American Mahjong (or Mah Jongg) is a tile-based game that originated in China but has evolved quite differently in the United States. While it shares roots with traditional Chinese Mahjong, the American version includes unique rules, scoring systems, and the use of a National Mah Jongg League (NMJL) card that changes annually.

Here’s a quick breakdown:

🀄 Basic Components

• Tiles: 152 beautiful tiles total (compared to 144 in Chinese Mahjong):

  • 36 Dots

  • 36 Bams (Bamboo)

  • 36 Craks (Characters)

  • 16 Winds (N, S, E, W)

  • 12 Dragons (Red, Green, White)

  • 8 Flowers

  • 8 Jokers (wild tiles unique to American Mahjong)

• Racks & Pushers: Players use racks to hold their tiles and pushers to start each round.

• National Mah Jongg League Card: The NMJL issues a new card each year, which shows the valid hands for play.