Mahjong is hard to learn

It is true, American mahjong (also spelled American mah jongg) is hard to learn. Don’t let that deter you from learning the game. I promise it is so fun! Follow along with me and I will break down some of the main concepts.

Mahjong is hard to learn.

The suits

American mahjong has three suits: craks, bams and dots. The craks are short for Chinese characters, the bams are short for bamboo and the dots are just always dots.

In each suit, there are four identical tiles of each number, 1-9. For example, there will be four craks with the number 5, four bams with the number 5 and four dots with the number 5.

So far so good, right? Well, let’s talk dragons.

The three suits will also have a married dragon. In cards, for example, there are jacks. Think of the mahjong dragon like a jack. The red dragon is married to the craks. The green dragon is married to the bams. The white dragon is married to the dots.

It's time to confuse you... the white dragon doesn’t look like a dragon at all and is usually a rectangle. In American mahjong, the white dragon is called a soap. An easy way to remember this is that the dots look like suds and go with the soap. Rub-a-dub-dub!

Concepts like these are what make your head spin in American mahjong! I won’t even get into the neutral tiles, jokers, birds or another use for that soap.

The cards

Whether you are using the cards issued by the National Mah Jongg League or an alternative card like Queen of Tiles, American mahjong requires a card. The card must be the same with every player at the table. It could be the 2024 NMJL card, the erroneous 2025 NMJL card (more on these mahjong misprinted cards here) or an SEC football card, but each player must play with an identical card.

These cards list the possible sequences to win mahjong. Each sequence has 14 tiles and must be matched exactly.

Each card has three colors on it. The colors do not coordinate to any suit, but they matter. Whenever the color changes, the suit changes. For example, if the color is the same for all 14 tiles in a sequence, the suit must all be the same. If there are two colors in the sequence, you will need to use any two suits.

Confused yet? I still have a few more introductory concepts for you.

Pairs and pungs

On the card sequences, the tiles are arranged in groupings, also known as melds.

Single- 1 tile

Pair- 2 identical tiles

Pung- 3 identical tiles

Kong- 4 identical tiles

Quints- 5 identical tiles

Wait. What? On the cards, a sequence may call for a kong. A kong is four of the exact same mahjong tile. So, a kong could be four 8 craks. A kong could also be four 2 bams. Four flower tiles make up a kong. And if you have a line that calls for DDDD, that is a kong of dragons.

If you are ever in doubt, just count how many matching tiles and do that.

If your brain hurts, you aren’t alone. Every mahjong player has experienced this same confusion.

Still want to play?

Just like a Dr Seuss book, mahjong sounds like a ridiculous task. You want me to make a pair of flowers, a kong of 6 craks, a pung of opposite dragons, and another pung of soaps? Yes, if that is what the 14 tile sequence calls for, that would be mahjong, my friend!

Just like a tongue- twisting riddle, give it a chance and you will find that mahjong is hard, but it is fun too!

My suggestion is to always find a mahjong teacher. A mahjong teacher is probably a decent player, but more importantly she has been trained to teach mahjong. She knows all the tips and tricks to make these concepts make sense. If you can’t find a mahjong teacher, watch a video or find another player to shadow.

Mahjong is hard to learn. Mahjong is actually really hard. But like anything, trying something hard can be exactly what you need. Find a fun, welcoming mahjong teacher or player and they will help you make sense of this game.

See you at the table!

Missy