg sets as a replacement piece. If a tile is ever lost from the set, the owner can mark a blank to stand in for it, sparing the cost of buying a whole new set. Blanks are also sometimes brought into social play as a bonus tile, used to recover a tile that was lost to the discard pile in a previous round. Whether to play with blanks is a matter of house rules. Many tables do not allow them. Others find them a kindness, especially in social or learning games. Blanks are not part of the 152-tile count of a standard playing set.
When blanks are played, the typical house rule is to add either two or four. They are added to the end of a player's wall, turning a normal wall of 19 stacks into a wall of 20. With two blanks, one player has the longer wall. With four, two players do. A blank can never be used to claim a Joker. The Joker exchange requires a real tile in hand.
Prim answered: What are the blank tiles in my American Mahjong set for, and can I play with them?
Short for character. The second suit, numbered 1 through 9, marked with a number and a small Chinese character.
You'll hear it as: "Seven crak." Called only when the tile is being discarded.
The third suit. Numbered 1 through 9, marked with circles. Sometimes called Circles.
You'll hear it as: "Two dot." Called only when the tile is being discarded.
Three families of tiles: the Green Dragon, the Red Dragon, and the White Dragon (more commonly called Soap at American tables). One Dragon family pairs with each numbered suit: Red with Craks, Green with Bams, Soap with Dots. On the card, a Dragon printed in the same color as a number group goes with that group's suit, and a line that says Any Dragon takes any of the three. Four of each family in the set, twelve Dragons total.
Prim answered: What does "opposite dragon" mean on the card? What do the colors on the NMJL card mean? What do the letters on the NMJL card mean?
One of the three Dragon tiles. The green-marked Dragon, paired with the Bam suit on every American card. Four in a standard American set.
One of the three Dragon tiles. The red-marked Dragon, paired with the Crak suit on every American card. Four in a standard American set.
The third of the three Dragon tiles, paired with the Dot suit on every American card. Called Soap at almost every American table. It is also the zero wherever the card prints a 0, and as a zero it belongs to no suit. Printed as a stylized zero or sometimes left blank. Four in a standard American set.
Prim answered: Is the White Dragon really a zero?
A specially illustrated tile, often painted with flowers or seasons. Eight Flowers in an American set. They appear in specific hands on the card.
Prim answered: Can I pass Flowers in the Charleston? How many Flowers are in the set, and are they all the same? How many Jokers are in an American Mahjong set, and how many tiles in all? What do the letters on the NMJL card mean?
Umbrella term for any tile that is not part of the three numbered suits. The Winds and the Dragons are honor tiles.
Prim answered: How should I sort the tiles on my rack in American Mahjong?
The wild tile. A Joker can stand in for any tile inside a group of three or more identical tiles (a Pung, Kong, Quint, or Sextet). It cannot be used in a pair, in a single, or in a run (a group of different tiles, like a 1-2-3-4-5 sequence). The rule players say at the table: never in pairs, never in singles, never in runs. There are eight Jokers in an American set, which is one of the things that makes American Mah Jongg American.
You'll hear it as: "She just discarded a joker, and I needed that. Can't touch it now, it's dead." A discarded joker cannot be called by another player. The tile is lost to the round.
Prim answered: Can a Joker be used in a pair or a single? Can a pung or kong be made of all Jokers, or do you need one real tile? Can I call a discarded Joker in American Mahjong? Can I pass a Joker in the Charleston?
The American nickname for the White Dragon, which is printed as a stylized zero or sometimes left blank. Called Soap because it looks like a bar of soap on edge. A Soap is always the White Dragon, the Dragon that pairs with Dots, and it is also the zero wherever the card prints a 0. Both are true at once. Serving as a zero, it has no suit and may sit with any suit, but it can never stand in a consecutive run.
Prim answered: Is the White Dragon really a zero? What are the blank tiles in my American Mahjong set for, and can I play with them? What do the letters on the NMJL card mean? What does Consecutive Run mean on the NMJL card, and can a run start on any number?
