American vs Chinese mahjong: the real differences
American mahjong grew out of the Chinese game in the 1920s and then went its own way. The tiles look alike, but the way you win is completely different.
Checked and updated October 31, 2026
The short version
| American | Chinese / Hong Kong | Japanese riichi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How you win | Match a hand printed on the current year's card | Four sets and a pair, scored by pattern | Four sets and a pair, with at least one scoring pattern (yaku) |
| Tiles | 152 played, including 8 jokers | Usually 144, no jokers | 136, no flowers or jokers |
| Jokers | Yes | No | No |
| Charleston | Yes | No | No |
| Runs (chows) from discards | No | Yes | Yes |
| Flowers | Part of hands | Bonus tiles, set aside when drawn | Not used |
| Racks and card | Racks with pushers, a card per player | Usually no racks or card | No card |
| Rule-maker | National Mah Jongg League, new card yearly | Many regional and house variants | Several leagues and federations |
1. The card
This is the big one. In American mahjong, the only legal winning hands are the ones on that year's National Mah Jongg League card, and they change every year. In Chinese styles, any hand of four sets and a pair can win, and its value comes from the patterns in it. More about the card.
2. Jokers
American sets add jokers, which can stand in for tiles in groups of three or more. That makes big groups like quints (five of a kind) possible. Chinese and Japanese mahjong have no jokers. Joker rules.
3. The Charleston
Before play, American players swap unwanted tiles in a set sequence: right, across, left, and optionally again. Other styles go straight into play. How the Charleston works.
4. Calling discards
In Chinese mahjong you can pick up a discard to make a run (a chow) from the player before you. In American mahjong you can only call a discard to make a group of identical tiles, or to win.
5. Dragons and suits
American hands pair each dragon with a suit: red with craks, green with bams, white with dots. The white dragon also stands in for zero in year hands. Chinese styles do not tie dragons to suits.
6. The tiles themselves
American sets print Western numerals on the tiles and include jokers, often 10, plus extra flowers and blanks. Chinese sets often have no numerals. That is the quickest way to tell the sets apart: American vs Chinese sets.
7. Scoring
In American mahjong each hand on the card has a fixed value, and payments double for winning off a discard (paid by the discarder), for self-drawn wins and for jokerless hands. Chinese styles count points (fan or faan) from the patterns in your hand. American scoring.
Common questions
Is American mahjong harder than Chinese mahjong?
It is different rather than harder. American mahjong asks you to learn a new card every year; Chinese styles ask you to learn scoring patterns. Many beginners find the American card easier at first, because every legal hand is written down for you.
Can you play American mahjong with a Chinese set?
Not as it comes. Chinese sets have no jokers, and American mahjong needs 8. You can add joker stickers to blank tiles if the set has enough of them, and you will also need racks.
Can you play Chinese mahjong with an American set?
Yes. Set the jokers aside and use the suits, winds, dragons and flowers. The tiles are the same apart from the jokers and the Western numerals.
Why does American mahjong have a Charleston?
The Charleston is a tile-swapping round that developed in the American game. It gives everyone a chance to shape their hand toward one of the card's set patterns before play starts.
Sources: Wikipedia: American mahjong; National Mah Jongg League.