Quick answerThe colors on the NMJL card do not stand for specific suits. They show how many different suits a hand uses: one color means one suit, two colors mean two suits, three colors mean three. You pick which suits.
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Every American Mahjong player uses the same card for the whole year, published each spring by the National Mah Jongg League. It lists every hand you are allowed to win with. We do not reproduce the card here (it is the League's copyrighted work and it changes annually), but we can teach you how to read it. Buy the current card from the National Mah Jongg League; it comes in standard and large print.
The golden rule of colors
This is the single most confusing thing for beginners, so let's settle it first. A red number does not mean Craks. A green number does not mean Bams. The colors describe the relationship between the tiles, not the suit itself.
- One color: every numbered tile in the hand comes from the same suit. You choose whether that is all Bams, all Craks or all Dots.
- Two colors: the hand uses two different suits. The tiles shown in one color must share a suit, and the tiles in the other color must be a different suit.
- Three colors: all three suits appear, one per color.
Winds and Flowers do not belong to any suit, so they are printed in a neutral way and do not count toward the color rule.
Beginner tipRead the colors as a question: "How many suits, and which tiles have to match each other?" Then look at your rack and decide which real suit plays each color.
Decoding the letters
- N, E, W, S are the Wind tiles: North, East, West, South.
- F is a Flower. In American Mahjong all Flowers are interchangeable, so any Flower satisfies an F.
- D is a Dragon. When a hand needs the Dragon that matches the suit you are playing, use the standard pairings: Green Dragon with Bams, Red Dragon with Craks, White Dragon (the "Soap") with Dots.
- 0 (zero) is the White Dragon doing double duty as a digit. It appears in hands built from the digits of the current year.
| Symbol | Means | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| N E W S | Winds | Specific Wind required unless the card says otherwise |
| F | Flower | Any Flower works |
| D | Dragon | Matches the suit in play when the hand says so |
| 0 | White Dragon as zero | Used in year hands |
| 1–9 | Numbered tiles | Color tells you the suit relationship |
Groupings and spacing
The spaces on a line show how many identical tiles form each group:
- 1 is a single tile.
- 11 is a pair.
- 111 is a pung (three).
- 1111 is a kong (four).
- 11111 is a quint (five).
- 111111 is a sextet (six).
Every line adds up to 14 tiles. Remember the Joker rule while you read: Jokers can fill any group of three or more, but never a pair or a single.
X versus C: exposed or concealed
At the right edge of each line, next to the point value, you will find either an X or a C.
- X (exposed): you may call discards to complete pungs, kongs, quints or sextets, and you expose each completed group on top of your rack.
- C (concealed): every tile must come from the wall or the Charleston. You cannot call discards during play. The only exception is the final tile you need for Mahjong, which you may call from a discard.
Concealed hands are worth more points because they are harder. They are also a common cause of dead hands when a beginner exposes a group without noticing the C.
Read the small print
The text in parentheses next to a hand often makes it more flexible than the numbers suggest. "Any run" means you can shift the whole sequence up or down the numbers. Notes about matching Dragons, "any Wind" or "these tiles must be the same suit" change what counts as legal. Read the note before you commit to a hand, not after you have called a tile.
A simple reading routine
- Look at your pairs.
Pairs cannot use Jokers, so the natural pairs in your rack decide which lines are realistic.
- Pick a section, not a line.
Consecutive runs, evens, Winds, and so on. Let the Charleston narrow it down.
- Count the colors.
Decide which real suit will play each color in the line you are leaning toward.
- Check X or C.
Know before you call a discard whether calling is even allowed.
Does a red number on the card mean Craks?
No. Color only tells you how many suits a hand uses and which tiles must share a suit. You choose which suit plays which color.
What does the 0 on the card mean?
The White Dragon (Soap) used as a zero. It shows up in hands built from the digits of the current year.
What does C mean on the NMJL card?
Concealed. You cannot call discards to build the hand, except for the last tile you need to declare Mahjong.
Where do I get the NMJL card?
Order it directly from the National Mah Jongg League. It comes in a standard size and a large-print size, and a new card is released every spring. Everyone at the table should use the same year's card.
Official rules note. This guide explains American Mahjong as it is commonly played with the National Mah Jongg League card. House rules and tournament procedures can vary. For the official wording, use the current card and rulebook from the National Mah Jongg League. MahjongKit is not affiliated with the League.