A family of numbered tiles, 1 through 9. American Mah Jongg has three suits: Bams, Craks, and Dots.
Prim answered: What do the colors on the NMJL card mean? How many Flowers are in the set, and are they all the same? The NMJL card has so many hands. How do I stop feeling overwhelmed by it? What does "any like numbers" mean on the card?
A single playing piece. American sets have 152 tiles total: 108 numbered tiles, 16 Winds, 12 Dragons, 8 Flowers, and 8 Jokers.
Prim answered: Can you play American Mahjong with cards instead of tiles? How many Jokers are in an American Mahjong set, and how many tiles in all?
Four tiles labeled N, E, W, and S, for the four directions. Four of each in the set, sixteen Winds total. American tiles use Roman letters only.
You'll hear it as: "East." Called when discarding. The direction stands alone, no number.
Prim answered: Is every pair worth keeping in American Mahjong?
A fifth person at a four-player table who sits out the hand and bets on which player will win. The Bettor wins or loses with the player she bet on. NMJL has formal rules for Bettor play.
Prim answered: Can a fifth person play American Mahjong?
The annual hand list published by the National Mah Jongg League. It lists every winning combination of tiles you can build this year, organized into sections. The card expires when next year's card is published. Other publishers print cards too; without a card, American Mah Jongg cannot be played, so the table agrees before play which card it uses.
You'll hear it as: "Did you get this year's card?"
Prim answered: Can you play American Mahjong with cards instead of tiles? Does the NMJL card change every year, and what actually changes? The NMJL card has so many hands. How do I stop feeling overwhelmed by it? What do the letters on the NMJL card mean?
The dealer's seat. The dealer is called East regardless of where she actually sits in your living room. The role rotates with each hand.
Prim answered: Can you play American Mahjong with three people, or only two? What happens if the wrong player goes first in American Mahjong? Which way does play go in American Mahjong? Who goes first in American Mahjong, and how is East chosen?
National Mah Jongg League. Founded in New York in 1937, the League wrote the original rule book and publishes the most widely played American Mah Jongg card. Other publishers print cards too, and a table plays whichever card its players agree on.
You'll hear it as: "It's an NMJL hand."
Prim answered: Does the NMJL card change every year, and what actually changes? What does the note in brackets beside a line on the NMJL card mean? Why does every mahjong group play by different rules?
The plastic arms (sometimes called pusher arms) used to slide each player's wall toward the center of the table. Most American Mah Jongg sets include four.
Prim answered: What happens if I draw from the wrong wall or the wrong end of the wall? Which way does play go in American Mahjong?
The long tray that holds your tiles facing you. Has a back ledge for tiles in your hand and a front ledge for tiles you have exposed.
Prim answered: How should I sort the tiles on my rack in American Mahjong? What am I giving away at the Mahjong table without meaning to? What does it mean to rack a tile in American Mahjong, and why does it matter? Can I put back a tile after I draw it from the wall?
The four lines of stacked tiles built at the start of each hand. Players draw from the wall in turn.
Prim answered: Can I pick up or peek at the next wall tile before it is my turn? Can I put back a tile after I draw it from the wall? How do you build the wall and deal the tiles in American Mahjong? What happens if I draw from the wrong wall or the wrong end of the wall?
The player seated directly opposite you, and also the second tile pass in each Charleston (the pass that goes across the table).
Prim answered: What is the courtesy pass?
A pass that includes one, two, or three tiles you have not looked at, taken from the tiles just handed to you. Allowed only on the third pass of the First Charleston (Left) and the third pass of the Second Charleston (Right).
Prim answered: What is a blind pass in the Charleston? What happens if someone has the wrong number of tiles in the Charleston? Can I pass Flowers in the Charleston? In the Charleston, should I pass for my own hand or pass defensively?
