The differences that matter first
| Game | What you aim for | What to learn first |
|---|---|---|
| American | A complete line on the chosen hand card. | Reading the card, Charleston passes and joker limits. |
| Hong Kong | A valid hand meeting the table’s fan minimum. | Sequences, triplets, a pair and a scoring plan. |
| Riichi | A valid hand with at least one yaku. | Closed hands, yaku, riichi and discard safety. |
| Solitaire | Clear the layout by removing free matching pairs. | Which tiles are free and which matches open space. |
American: follow the card
American mahjong makes the target visible. A hand card lists permitted combinations, and players work toward one of them using draws, discards, calls and, where permitted, jokers. The Charleston passes tiles before normal turn play, so choosing what to keep begins immediately.
Our American tables use the original Light Mahjong Card 2025. The year is part of that card’s name; it is not an NMJL annual card. The National Mah Jongg League publishes its own cards each year. If your group uses one, learn its current hands and rules from that card instead of assuming our recipes match.
Choose American practice if you enjoy comparing a rack with several possible targets. Our short lessons introduce passing, exposures and joker exchanges without asking you to memorize a full card first.
Hong Kong: build a hand with enough fan
A common hand consists of four sets and a pair. Sets can include sequences and identical triplets; declared kongs and special hands add detail. A complete shape still needs sufficient fan, the scoring units used by the table.
Light Mahjong uses a three-fan minimum and counts its flower bonuses toward that total. Hong Kong tables differ on minimums, scoring and payments, so ask before joining a physical game. Our mode is a place to learn this app’s rules, not a claim that every Hong Kong table is identical.
Riichi: build a shape and a reason it can win
Japanese Riichi also commonly uses four sets and a pair, but requires a yaku. Calling a tile can improve your shape while closing off certain yaku, so a call is a decision rather than an automatic advantage. Dora adds value but does not replace the yaku requirement.
A riichi declaration commits a closed, ready hand under the table’s conditions. Discards also matter defensively: furiten can prevent a win from another player’s discard. Choose this mode if you want to learn those constraints gradually alongside hand building.
Solitaire: matching rather than hand building
Solitaire shares the tile artwork but has a different goal. Remove two matching tiles only when both are uncovered and have at least one open side. You are opening a layout, not collecting a winning hand. It is a good choice for a quiet puzzle, but its rules will not teach table calls or scoring.
Choose a starting point
- Joining friends: ask for the exact variant and card.
- Learning American: try one Charleston pass, then one call.
- Curious about Hong Kong or Riichi: learn the sets, then check the winning condition before your first full game.
- Wanting a matching puzzle: choose solitaire from the lobby.
You can switch later. Learn one set of rules at a time so a useful habit in one game does not become a mistaken move in another.
A QUICK CHECK
Your friends use the current NMJL annual card. Will our Light Mahjong Card 2025 teach those exact winning hands?
Choose an answer. You can try again.
Rules & further reading
These guides distinguish our game’s rules from the rules used at other tables. Check your group’s agreed rulebook before a real match.