American Mah Jongg Glossary

A

Across

The player seated opposite you. During the Charleston, this pass is commonly announced as “over.”

American Mah Jongg

The American form of the game, normally played by four people with jokers, a Charleston, racks, and an annual card of valid winning hands.

Annual card

The card that lists the valid hands for that year. Players commonly call it simply “the card.” The National Mah Jongg League publishes a new official card each spring.

Any suit

Card language meaning you may choose Bams, Craks, or Dots for that color, while keeping the line’s color relationships consistent.

Any two suits / any three suits

Instructions allowing two or three different suits. Different printed colors on a card line represent different suits, not permanently assigned suits.

B

Bam / Bamboo

One of the three numbered suits. Bam tiles are numbered 1 through 9 and show bamboo stalks; the 1 Bam is usually a bird.

Bird Bam

The 1 Bam, traditionally illustrated as a bird rather than a single bamboo stalk.

Blind pass

Passing along one or more incoming tiles without looking at them. It is allowed only on the first Charleston’s left pass and the second Charleston’s final right pass. A Joker may never be passed.

Break the wall

Use the dice count to locate the opening in a wall. Dealing starts from the open end created by that break.

Build the walls

Shuffle the tiles face down, then each player builds a wall two tiles high and 19 stacks long. The four walls form a square in the center of the table.

C

Call

Verbally claim the most recent discard for a legal exposure—or say “Mah Jongg” when it completes your hand. Saying “Wait” or “Hold” asks the table for reasonable time to check the card.

Card colors

On numbered groups, the red, green, and blue ink shows suit relationships. The same color means the same numbered suit; a different color means a different suit. A color is not permanently assigned to Craks, Bams, or Dots. Winds and Flowers are not suits, and a D must be read with the line’s printed note and suit relationships.

Charleston

The tile-passing phase before normal play. Players pass three tiles right, over, and left; a second Charleston may follow in reverse. Jokers may never be passed.

Claim

Another word for calling and taking the most recent discard. The tile must immediately become part of a legal exposed group, unless it completes Mah Jongg.

Chow

A sequence of three different numbers in one suit, used in other Mahjong variants. American Mah Jongg does not allow an ordinary discard call to expose a chow. If a card line requires consecutive singles, those singles must remain concealed until Mah Jongg.

Concealed hand

A card line marked C. Keep its groups concealed until Mah Jongg: you cannot call a discard for an ordinary exposure, but you may call the final winning tile. Charleston passes and legal Joker exchanges can still help build the hand.

Consecutive run

A card section or pattern built from numbers that follow one another, such as 3-4-5-6. The exact group sizes and suits come from the line.

Courtesy pass

The final optional exchange with the player over from you. It is offered even when the second Charleston is skipped. Each opposite pair decides independently whether to exchange zero to three tiles; the player wanting fewer sets the number. Jokers still may not be passed.

Crak / Character

One of the three numbered suits. Craks are numbered 1 through 9 and usually show a Chinese character.

D

Dead hand

A hand ruled unable to win because of a rules violation or exposures that cannot make any valid card line. The current rules determine what happens next.

D / Dragon notation

A color-coded D represents a dragon. Read it with the line’s note: sharing a numbered group’s color normally means its matching dragon, while “Any Dragon” allows any of the three. The ink color is not permanently tied to a particular dragon.

Deal

The distribution of starting tiles from the broken wall. East begins with 14 tiles; the other players begin with 13.

Dealer / East

The player designated East for the round. East starts with 14 tiles and begins play by discarding.

Direction / seat wind

The seats follow turn order to each player’s right: East, South, West, then North. These are table positions, not geographic compass directions, and are separate from the wind tiles in your rack.

Discard

The tile you place face up in the center to end your turn, after drawing or making a call. East also discards first after the Charleston without drawing. Announce the tile clearly so everyone knows what is available to call.

Dot / Circle

One of the three numbered suits. Dot tiles are numbered 1 through 9 and show the same number of circular pips.

Dragon

An honor tile: red dragon, green dragon, or white dragon. There are four of each in a standard American set.

Draw / Pick

Take the next tile from the live end of the wall at the beginning of your turn.

