American Mahjong Glossary

One of the three numbered suits in American Mahjong, ranging from 1 to 9. Bam tiles feature bamboo stick designs. The 1 Bam traditionally shows a bird perched on a bamboo stalk.

A Charleston technique where you immediately pass tiles you just received to another player without looking at them, allowing you to keep your existing tiles. Only allowed during the final pass of each Charleston (Left in the First, Right in the Second).

The annual reference sheet listing every valid winning hand for that year. Players must complete one of these exact patterns to win. In Mini Mahj, this is called the Mini Mahj Card — updated every year, which means the strategy changes annually.

A tile-passing exchange unique to American Mahjong that happens before gameplay begins. In the First Charleston, each player passes 3 tiles right, across, then left. An optional Second Charleston reverses the order. The Charleston is where skilled players shape their hand for the game ahead.

When a player calls a discarded tile to complete a group in their hand. You can only claim the most recently discarded tile. Claiming exposes that group face-up on the table.

A hand pattern marked "C" on the card that must be built entirely on your own — you cannot claim any discarded tiles. Only your own draws (and Charleston tiles) can be used. Concealed hands are generally harder but worth more points.

An optional exchange after the Charlestons are complete. Two players sitting across from each other may agree to swap 0–3 tiles. Both must offer the same number of tiles, or no exchange occurs.

One of the three numbered suits in American Mahjong, ranging from 1 to 9. Crak tiles feature Chinese characters printed over a red field.

A hand that cannot win — usually because the player called a tile that locked them into a pattern that's now impossible to complete. A dead hand cannot declare Mahjong, even if it appears complete.

After drawing a tile, a player must discard one tile face-up from their hand, placing it in the discard area. Any player may then claim the discarded tile if it completes a group in their exposed hand.

One of the three numbered suits in American Mahjong, ranging from 1 to 9. Dot tiles show circular patterns (pips) arranged in groups.

Honor tiles in American Mahjong. There are three types: Red Dragon, Green Dragon, and White Dragon (also called Soap). There are four of each, for 12 dragon tiles total.

A group of tiles placed face-up on the table after calling a discarded tile. Once a group is exposed, it cannot be broken up or changed. Exposures reveal part of your strategy to opponents.

A hand pattern marked "X" on the card that can be completed using claimed discards from other players. Called groups are placed face-up on the table.

Special tiles in American Mahjong — there are 8 flower tiles total. They appear in many hand patterns on the card and are a common component of winning hands.

A wild tile unique to American Mahjong. There are 8 jokers in a standard set. A joker can substitute for any tile within a group of 3 or more identical tiles (pungs, kongs, quints, sextets). Jokers cannot be used in pairs, singles, or in the Charleston.

During your turn (after drawing from the wall), you may exchange a natural tile for a joker in any opponent's exposed meld. You give them the exact natural tile the joker is substituting, and you take the joker. This is one of the most powerful moves in American Mahjong.

A set of four identical tiles. A kong of 4 Bams, for example, requires four 4 Bam tiles (or some jokers substituting). Kongs appear frequently in American Mahjong hand patterns.

The declaration of a winning hand. When a player completes all required groups and the full hand matches a valid pattern on the card, they say "Mahj!" to end the round and claim the win.

A completed group of tiles that forms part of a winning hand — such as a pung, kong, or quint. In American Mahjong, melds must be groups of identical tiles (no sequences/runs like in Chinese Mahjong).

Any tile that is not a Joker. When performing a joker swap, you must provide the specific natural tile the joker is representing in that meld.

Two identical tiles. Pairs appear in certain hand patterns on the card (Singles and Pairs category). Jokers cannot substitute in a pair — both tiles must be natural.

A set of three identical tiles — the most common group type in American Mahjong. Jokers can substitute for one or two tiles in a pung. Example: three 7 Dots, or two 7 Dots + one Joker.

A set of five identical tiles — only possible in American Mahjong thanks to Jokers. Since there are only 4 of any natural tile, at least one Joker must be in every quint. Quint hands are listed separately on the Mini Mahj Card.

Winning by drawing your final tile from the wall yourself, rather than claiming another player's discard. Self-draws typically result in all three other players paying the winner instead of just the player who discarded the winning tile.

A set of six identical tiles — rare but valid in American Mahjong. Since there are only 4 natural copies of any tile, at least two Jokers must be included. Some hands on the card require sextets.

A common nickname for the White Dragon tile, because it's blank (like a bar of white soap). Also called "White" or "Blank" in some circles.

The numbered tiles in American Mahjong — Dots, Bams, and Craks. Each suit runs from 1 to 9, with 4 copies of each tile, for 108 suited tiles total.

The playing pieces of Mahjong — small rectangular pieces (traditionally ivory or bamboo, now usually plastic) with markings representing specific values. A standard American Mahjong set contains 152 tiles.

The face-down arrangement of tiles from which players draw each turn. At the start of a game, all 152 tiles are arranged into four sides of a rectangle (the "wall"), then each player draws their starting hand from it. As the game progresses, the wall shrinks.

A round that ends without a winner because the wall runs out of tiles before anyone declares Mahjong. In a wall game, no points are exchanged. Wall games become more common when multiple players are competing for the same tiles or playing overly defensively.

Honor tiles representing the four cardinal directions: North, East, South, and West. There are 4 of each wind tile (16 total). Winds appear in many hand patterns on the card and are valued for their uniqueness.