American Mahjong Hands: Chart, Rules & Examples for Beginners
In American mahjong you do not memorize hands — you play them off the annual NMJL card. Understanding how that card is organized, and what its colors and letters mean, is the single biggest breakthrough for a beginner. This guide explains the whole system with examples.
How American Mahjong Hands Work
Every year the National Mah Jongg League publishes a card listing roughly 70 legal winning hands, organized into categories like 2468, Consecutive Run, Like Numbers, Quints, Winds–Dragons, 13579 and Singles & Pairs. Your 14 tiles must match one line on the card exactly — the exact tiles, in the exact suit pattern shown.
Each line also shows a point value (usually 25–75 points) and an “X” or “C” marking whether the hand may be exposed (called openly) or must stay concealed.
Hand Anatomy: Pairs, Pungs, Kongs and Quints
Every hand is built from four building blocks. A pair is 2 identical tiles. A pung is 3 identical tiles. A kong is 4 identical tiles. A quint is 5 of a kind — only possible with at least one joker, since there are only 4 copies of any tile.
Hands on the card mix these blocks. For example, a Consecutive Run hand might read: pair of 2s, pung of 3s, kong of 4s, kong of 5s (2+3+4+5 = 14 tiles). Learn the calling rules for each block in how to call tiles in American mahjong.
Reading the Card: Colors Mean Suits
The card prints tiles in three colors — and the colors tell you which suits to use. When a line is printed in one color, the whole hand is one suit. When different groups appear in different colors, those groups must be in different suits. Any tile shown in black or as text (like “any wind” or “any dragon”) is suit-free.
This is where beginners most often go wrong: a hand showing 2s and 4s in blue but 6s and 8s in red requires two different suits. Same-suit tiles where the card demands two suits is a dead hand.
The Main Categories on the Card
While exact hands change yearly, the category structure stays familiar. Expect to see: Year hands (built from the digits of the year, e.g. 2-0-2-6), 2468 (even numbers), 13579 (odd numbers), Consecutive Run (runs like 1-2-3-4-5), Like Numbers (one number in multiple suits), Winds & Dragons, Quints, and Singles & Pairs (the hardest, always concealed).
Flowers and winds appear as building blocks in many hands — usually as pairs, pungs or kongs — and they never have a suit.
Concealed vs Exposed Hands
An exposed hand (marked X) lets you call discards to complete pungs, kongs and quints, displaying them on top of your rack. A concealed hand (marked C) must be built entirely from your own draws — you may only call the final winning tile. Concealed hands pay more because they are harder.
Beginners should start with exposed hands: calling tiles accelerates your learning and keeps you in every game. See our beginner hand chart for the five easiest hands to start with.
Strategy: Committing to a Hand
Strong players keep 2–3 candidate hands open through the Charleston and commit only after seeing several draws. Watch what others expose: if an opponent shows a kong of 5 bams, every hand needing 5 bams is dead for you — pivot immediately.
When you are ready to go deeper, pair this guide with American mahjong strategy tips and the printable cheat sheet for your table.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many hands are on the American mahjong card?
The NMJL card lists roughly 65–75 hands each year across its categories, plus variations printed on the back. You only ever need to match one complete line.
What is the easiest American mahjong hand for beginners?
Exposed Consecutive Run hands and even-number (2468) hands are the classic beginner choices — the tiles are easy to spot, jokers help fill kongs, and you can call discards openly.
Can I use jokers in any hand?
Jokers may replace any tile inside a pung, kong or quint in almost every hand. They can never be used in a pair or as a single, and a few hands on the card restrict them — always check the line.
What happens if my hand matches two lines on the card?
You choose which line you are declaring and are paid that line’s value. You cannot combine values from two lines.
What does “soap” mean on the card?
Soap is the white dragon. In some hands it acts as a zero (for year hands like 2026) and in others simply as the white dragon tile — the card will specify.