The American Mahjong Glossary

A popular house-rule hand: seven pairs, no flowers, usually void if you draw a flower or joker after declaring. Pays big where it's played.

The early plastic of vintage mahjong sets. If you inherited your grandmother's set, it may be Bakelite, and it may be worth more than your car payment.

Short for bamboo, one of the three suits, numbered 1-9. The 1 Bam is traditionally drawn as a bird.

Passing 1-3 tiles you received without looking at them, allowed only on the first left and last right of the Charleston. Also called stealing.

Claiming another player's discard to complete an exposure, or to win. Say it loud and say it fast.

The 1920s dance craze that lent its name to mahjong's passing ritual. Both were everywhere in flapper-era America.

A tile that's safe to throw, usually because three copies are already visible or it fits nothing anyone seems to be building.

A hand marked C on the card: no calling discards allowed until the winning tile itself.

A card category built on runs of consecutive numbers in various suit arrangements.

An optional exchange of 0-3 tiles with the player across from you after the Charleston ends.

Short for character, the suit showing a Chinese character meaning ten thousand under its numeral, numbered 1-9.

A hand disqualified from play: wrong tile count, an impossible exposure, or another rules violation. You stop playing but still pay the winner.

The circle suit, numbered 1-9. Simple, round, and easy on beginner eyes.

Red, Green, and White dragons. Each belongs to a suit: Red with craks, Green with bams, White (Soap) with dots.

The dealer position. East builds the biggest wall break, gets 14 tiles instead of 13, and discards first.

Tiles placed face-up on top of your rack after calling a discard, locking part of your hand in public view.

Bonus-style tiles, eight per set. Under NMJL rules all flowers are interchangeable, no matter what's painted on them.

A tile that likely completes an opponent's hand. Discard at your own risk. Late in the game, the discarder pays double.

The wildcard, eight per set. Substitutes for any tile in a pung, kong, quint, or sextet, but never in a pair or single.

Swapping a natural tile from your hand for a matching joker sitting in any player's exposure. It's your right, on your turn, after you draw and rack.

Winning with zero jokers in a hand that could have used them. It doubles everyone's payment.

Four identical tiles.

A card category using the same number across different suits.

What you call (and often shout) when you complete your hand: 'Mah Jongg!' Frequently shortened to maj.

The National Mah Jongg League: founded 1937, publisher of the annual card, keeper of American rules, and a charity fundraiser from day one.

A friendly loss limit: a fixed bankroll (say $5) per session. When your pie is gone, you play on but stop paying. A house rule, not NMJL law.

Three identical tiles.

The sliding arm on your rack used to push your wall section out to the table. Deeply satisfying.

Five identical tiles, impossible without jokers, since there are only four of each tile.

Physically placing your drawn tile on your rack, the act that closes the calling window.

Drawing your own winning tile from the wall. Everyone pays double.

Six identical tiles. Two jokers minimum, by definition.

The card's hardest section: hands of singles and pairs only. No jokers allowed (they can't fill pairs), which is why these hands score highest.

The White Dragon. Pairs with the dot suit, and doubles as the zero in year hands (like 2026).

Any player may decline the optional second Charleston. No vote, no veto-override. One 'no' ends it.

House variations agreed before play: pie limits, atomic, bettor rules. The NMJL discourages them; every table has them anyway. Always ask.

With five players, the fifth uses the wind indicator to bet on who'll win, sharing the win or the loss. A classic table rule.

The National Mah Jongg League's annual scorecard listing every legal winning hand. A new one arrives each spring, and everyone learns it together.

The pre-game tile-passing ritual unique to American mahjong: pass three tiles right, across, left, then optionally again the other way. Named for the 1920s dance.

The stacked rows of face-down tiles (19 long, 2 high per player) everyone draws from.

The wall runs out with no winner. Nobody pays; shuffle and deal again.

Shuffling the tiles face-down with both hands before building walls. Embrace the clatter. It's the game's soundtrack.

North, East, West, and South tiles, four of each. Featured heavily in the Winds-Dragons section of the card.

The time a discard remains claimable: until the next player draws AND racks their tile. Pause a beat before racking. It's good manners.

The letter at the end of every card line: X means the hand may be played exposed (you can call discards); C means concealed.

The card section built around the current year. As of the 2026 card, that means 2-0-2-6 with Soap as the zero.