If you’re new to American Mahjong, one of the first confusing things about the National Mah Jongg League (NMJL) card is the colors of the numbers. Many beginners wonder:
- Does red mean craks?
- Does green mean bams?
- Does blue mean dots?
The short answer: No.
The colors on the card don’t represent specific suits. Instead, they tell you how many different suits you must use in the hand. Once you know this, the whole card becomes much easier to read!
The Color Rule in a Nutshell
- One color = one suit
- Two colors = two suits
- Three colors = three suits
The colors are just visual cues. You, the player, get to decide which suits to use.
Remember: Flowers and Winds are always printed in blue, no matter what.
Examples from the 2025 Card
Let’s look at how this works in practice:
One Suit (One Color)
If a hand is printed all in one color, you must build it entirely from one suit (plus any flowers or winds shown).
Example: 2468 line 3
Two 2s, three 4s, two 6s, and three 8s all in bams and four green dragons.
(But you could also choose to do all craks with red dragons or all dots with soaps, it’s your choice.)
Two Suits (Two Colors)
When the numbers are shown in two colors, you must use two different suits, arranged according to the card.
Example: 13579 line 2
Three 1s and four 3s in craks, and three 3s and four 5s in bams, or you could replace either the craks or bams with dots.
This run could also start with a 5 instead, so you could do 5-7-7-9 two suits.
Three Suits (Three Colors)
If the card shows three colors, you must use all three suits.
Example: Consecutive Run line 7
- Any 5 consecutive numbers with a pair anywhere in the numbers in dots
- Four of the matched pair in bams
- Four of the matched pair in craks
Each suit is represented somewhere in the hand.
Common Beginner Question
“Do the suits correspond to the colors on the card? And why doesn’t the card just say ‘any one suit’ or ‘any three suits’?”
Answer from the NMJL:
- Colors never correspond to specific suits. A red number doesn’t mean craks, and a green number doesn’t mean bams.
- Colors only show how many suits you need.
- One color = one suit
- Two colors = two suits
- Three colors = three suits (in any order)
- One color = one suit
- The card doesn’t always have space to spell this out, so colors are the shorthand.
Final Thoughts: Don’t Be Fooled by the Colors
Think of the NMJL card like a map:
- The numbers tell you what tiles to collect.
- The colors tell you how many suits you’ll need.
- You get to choose which suits to use.
Once you understand this, the card becomes less confusing and starts being more exciting and full of possibilities!
So next time you look at your card and see all those bright reds, greens, and blues, remember: the colors simply show how many different suits you need, not which suits to use. With that in mind, you’ll be one step closer to reading the card like a pro.
(Source: Mah Jongg Made Easy, 2024; NMJL Bulletin Q&A 2015 & 2019)
UNDERSTANDING THE COLORS ON THE CARD (Article 14)
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