The opening tile exchange. Before the game starts, every player passes three tiles to the right, three across, three to the left. After that, players vote on whether to do a Second Charleston: three left, three across, three right. Then a Courtesy pass between partners. The Charleston is how a hand goes from random to playable.
You'll hear it as: "Are we doing the Second Charleston?"
Prim answered: Can I stop the Charleston, and do I have to say why? Do I need to remember who passed me what in the Charleston? How do I know if my hand is any good after the Charleston? How do I practice American Mahjong on my own?
The final exchange of the Charleston, between players sitting across from each other. Up to three tiles are exchanged, by mutual agreement between the two players involved. Only you and your across partner need to agree on the number. The other across pair at the table works independently and may settle on a different number, or pass none at all.
Prim answered: What is the courtesy pass? Can I pass a Joker in the Charleston? Can I stop the Charleston, and do I have to say why? What am I giving away at the Mahjong table without meaning to?
The first round of three passes. Right, then Across, then Left. The Left pass may include blind tiles.
Prim answered: Do I need to remember who passed me what in the Charleston? How does the Charleston work in American Mahjong? In the Charleston, should I pass for my own hand or pass defensively? What is a blind pass in the Charleston?
The optional second round, performed only if all four players agree. Left, then Across, then Right. The Right pass may include blind tiles.
Prim answered: Can I stop the Charleston, and do I have to say why? Do I need to remember who passed me what in the Charleston? How does the Charleston work in American Mahjong? In the Charleston, should I pass for my own hand or pass defensively?
To claim a tile that another player just discarded, in order to complete a Pung, Kong, Quint, or Sextet, or to declare Mah Jongg. You must call before the next player draws and racks a tile, or discards. After that the discard is dead.
Prim answered: Can I be penalized for calling a discard too slowly? Can I call a discard if all I have to go with it is Jokers? Can I call a discard to make a pair? Can I call a tile that was discarded earlier, or only the most recent one?
Hidden in your rack. A concealed group is one that has not been exposed.
Prim answered: What do X and C mean at the end of a line on the card? Can a concealed hand win on someone else's discard? Can a pung or kong be made of all Jokers, or do you need one real tile?
A tile you place face up in the center of the table after your turn. Discards are gone from your rack. They become available for the next player to call, or to no one if no one calls.
Prim answered: Can I take back a tile I already discarded? Do I have to say the name of the tile I discard? How long can I take on my turn in American Mahjong, and how do I play faster? Somebody named a discard wrong. What happens?
To lay down tiles face up on your rack, so the table can see them. You expose when you call a tile.
Prim answered: Can I add a tile to an exposure I already made, like turning a pung into a kong later? Can I switch to a different hand after I have exposed? Where do my exposed tiles go, and do they have to be in card order? Can I use a Joker I just traded for in the exposure I made that turn?
Tiles that have been laid face up on your rack. Once exposed, they cannot be moved back into your hand.
Prim answered: How do I tell what somebody is collecting? What do X and C mean at the end of a line on the card? When should I fold in American Mah Jongg? Can I add a tile to an exposure I already made, like turning a pung into a kong later?
A swap. On your own turn, once you have drawn and racked or called and exposed, you may trade the real tile a Joker stands in for and take that Joker, from any exposure on the table, your own included. You do not reach across the table. You do not touch another player's tiles. You say the exchange out loud and hand the real tile to the player whose rack it is, and she makes the swap. She cannot refuse it. It is a bit of a formality and a dance, and part of the ceremony. Sometimes called Joker redemption.
Prim answered: Can I take a Joker out of someone else's exposure? Can I touch another player's tiles or rack in American Mahjong? Can I use a Joker I just traded for in the exposure I made that turn? If I win by taking a Joker from an exposure, does it count as self-picked?
Four of a kind. Four identical tiles, used in hands on the card that call for a Kong.
Prim answered: What is a pung, a kong and a quint? Can I add a tile to an exposure I already made, like turning a pung into a kong later?
