Mah Jongg
The declaration made when completing a winning hand, and the name of the tile game itself. In American Mahjong, a player calls "Mah Jongg!" to announce they have matched one of the winning patterns on the NMJL card.
What Is Mah Jongg?
Mah Jongg (also spelled Mahjong) is a tile-based game that originated in China during the Qing dynasty. The American version, governed by the National Mah Jongg League, uses a unique annual card of winning hand patterns and includes Joker tiles not found in other variants.
The game is played by four players who draw and discard tiles in turn, trying to assemble a complete hand that matches one of the patterns on the current year's NMJL card. When a player completes their hand, they declare "Mah Jongg!" to win the game.
How to Win
To win, your 14 tiles must exactly match one of the hand patterns on the NMJL card. You can complete your hand by:
- Drawing your winning tile from the wall (called a self-draw)
- Claiming another player's discard (any player's discard can be claimed for Mah Jongg)
A Mah Jongg call takes priority over all other calls, if you can win with a discarded tile, you get it regardless of whose turn it is.
American Mahjong Basics
A standard American Mahjong game includes:
- 152 tiles (three suits, Winds, Dragons, Flowers, and Jokers)
- The Charleston tile-passing ritual before play begins
- An annual NMJL card listing all valid winning hands
- Four players seated at cardinal positions (East, South, West, North)
The game combines elements of skill, strategy, and luck. Players must choose which hand to pursue, decide what to discard safely, and read opponents' exposures and discards for clues about their hands.
Calling Mah Jongg
When you complete a winning hand, you must clearly announce "Mah Jongg!" so all players can hear. You then lay your entire hand face-up on the table for verification. The other players (or a designated checker) confirm your hand matches a pattern on the NMJL card.
If your hand is incorrect, wrong tiles, wrong pattern, or tiles that don't match any card hand, your hand is declared dead and you must pay a penalty to the other players.