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Which Mahjong Variant Do You Play? A Four-Question Quiz

Four questions about how your table actually plays. No personality types, no “what kind of player are you”, just the differences that decide which set you need.

1. Does your group play from a printed list of hands that is replaced every year?

2. Are jokers part of your game?

3. Do you mostly play on an app or online, Mahjong Soul, Riichi City, or similar?

4. Does your table use racks and pushers, with players sitting down to a regular weekly or monthly game?

American mahjong

Your table plays the American variant: hands set by an annual card, jokers as wild cards, and the Charleston exchange before play. Sets for it come with racks and pushers, and the tiles carry the extra jokers the game needs.

You will need the current year's card as well as a set, every player needs her own copy.

What this means for your set →

Chinese or Japanese mahjong

Your table plays one of the international styles: the classic Chinese game (144 tiles, with flowers and seasons) or Japanese riichi (136 tiles, no flowers). Both score by the value of the hand you build rather than by matching a printed line, and neither uses jokers.

What this means for your set →

Start over


Want the full comparison rather than a quiz? Read American vs Chinese Mahjong: What's the Difference.

Independent, not affiliated with the National Mah Jongg League. The annual card is sold by the League; order it here.