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Also on iPhoneDownload on the App Store

Play American mahjong anytime

Lessons

Chapter 1: The table and the tiles1Chapter 2: Foundations and your turn2Chapter 3: Reading the card, part 13Chapter 4: From deal to plan4Chapter 5: The Charleston5Chapter 6: Calls and exposures6Chapter 7: Jokers and blanks7Chapter 8: Reading the card, part 28Chapter 9: Defense9Chapter 10: Endings10Chapter 11: At a real table11

Play with friends

From the guides

Plain answers to the questions every new player asks.

All guides
Beginner guideHow to play American mahjongLearn American mahjong step by step: the 152 tiles, reading the card, the Charleston, calling discards, joker rules, and how winning and payouts work. Interactive lessons included.Charleston rulesMake sense of the CharlestonUnderstand the Charleston passing order, the optional second round, blind passes, and the courtesy pass, with a simple visual guide for American mahjong beginners.Joker rulesKnow when to use a jokerLearn when American mahjong jokers are allowed, why they cannot fill singles or pairs, how joker exchanges work, and the mistakes beginners can avoid.

The table is always open

Real mahjong, right in your browser

American mahjong is a four-player tile game built around matching hands on a card. You draw, discard and work toward a complete hand, with jokers, flowers and the Charleston along the way. Here you play the whole table game, with three bots in the other seats or with people online.

Start with a free solo game against three bots. New to the table? Take the American mahjong lessons, look up a term in the glossary, or read a guide.

A few things you might be wondering

Can I play without making an account?

Yes. A free solo hand starts right in your browser with no signup. This browser keeps the hand until it ends, for up to a week, so you can come back to it. It doesn’t earn lanterns or achievements.

What does a free account get me?

Your games are saved, you can play online with other players once you’ve finished three hands, earn lanterns to spend on tile sets and mats, and save your progress through the first three chapters of lessons.

What does Plus add?

Plus takes away the ads, lets you host and join private tables with your friends, opens lesson chapters four to eleven, and brings the full iPhone app to the same account. Everyone at a friends table, the host and each pal who joins, needs Plus. It starts with a seven-day free trial, and you can cancel anytime.

What card does the game use?

You choose before you play: NMJL 2026, The Big Card 2026, Marvelous 2026, or our own Mahjong Pals house card. Open the card at the table to see the hands you can make.

Can I play on my iPhone?

Yes, in your browser on any phone. There’s also the Mahjong Pals iPhone app on the same account: a free account takes the first lessons there, and one Plus membership covers the whole app and the website.