Free Printable Mahjong Cheat Sheet

This one-page mahjong cheat sheet covers what beginners look up most: the tiles, the order of a turn, what you can call and when, the shape of a winning hand, and the steps of the Charleston. Print it and keep it beside your rack for your first few games.

The same sheet is below if you'd rather read it on your phone at the table. It doesn't include any hands from the American card: for American mahjong you need this year's official card as well.

The tiles

Three suits, numbered 1 to 9, four of each tile:

1 Dot9 Dot1 Bam9 Bam1 Crak9 Crak

Honors, four of each:

East WindSouth WindWest WindNorth WindRed DragonGreen DragonWhite Dragon

Extras by style: Chinese sets add 4 flowers and 4 seasons, American sets add 8 flowers and 8 jokers, and Japanese play uses none.

A turn

1. Draw the next tile from the wall (or call the last discard).
2. Decide which tile helps you least.
3. Discard it face up and say its name.
4. Play passes to the right: East, South, West, North.

You hold 13 tiles between turns and 14 during your turn. East starts with 14 and discards first.

Sets and calls

Priority: a call to win beats a pung or kong, and a pung or kong beats a chow. Lay called sets face up, then discard.

Winning

• Chinese and Japanese: 14 tiles made of four sets and a pair.
• American: 14 tiles that exactly match a hand on this year's card.
• Call "Mahjong!" and show your tiles. Drawing the winning tile yourself (self-drawn) usually pays more.

The Charleston (American)

1. First Charleston, required: pass 3 tiles right, then 3 across, then 3 left. A blind pass is allowed on the left pass.
2. Second Charleston, optional: left, across, right. Any player can stop it. A blind pass is allowed on the right pass.
3. Courtesy pass: 0 to 3 tiles with the player across. Both pass the smaller number.
4. Never pass a joker.

Jokers (American)

• Only in groups of 3 or more identical tiles.
• Never in a pair or as a single tile.
• Swap a real tile for a joker in any exposure on your turn.
• A discarded joker can't be called.

Before you start, agree on

• The minimum score needed to win, if any.
• How payments work, and what a point is worth.
• Whether the second Charleston and the courtesy pass are played (American).
• Whether seven pairs counts as a winning hand (Chinese).
• When you'll stop for the night.

Write your answers in the house rules box on the printed sheet.

Styles at a glance

FAQ

Want the full explanation behind each line? Read how to play mahjong, see every tile in the tile guide, or start at the beginner's hub.