American Mah Jongg uses Jokers, racks, a tile exchange called the Charleston and a new card of winning hands every year. Chinese Mah Jongg uses none of those. That's why an American set has 152 tiles in play and a Chinese set usually has 144, and why the set you buy has to match the game your group plays.
Both games came from the same Chinese original. Mah Jongg arrived in the United States in the 1920s, and over the next decade American players changed it enough that it became its own game.
No. 1The card
This is the big one. In American Mah Jongg, the only hands that win are the ones printed on the National Mah Jongg League card, and the League has published a new card every year since it was founded in 1937. Every player needs the current year's card at the table. Our guide to reading the 2026 NMJL card walks through it.
Chinese Mah Jongg has no card. A winning hand is generally four groups plus a pair, and the hand is scored by its patterns. The rules don't change from year to year.
No. 2Jokers
An American game has eight Jokers. A Joker can stand in for any tile in a group of three or more identical tiles, but never in a single or a pair. Chinese Mah Jongg has no Jokers at all. More on how they work in our guide to Jokers.
No. 3The Charleston
Every American hand starts with the Charleston: players pass three tiles right, across and left to trade away what they don't want. Nothing like it exists in the Chinese game. It's so central to American play that we named our company after it. Here's how the Charleston works.
No. 4Runs
Chinese players can build runs, such as 4, 5, 6 of one suit (called a chow), and can claim a discard to finish one. American players can never call a discard to make a run. In American Mah Jongg you only call for identical tiles: a pung, kong or quint.
No. 5The tiles
An American game uses 152 tiles:
- 108 suit tiles: Bams, Craks and Dots, 1 through 9, four of each
- 16 Winds and 12 Dragons
- 8 Flowers
- 8 Jokers
Most American sets also include spares. Our Complete American Mah Jongg Set, for example, has 166 tiles: extra Flowers, two extra Jokers and four blanks. American tiles also carry small numbers and letters in the corners, so you can read your rack at a glance. Our tile guide covers every tile.
Chinese sets vary by regional style. Many have 144 tiles (the same suits, Winds and Dragons plus Flowers and Seasons), and some styles play with 136 and no bonus tiles.
No. 6Racks
American players keep their tiles on racks, usually with a pusher arm that slides the wall forward. Chinese players generally stand their tiles on the table. So an American set comes with four racks, and a Chinese set usually doesn't.
Can you mix sets?
A Chinese set for American Mah Jongg: not really. It has no Jokers, and the American game depends on them. You'd also need to buy racks.
An American set for Chinese Mah Jongg: yes. Set the Jokers aside, use the eight Flowers as the Flowers and Seasons, and play without the racks if you like.
Which set should you buy?
Learning from scratch: tiles, racks, dice and chips$100
Playing by hand with racksShop the collection
Playing on a compatible automatic tableShop the collection
Then add a current National Mah Jongg League card for each player.
One thing to know before you shop online: the "Mahjong" game on your phone is a one-person tile-matching puzzle. It uses the same tiles, but it isn't American or Chinese Mah Jongg, which are four-player table games.
Common questions
Is American Mah Jongg harder than Chinese?
Not harder, just different. The American card shows you every winning hand, which many beginners like. Chinese styles ask you to learn scoring patterns instead.
What's the difference between American and Chinese Mah Jongg sets?
An American set adds eight Jokers and four racks, and usually has corner numbers on the tiles. A Chinese set has neither Jokers nor racks.
Why does American Mah Jongg need a new card every year?
The National Mah Jongg League changes the winning hands every year, so last year's card is out of date once the new one arrives.