E

East

The dealer and first player. East starts with one extra tile and makes the first discard.

Earthly Hand

A traditional term sometimes used when a player other than East declares Mah Jongg using East’s first discard. The term and any special scoring are not universal, so confirm the table rules.

Exposure

A completed group displayed on top of your rack, usually after you call a discard. The line must be marked X. The group gives opponents clues and generally cannot return to your concealed rack.

Exposed hand / Open hand

A card line marked X, meaning exposures are allowed. You still decide whether and when revealing a group is strategically worthwhile.

F

First Charleston

The required opening passes: three tiles right, three over, then three left. Jokers may never be passed.

Flower

A special tile shown as F on the card. American sets have eight flower tiles, and they are interchangeable for building flower groups.

G

Green dragon

The dragon that conventionally matches the Bam suit. It often shows the green character 發.

Grouping

A cluster required by a card line, such as a pair, pung, kong, quint, or sextet. This plain-language word helps describe the parts of a hand.

H

Hand

Either the tiles you currently hold or a complete 14-tile winning pattern printed on the card. Context tells you which meaning is intended.

Heavenly Hand

When the dealer, East, receives a complete valid 14-tile Mah Jongg hand in the original deal and declares it before the Charleston begins. The Charleston is skipped.

Honor tiles

The winds and dragons. Unlike Bams, Craks, and Dots, honor tiles do not have numbered sequences.

House rule

A table custom that may differ from official rules. Agree on house rules before play, especially scoring, timing, and Charleston practices.

I

Identical tiles / Like tiles

Tiles with exactly the same identity, such as four 7 Dots. A pung or kong requires identical tiles unless jokers legally substitute.

J

Joker

A wild tile that may substitute in a pung, kong, quint, or sextet—including a group of Flowers. It cannot replace a single or either tile of a pair, and it may never be passed. A discarded Joker cannot be called.

Joker exchange

After starting your turn by drawing and racking a tile, or by calling and exposing a discard, offer the exact matching natural tile for a Joker in anyone’s valid exposure, including your own. The player whose rack holds the Joker should make the exchange.

Jokerless

A hand completed with natural tiles only. Under NMJL rules, its card value doubles, except for Singles & Pairs hands, which are already required to be Jokerless.

K

Kong

A group of four identical tiles, such as four 6 Bams. Jokers may replace tiles in a kong. Four different tiles written together, such as NEWS, are singles rather than a kong.

L

Last discard

The most recently discarded tile and the only discard available to call. The opportunity normally closes when the next player racks or discards the drawn tile, declares Mah Jongg, or starts a Joker exchange.

Left

The player to your left or a Charleston pass in that direction. It is the third pass of the first Charleston.

Like numbers

The same number used across different suits, such as 5 Bams, 5 Craks, and 5 Dots.

Line

One complete winning option printed on the card, including its tile pattern, exposure status, and point value.

Live end / Open end

The working end of the wall created by the break. Tiles are dealt and drawn from this end in order.

M

Mah Jongg

The winning declaration. Call “Mah Jongg” when your 14 tiles exactly match a valid line on the current card, then display the hand for verification.

Matching dragon

The dragon conventionally paired with a suit: green with Bams, red with Craks, and white with Dots.

Meld

A general Mahjong word for a completed group of tiles. American players more often name the exact group—pung, kong, quint, or sextet.

Misnamed tile

A discarded tile announced by the wrong name. Consequences depend on whether someone acts on the call and on the current rules.

N

Natural tile

The actual tile named by a group, as opposed to a joker substituting for it.

National Mah Jongg League / NMJL

The organization that publishes the widely used annual American Mah Jongg card and its official rules.

Neighborhood

Informal strategy language for a promising area of the card—such as consecutive runs, even numbers, or winds and dragons—before your rack points strongly enough to one exact line. During the Charleston, players often protect tiles that keep more than one line in that neighborhood possible.

NEWS

Card shorthand for the four winds: North, East, West, and South.

North

One of the four wind tiles and one of the four seat names.

Numbered tile

Any Bam, Crak, or Dot from 1 through 9. “Numbered kong” simply means four identical numbered tiles.