Two of a kind. The smallest group on the card. Pairs cannot use Jokers.
Prim answered: Is every pair worth keeping in American Mahjong? Can a Joker be used in a pair or a single? Can I call a discard to make a pair? How should I sort the tiles on my rack in American Mahjong?
To abandon the hand you're building and switch to a different one mid-game, usually because the tiles you've drawn or the tiles you've seen discarded make a different hand more reachable. Pivoting early in a hand is often smart. Pivoting late is risky because you've already given up tiles you can't get back.
You'll hear it as: "I had to pivot when she exposed that pung."
Prim answered: Can I switch to a different hand after I have exposed?
Three of a kind. The most common group on the card.
You'll hear it as: "Pung," said when a player calls a discarded tile to complete three of a kind.
Prim answered: What is a pung, a kong and a quint? Can a pung or kong be made of all Jokers, or do you need one real tile? Can I call a discard if all I have to go with it is Jokers? Can I call a discard to make a pair?
Five of a kind. Only four naturals of any tile exist, so a Quint needs at least one Joker, unless it is a Quint of Flowers, of which there are eight. A Quints section appears on most cards, the 2025 and 2026 cards included. It is the Sextet that comes and goes.
Prim answered: What is a pung, a kong and a quint?
Winning by drawing your final tile from the wall on your own turn, rather than by calling someone else's discard. Sometimes called self-draw. It matters when the table pays: on a self-pick all three other players pay double. A win on a Joker exchange made as the last move, a Heavenly Hand and an Earthly Hand are all paid as self-picks.
Prim answered: How does scoring work at an American Mahjong tournament? Who pays, and how much, when someone wins at American Mahjong? How do I declare Mahjong, and what happens once I do? If I win by taking a Joker from an exposure, does it count as self-picked?
Six of a kind. Rare, but real. Appears on certain hands on the card.
Prim answered: How many Flowers are in the set, and are they all the same? What is a pung, a kong and a quint?
One tile. Singles cannot use Jokers.
Prim answered: Can a Joker be used in a pair or a single? I have Jokers. Which hand should I go for?
The card is organized into sections, each with a theme. You don't need to memorize the sections to play, but you will hear them named.
A section of the card built from even-numbered tiles (2, 4, 6, 8).
Prim answered: What are the sections on the NMJL card, and what is each one for?
A section built from odd-numbered tiles.
A section built from threes, sixes, and nines.
A section using sequential numbers (for example, 1-2-3-4-5).
Prim answered: What does Consecutive Run mean on the NMJL card, and can a run start on any number? Can you call for a chow in American Mahjong? What are the sections on the NMJL card, and what is each one for? Is the White Dragon really a zero?
A section using the same number across multiple suits (for example, all the 5s).
Prim answered: What does "any like numbers" mean on the card?
The section of the card that calls for hands containing five-of-a-kind groups.
A section where every group is either a single tile or a pair. No Pungs, Kongs, or Jokers. This section is known for its higher point values and concealed hands.
Prim answered: Can a Joker be used in a pair or a single? What are the sections on the NMJL card, and what is each one for? What is a jokerless hand, and does it still count if I traded my Joker away?
A hand built around the digits of the current year. The 2026 card has a year section using 2, 0, 2, 6.
Prim answered: What are the sections on the NMJL card, and what is each one for? Is the White Dragon really a zero?
A hand played all the way to Mah Jongg without ever exposing a tile. Some hands on the card must be played concealed, marked at the end of the line with a C followed by the point value (for example, C 50). There is no separate concealed bonus. The higher value printed on the line is the whole reward.
Prim answered: Can a concealed hand win on someone else's discard? Does taking a Joker break my concealed hand? Can I switch to a different hand after I have exposed? What do X and C mean at the end of a line on the card?
