How to read the mahjong card
The short answer
Each line on the mahjong card is one winning hand of 14 tiles. Numbers are suit tiles, letters are flowers (F), dragons (D) and winds (N, E, W, S), and the colors tell you how many suits to use. Tiles printed in the same color share one suit. The letter and number on the right give whether you may expose and the value.
What the card is
The National Mah Jongg League publishes a new card every spring, and most American groups play from the current year's card. It lists every legal winning hand. You need your own copy at the table. A large-print card is available, and it is well worth it.
The sections of the card
Hands are grouped into sections by theme, such as the current year, even numbers, odd numbers, runs of consecutive numbers, or winds and dragons.
Section names change from year to year, but the idea is the same: each section collects hands built around one pattern. When you look at your tiles after the deal, scan the section headings first. Many pairs of even numbers? Look at the even section. Lots of winds? Look at the winds and dragons section.
What the numbers and letters mean
| You see | It means |
|---|---|
| 1 to 9 | Suit tiles with that number (bam, crak or dot) |
| F | A flower |
| D | A dragon. Its color tells you which dragon |
| N, E, W, S | North, East, West and South winds |
| 0 | The white dragon (Soap), used as a zero in year hands |
| Repeated symbols, like 222 | That many of the same tile: 222 is a pung of 2s |
Spaces on the card separate the groups. Read the line as a set of groups, not one long string.
What the colors mean
Tiles printed in the same color must be the same suit. Different colors mean different suits. The colors do not stand for specific suits.
If a line is printed in a single color, the whole hand uses one suit, and you choose which. If it uses two colors, the hand uses two different suits, and so on. Red on the card does not mean craks. It only means "a different suit from the green part".
A dragon printed in the same color as some numbers is the dragon that matches that suit: green with bams, red with craks, Soap with dots. See mahjong tiles explained.
X and C, and the value
At the right of each line is a letter and a number. X means exposed: you may call discards and set groups face up as you build. C means concealed: you must build the hand yourself and may call a discard only for the tile that wins. The number is the hand's value, used for paying the winner.
Some lines include a note in parentheses, such as which numbers are allowed or a reminder that a group must be a particular suit. Always read the note.
Practice: read an invented hand
Say a made-up line reads FF 1111 2222 3333 in one color. That is two flowers, then kongs of 1, 2 and 3, all in the same suit. One finished version of it:
If the same line were printed with the 1s, 2s and 3s in three different colors, you would need 1s, 2s and 3s in three different suits instead.
Common questions
When does the new mahjong card come out?
The League releases a new card every spring, and groups switch to it once everyone has their copy. Preorders usually open beforehand on the League's website.
How much does the mahjong card cost?
Buying directly from the League, the 2026 card was $14 for the standard size and $15 for large print. Resellers often charge more. Check the League's site for the current price.
Is there a large-print mahjong card?
Yes. The League sells a large-print version of each year's card.
Can I use last year's card?
Only if everyone at your table agrees. League rules use the current card, and most groups switch once the new one is out.