O

One away / Two away

Informal strategy shorthand for how many tile changes a hand appears to need before it is complete.

Open hand

Another name for an exposed hand or a card line marked X.

Opposite

The player seated across from you.

Optional Charleston

The second set of passes, played only if the table agrees: left, over, then right.

Over

The customary Charleston term for passing tiles across the table to the player opposite you.

P

Pair

Two identical tiles. Jokers cannot be used in a pair.

Pass

Move tiles to another player during the Charleston. A pass is not a discard and cannot be called. A Joker may never be included.

Pick

Another word for drawing a tile from the wall.

Playing area

The open center of the table where discards are placed face up. Discards stay visible, but only the newest one can be called.

Points

The value printed beside a card line. It is used to score a winning hand according to the rules or table agreement.

Pung

A group of three identical tiles. Jokers may substitute in a pung unless a rule or card requirement forbids it.

Q

Quint

A group of five identical tiles. A numbered, wind, or dragon quint needs at least one Joker because only four natural copies exist. A Flower quint can be entirely natural because the eight Flowers are interchangeable.

R

Rack

The stand that holds your concealed tiles and displays exposures. Players also use “rack” as a verb.

Rack a tile / Racking

Place a drawn tile onto the sloped part of your rack. Racking closes the opportunity to call the previous discard. A player may instead discard or declare Mah Jongg without first racking the draw.

Red dragon

The dragon that conventionally matches the Crak suit. It often shows a red character.

Right

The player to your right or a Charleston pass in that direction. It is the first pass of the first Charleston.

S

Safe tile

Informal defensive language for a tile believed unlikely to help an opponent. No discard is guaranteed safe; visible exposures and discards only provide clues.

Same suit

All referenced numbered tiles must be Bams, all Craks, or all Dots, as required by the card line’s colors.

Second Charleston

The optional reverse set of passes: left, over, then right.

Section

A labeled group of hands on the card, such as Consecutive Run, Winds & Dragons, or Singles & Pairs.

Seat / Seat wind

Your position at the table—East, South, West, or North—for the round.

Serve the wall / Served wall

To angle the open end of the wall toward the center of the table so everyone can reach the tiles. At the start of the hand, East does this after locating and making the break.

Sextet

A group of six identical tiles. A numbered, wind, or dragon sextet needs at least two Jokers. A Flower sextet can be entirely natural because there are eight interchangeable Flowers.

Single

One specific tile required by a card line. A joker cannot replace a single.

Singles & Pairs

A card section made entirely from single tiles and pairs. Jokers cannot be used because neither group has three or more tiles.

Soap

The white dragon. Its blank or framed face resembles a bar of soap; it may also represent a zero when the card uses 0.

South

One of the four wind tiles and one of the four seat names.

Suit

One numbered tile family: Bams, Craks, or Dots.

Suited tile

A numbered Bam, Crak, or Dot, as opposed to a wind, dragon, flower, or joker.

T

Table rules

The rules the group has agreed to use. Clarify any house customs before the game begins.

Tile family

A beginner-friendly umbrella term for suits, winds, dragons, flowers, and jokers. It is descriptive language, not wording from the card.

Turn

Normally: draw one tile, consider any legal exchanges or declarations, then discard one tile. Calling a discard changes who plays next.

W

Wall

A row of face-down tiles stacked two high. Four walls form the square from which the starting hands are dealt and later tiles are drawn.

Wall game

A hand that ends without a winner after the final wall tile and its discard produce no Mah Jongg. The tiles are mixed and new walls are built for the next hand.

West

One of the four wind tiles and one of the four seat names.

White dragon

The dragon that conventionally matches the Dot suit. It is also called soap and may represent zero.

Winds

The North, East, West, and South honor tiles. There are four copies of each.

Winning hand

A 14-tile arrangement that exactly matches one valid line on the current card, including suit relationships and exposure status.

X

X / Exposed

The card marker showing that a line may be played with exposures. C means concealed.

Y

Year hand

A hand using the digits of the current year. Zero is represented by white dragons, also called soaps.

Z

Zero

Shown as 0 on a card line and represented in the rack by a white dragon, or soap.

The words at the table,in plain English.

A

Across