How to Read the American Mahjong Card (NMJL Card Explained)

The card is what makes American mahjong its own game. Every player aims for one of the hands printed on the current year's card, and the first to complete one exactly wins. At first it looks like code. This guide explains how to read it in general terms; it does not reproduce any hands, which belong to the League and change every year.

What the card is

The card is published by the National Mah Jongg League, founded in New York City in 1937 to standardize the American game. The League describes it as the card of official Standard Hands and Rules, and every American game is played against it.

A new card comes out once a year, in the spring, usually arriving in late March or early April; the League's order form treats the season as April 1 to March 31. At the time of writing, the 2026 card is current. A sensible habit is to switch to the new card as soon as everyone at the table has one.

The League sells the card on its website and by mail. At the time of writing it offers a standard card (5 1/8 by 4 inches) for $14 and a large card (6 1/8 by 4 3/4 inches), often called the large print card, for $15, with US shipping included. Every player needs their own.

Why the hands change every year

The League changes the hands, and sometimes the rule notes, every year. The League does not explain its reasons in detail on its website, but players generally point to two benefits: the game stays fresh, and veterans and beginners start each season on a more equal footing. The practical point: only the current card counts, so a hand that won last year cannot win this year unless it is also on the new card.

How the card is organized

Hands are grouped into themed sections. The exact headings and order can shift from year to year, but recent cards have used sections along these lines:

• The year: hands built around the digits of the current year, with Soap standing in for any zero.
• 2468: hands whose numbers are all even.
• Any Like Numbers: hands that use the same number in different suits.
• Quints: hands with groups of five identical tiles, which means using jokers (or flowers).
• Consecutive Run: hands built from numbers in sequence.
• 13579: hands whose numbers are all odd.
• Winds and Dragons: hands made mostly of winds and dragons.
• 369: hands whose numbers are threes, sixes and nines.
• Singles and Pairs: hands made only of single tiles and pairs, so jokers cannot be used.

Some years have added another section, such as addition or multiplication hands, where the numbers in a hand form a simple equation. Read the whole card when it arrives, including the back, which carries rule notes.

Reading a hand: the symbols

Each hand is a short line of numbers and letters, split into groups by spaces:

• Numbers stand for number tiles (Bams, Craks or Dots). A digit printed once is one tile. The same digit printed several times in a row means that many identical tiles: twice is a pair, three times a pung, four times a kong, five times a quint.
• F is a flower, printed the same way, so a group of F's means that many flowers.
• D is a dragon. Which dragon depends on the color, explained below.
• N, E, W and S are the four winds.
• 0 is Soap used as a zero. Soap is the only tile ever used as zero, and as a zero it has no suit.
• Notes in parentheses after a hand set its conditions, such as whether any suit or numbers may be used, whether the numbers must be exactly as printed, or how the suits relate. "Like" means "the same." If a note and the colors seem to disagree, follow the note.

What the colors mean

Hands are printed in up to three colors, which tell you how many suits a hand uses, not which ones. One color means one suit, two colors mean two different suits, and three colors mean all three suits.

Groups in the same color must share a suit, and groups in different colors must be in different suits. A green group does not have to be Bams; you choose the suits, as long as the hand follows the pattern. Flowers, winds and zeros have no suit, so their color does not tie them to one.

Dragons follow the colors too. A dragon in the same color as a group of numbers is that suit's matching dragon: Red with Craks, Green with Bams, Soap with Dots. A dragon in a different color belongs to a different suit. Our tile names and meanings cheat sheet explains the pairings.

X and C: exposed or concealed

• X (exposed): you may claim discards to complete pungs, kongs, quints and sextets and lay them face up as you go.
• C (concealed): you may not make any exposures before you declare mahjong. You can still win on a discard, but you show the whole hand at once.

Concealed hands are harder, because you cannot claim discards along the way, so they generally carry higher values.

The value column

Next to the X or C is the hand's value in points, the base amount for paying the winner. Under the standard rules, the player who threw the winning tile pays double and the others pay the base value. If you pick the winning tile from the wall, everyone pays double, and a jokerless hand doubles again (except hands in the Singles and Pairs and Quints sections). See American mahjong scoring and paying for the details.

How to choose a hand after the deal

1. Sort your tiles by suit, then set aside winds, dragons, flowers and jokers.
2. Look for pairs and pungs. Matching tiles often point to a section: mostly even numbers suggest the 2468 hands, several winds suggest Winds and Dragons.
3. Count jokers and flowers. Jokers help with pungs, kongs and quints but never with pairs. Pairs are the hardest part to collect, because you cannot claim a discard for them, so a hand whose pairs you already hold is a good sign.
4. Shortlist two or three hands that use as many of your tiles as possible.
5. Let the Charleston narrow it down. Pass tiles that fit none of your candidates and watch what comes back. Our Charleston guide covers each pass.
6. Commit, but stay flexible. Early in play you will usually settle on one hand, but switch if the tiles you need are being discarded or exposed by others.

Tips for beginners

• Keep the card in view. A mahjong card holder keeps it upright beside your rack, so you are not picking it up every turn.
• Keep two or three hands in mind during the Charleston. Locking in too early can mean passing tiles you will want later.
• Start with exposed hands. X hands let you claim discards, giving you more ways to finish. Just do not claim too early: every exposure shows the table your direction.
• Read the notes every time. A missed note about suits or numbers is an easy way to build the wrong hand.

Frequently asked questions

When does the new mahjong card come out?

Once a year, in the spring. Cards usually arrive in late March or early April, and the League's season runs from April 1 to March 31.

Is there a large print mahjong card?

Yes. At the time of writing the League sells a large card (6 1/8 by 4 3/4 inches) as well as the standard size (5 1/8 by 4 inches). Both list the same hands; the larger one is easier to read.

What does C mean on the mahjong card?

Concealed: you may not expose any groups before declaring mahjong, though you may win on a discard. X means exposed, so you may claim discards to make exposures.

Do the colors tell me which suit to use?

No. They show how many suits a hand uses and which groups must share a suit. You choose the suits, unless a note says otherwise.

Reading the card gets easier with every game. For the full flow of a game, see our guide to how to play American mahjong.