Any 1 Suit, Any 2 Suits, Any 3 Suits
Words printed beside a hand on the card. Any 1 suit means all the numbers in the hand come from one suit, and you pick which. Any 3 suits means the hand uses all three.
See also: Suit, Colors on the Card
Mahj Lab · Words at the table
Mahjong Glossary
Every word you'll hear at the table, explained simply, with tile pictures
A
B
Bam
Also called Bamboo, Sticks
One of the three suits. Bams run from 1 to 9, with four of each tile. Count the bamboo sticks to know the number. The Green Dragon goes with Bams.
Bird Bam
Also called 1 Bam
The 1 Bam. Instead of a single bamboo stick, it usually shows a bird, so players call it the bird bam.
See also: Bam
Blank
Also called Zombie tile
Some sets come with 6 blank tiles, and some tables play with them. A blank is never part of a hand. If your table uses them, you can trade a blank from your rack for a tile in the thrown pile and bring it back to life. I call them zombie tiles. House rules vary, so ask your group.
See also: Discard
Blind Pass
Also called Steal
During the Charleston, on the first Left pass or the last Right pass, you may pass along tiles you were just handed without looking at them. It helps when you have nothing you want to give up.
See also: Charleston
C
Call
Also called Calling a tile
Taking a tile someone else just threw. You may call it when it finishes a group of three or more of the same tile (then you set that group face up on your rack), or when it is the last tile you need for Mahjong. You may not call a tile for a single or a pair unless it wins the game. Say "Call!" before the next player draws.
Card
Also called The card
The list of winning hands for the year, published every spring by the National Mah Jongg League. Every winning hand has to match a line on the current card, so everyone at the table plays from the same one.
See also: Section, Value, Colors on the Card
Charleston
The tile passing that happens before play starts. Everyone passes three tiles to the Right, then Across, then to the Left. A second Charleston (Left, Across, Right) is optional, and any player may stop it. Jokers are never passed.
See also: Blind Pass, Courtesy Pass
Colors on the Card
Hands on the card are printed in up to three colors. The colors don't stand for one particular suit. They tell you how many suits to use: numbers in the same color come from the same suit, and different colors mean different suits. A dragon printed in a suit's color is that suit's dragon.
See also: Any 1 Suit, Any 2 Suits, Any 3 Suits, Dragon
Concealed Hand
Marked C on the card
A hand marked C on the card. You build it entirely from tiles you draw and pass, without calling. The one exception is the very last tile, which you may call to win.
See also: Exposed Hand, Call
Consecutive Run
A hand built from numbers in a row, like 1, 2, 3 or 5, 6, 7.
See also: Section
Courtesy Pass
After the Charleston, you and the player across from you may trade up to three tiles. If one of you wants to pass fewer, you both pass the smaller number.
See also: Charleston
Crak
Also called Character, Crack
One of the three suits. Craks run from 1 to 9, four of each. The red character at the bottom of every Crak means "ten thousand." The Red Dragon goes with Craks.
D
Dead Hand
A hand that can no longer win, for example because you set out a group that doesn't fit any hand on the card or you have the wrong number of tiles. A dead hand stops playing but still pays the winner.
See also: Exposure
Dealer
Also called East
The player who starts the game. The dealer sits in the East seat, starts with 14 tiles instead of 13, and throws the first tile. After each game the deal moves to the next player.
See also: Wall
Discard
Also called Throw
The tile you put face up in the middle of the table at the end of your turn. Say its name as you throw it, like "5 Dot" or "North."
Dot
Also called Circle, Coin
One of the three suits. Dots run from 1 to 9, four of each. Count the circles to know the number. Soap, the White Dragon, goes with Dots.
Dragon
There are three dragons, four of each: Green, Red, and White (called Soap). Each one belongs to a suit: Green with Bams, Red with Craks, and Soap with Dots. On the card, a D stands for a dragon.
See also: Soap, Colors on the Card
Draw
Taking the next tile from the wall at the start of your turn. Every turn is Draw, Decide, Discard.
E
Exposed Hand
Marked X on the card
A hand marked X on the card. You may call thrown tiles to finish groups of three or more and set them face up as you go.
See also: Concealed Hand, Exposure
Exposure
Also called Exposed group
A group you set face up on your rack after calling a tile. Everyone can see it. On their turn, any player holding the real tile can trade it for a joker in your exposure.
See also: Call, Joker Exchange
F
Flower
There are 8 Flowers. The pictures may be different, and some sets add numbers or seasons, but every Flower counts as the same tile. On the card, an F stands for a Flower.
H
J
Joker
The wild tile. A Joker can stand in for any tile in a group of three or more of the same tile. It can never be used in a single, a pair, or a mixed group like NEWS or 2026. A standard set has 8.
See also: Joker Exchange, Pung, Pair
Joker Exchange
Also called Redeeming a joker
On your turn, if a player has a joker in an exposed group and you hold the real tile it stands for, you may swap your tile for the joker and keep the joker.
Jokerless
A winning hand made without any jokers. Most tables pay double for it. Hands in the Singles and Pairs section can never use jokers, so they don't get the bonus.
See also: Joker, Singles and Pairs
K
L
Like Numbers
Hands that use the same number in different suits, like a 5 Bam, 5 Crak, and 5 Dot.
See also: Section
M
N
P
Q
R
Rack
The stand that holds your tiles so only you can see them. Most racks have a pusher arm for sliding your wall toward the middle of the table.
See also: Wall
S
Section
The card is divided into sections, each a family of hands, such as the year hands, 2468, Like Numbers, Consecutive Run, 13579, Winds and Dragons, 369, and Singles and Pairs. Section names can change a little from year to year.
See also: Card
Self-Pick
Also called Self-drawn
Winning with a tile you drew from the wall yourself, instead of calling a thrown tile. Every player pays you double.
Sextet
Six of the same tile. Like a quint, it needs jokers unless it's Flowers.
See also: Quint
Single
One tile on its own in a hand. Jokers can't be used for a single.
See also: Pair
Singles and Pairs
A section of hands made only of single tiles and pairs, so jokers can't be used. These hands are always concealed.
See also: Single, Pair, Concealed Hand
Soap
Also called White Dragon
The White Dragon, the tile with just a frame on it. It goes with Dots, and it also stands in for zero, like the 0 in 2026.
Suit
The three suits are Bams, Craks, and Dots. Winds, dragons, flowers, and jokers are not suits.
V
W
Wall
Before each game, every player builds a row of tiles two high in front of their rack. Tiles are dealt from the walls, and every draw comes from the wall.
Wall Game
When the last tile is drawn and nobody has won. No one pays. Shuffle and play again.
See also: Wall
Winds
North, East, West, and South, four of each (16 in all). When you throw one, say the direction, like "North."
See also: NEWS
Y
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Want to see these words in action? Play Your First Hand, a five-minute lesson with real tiles.