A hand that can no longer win, usually because of a wrong tile count, an exposure error or an incorrect call. It is dead only when another player calls it from what the table can see: the exposures, the discards and how many tiles the player holds. Only an exposed hand may be verified and called dead. A fully concealed hand cannot be called dead from the discards, because no one knows what that player is going for. You may never declare your own hand dead. If you know it is dead and no one has called it, say nothing, keep drawing and discarding, and play defense. Once a call stands, that player stops: no drawing, no discarding, no calling, and she pays the winner the full value of the winning hand. It lasts the rest of that hand only, never the round. Its exposures do not all die with it: a joker in an exposure that was correctly made before the error can still be redeemed by a live player, while nothing can be taken from the exposure that was in error. If the player was going for a concealed hand and exposed by mistake, the whole hand goes back to the rack and nothing in it is available to anyone.
Prim answered: Can I take a Joker from a dead player's rack? Should I point out another player's mistake at the table? What happens if I have the wrong number of tiles during play? What is a dead hand, and who can call it?
A Mah Jongg declared by East the moment the Charleston ends, on a hand the passing completed, before the first discard. Extremely rare. The League pays it as a self-pick: all three players pay double.
Prim answered: What happens if I have Mahjong before the Charleston is over?
A Mah Jongg declared by the dealer (East) on the original 14 tiles dealt, before the Charleston has begun. Rarer still. Talked about more than seen. The League pays it as a self-pick: all three players pay double.
Prim answered: What happens if I have Mahjong before the Charleston is over? Who goes first in American Mahjong, and how is East chosen?
Said by a player who is one tile away from winning. Used to alert the table to play defensively.
You'll hear it as: "I'm looking."
Prim answered: Do I have to say "looking" when I am one tile from Mahjong?
The winning call. When your tiles match a hand on the card, you say "Mah Jongg" and the hand ends. Pronounce it however the players at your table do.
You'll hear it as: "Mah Jongg!" Followed by quiet. Followed by everyone counting.
Prim answered: How do I declare Mahjong, and what happens once I do? What happens if you call Mahjong by mistake? Do I have to say "looking" when I am one tile from Mahjong? Should I point out another player's mistake at the table?
A hand played without using any Jokers. Under the League's schedule a jokerless win doubles the printed value, except in Singles and Pairs, where the value already builds it in.
Prim answered: What is a jokerless hand, and does it still count if I traded my Joker away? How does scoring work at an American Mahjong tournament? Who pays, and how much, when someone wins at American Mahjong? How do I declare Mahjong, and what happens once I do?
When the wall runs out before anyone calls Mah Jongg. No one wins. Sometimes called a draw.
Prim answered: What happens when the wall runs out with no winner? Can a fifth person play American Mahjong? How does scoring work at an American Mahjong tournament?
A term from the other versions of mahjong, worth knowing even though you will not use it here. A chow is a run of three consecutive tiles in the same suit, for example 4, 5, 6 Bam. In Chinese and most other mahjong, a player may take a discarded tile to complete one, claiming it from the player on her left.
American Mah Jongg has no chow. So can you call a discard for a run? Yes, but only for Mah Jongg. During play a discard can be claimed only to build a Pung, Kong, Quint, or Sextet. When a discard is the very last tile your hand needs, the one that completes it, you may call it for Mah Jongg even if it finishes a run. Your hands can still hold runs of consecutive numbers (the Consecutive Run section of the card is built on them), and until that winning tile you gather them from the wall and your own tiles.
Prim answered: Can you call for a chow in American Mahjong? What does Consecutive Run mean on the NMJL card, and can a run start on any number?
A tile that no one seems to want, safe to discard. The opposite of hot.
A tile that someone almost certainly needs, dangerous to discard. Some teachers also use "hot wall" informally for the last few rows of the wall, when discards become risky.
Called by a player who wants to claim a discard before the next player racks a tile or discards. The next player must wait. If the call holds, play continues from the caller. If not, play resumes.
Prim answered: Can I be penalized for calling a discard too slowly?
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