American mahjong, from your first set to your first game

Compare tile sets by what is actually in the box, learn the rules and the Charleston, and find lessons and open play near you.

Check a set before you buy Learn to play

Where are you starting?

I need a set9 American sets compared by tile count, jokers, size and what is included.
I want to learnRules, the Charleston, jokers and the yearly card, in plain English.
I want a table near me15 checked lessons, studios and open-play groups, with prices where they are public.

The one thing to check before you buy

A standard American game uses 152 tiles: three suits of 36, plus 16 winds, 12 dragons, 8 flowers and 8 jokers. Chinese sets have no jokers, so they will not work for American play, even when they look the same in a photo.

Most American sets ship with 160 or 166 tiles. The extras are spare jokers and blanks, which is fine.

How to tell an American set from a Chinese one

: 108 suit tiles
: 16 winds
: 12 dragons
: 8 flowers
: 8 jokers

Find lessons and open play

We check every listing against the teacher's own website and note the date. We are adding cities every week.