If you’re learning American Mahjong, one of the biggest steps is understanding how to build hands, read the National Mah Jongg League (NMJL) card, and use Jokers correctly. Let’s break it all down—simply and clearly.
The Building Blocks
Every hand in Mahjong is composed of tile combinations, known as blocks. Here are the five types:
- Single – One tile
- Pair – Two identical tiles
- Pung – Three identical tiles
- Kong – Four identical tiles
- Quint – Five identical tiles
Joker Rules:
- ❌ No Jokers allowed in Singles or Pairs
- ✅ Jokers ARE allowed in Pungs, Kongs, and Quints — use as many as you need!
Reading the NMJL Card: Color = Suit
Hands on the NMJL card are shown in blocks, with color-coding that tells you how many suits are needed:
- One color = One suit
- Two colors = Two suits
- Three colors = Three suits
Example:
If your hand on the card includes:
- Blue, Red, and Green blocks
You’ll need to represent:
- Dots, Craks, and Bams
But remember — The colors on the card don’t tell you which suit to use. You choose which suit to use for to each colored block, but they must match the color pattern on the card.
One-Suit Examples (One Color)
Example 1: All Dots (One Color = One Suit)
A hand might call for:
- Kong of 2s
- Kong of 4s
- Kong of 6s
- Pair of 8s
✅ Jokers allowed in the Kongs
❌ No jokers for the pair
Example 2: All Bams
The card shows:
- Pair of 5s
- Pung of 6s
- Kong of 7s
- Pung of 8s
- Pair of 9s
✅ Jokers allowed for Pungs and Kongs
❌ No jokers for the pairs
What About Flowers?
Flowers are always blue and interchangeable. If your hand calls for a pair of flowers, you can use any two flower tiles. If your hand calls for a pung or kong of flowers, you can use any combination of flowers and jokers. Numbers on flower tiles do not matter in American Mahjong.
Dragons & Their Corresponding Suits
Each Dragon matches a suit:
- White Dragon → Dots
- Green Dragon → Bams
- Red Dragon → Craks
Example:
If your hand is one suit using Craks, and a dragon is included, you must use the Red Dragon to keep the hand as a one-suit structure.
When the correct dragon is used with its corresponding suit, the hand is still considered one suit.
Winds & Year Hands
Some hands include:
- The year (e.g., 2017, 2025)
- Winds: North, South, East, West
- Dragons
NEWS is considered a block of single tiles.
Using Year Tiles
Each number is a single tile. For “2025” in Dots, use:
- 2 Dot
- 0 (White Dragon or Soap)
- 2 Dot
- 5 Dot
Joker Rules for These Hands:
- ❌ No jokers for single tiles or pairs
- ✅ Jokers allowed for any Pung (3 identical tiles) or Kong (4 identical tiles)
Advanced: Single & Pair Hands
Some of the toughest hands on the card are made up only of Singles and Pairs. These are called Singles and Pairs hands.
- ❌ No jokers allowed—at all
- ✔️ Best for experienced players looking for a challenge
- 🕰️ These hands often take longer to complete but offer big rewards
Final Takeaways: Quick Reference
| Element | Joker Allowed? |
| Single Tile | ❌ No |
| Pair | ❌ No |
| Pung (3 of a kind) | ✅ Yes |
| Kong (4 of a kind) | ✅ Yes |
| Quint (5 of a kind) | ✅ Yes |
Card Color Guide:
- One Color = One Suit
- Two Colors = Two Suits
- Three Colors = Three Suits
Practice Makes Progress
Reading the NMJL card and building hands takes time and repetition. But don’t worry—it will become second nature!
Keep this guide handy as you practice, and soon you’ll be reading hands and spotting patterns with ease.
Additional Reading
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