American Mahjong Rules was built for one reason: most “how to play Mahjong” content online mixes American rules with Chinese or Riichi (Japanese) Mahjong, or is written by someone who’s never played a hand under the current NMJL Card. We wanted a site that treats American Mahjong as its own game, with its own vocabulary, its own scoring, and a card that changes every year. If you’re brand new to any of this, our beginner’s guide is the best place to start.
Every article here is written and checked against the current-year NMJL Card before publication. We don’t reproduce the League’s hand list — that’s copyrighted, and it’s also not the point. Our job is to teach you how to read and use the card, not to replace it. When you’re ready to play, you’ll still need the official current-year card directly from the National Mah Jongg League.
Our standard
- No fabricated rules, scoring, or Card details — ever
- Current-year Card verified before writing anything Card-specific
- No reproduction of the NMJL Card’s hand list
- Clear labeling when something is a house-rule variant rather than an official rule