Highland Mahj
Watercolor painting of a mountain trail through wildflowers

Learn Mahjong

Start here.
You can learn this.

Eight small steps to your first game

Beginner path

Eight lessons to your first game

Work through these in order, then keep this page nearby during your first few games.

Step 1

Meet the tile families

Dots, bams, cracks, winds, dragons, flowers, and jokers.

Step 2

Build the wall

Set up the tiles, choose East, and understand how a game begins.

Step 3

Read the card

Learn what the colors mean and how to read groups, suits, and repeated numbers.

Step 4

Learn the Charleston

Practice the passing sequence and use it to improve your starting hand.

Step 5

Pick and discard

Understand the turn rhythm and how your hand changes.

Step 6

Call a tile

Learn when you may call a discard and when your hand must stay concealed.

Step 7

Use jokers wisely

Know where jokers can go, and where they can never go.

Step 8

Call mahjong

Finish a valid hand, check it against the card, and celebrate.

Put it into practice

Learn at your own table

The beginner handbook walks you from the very first tile to your first game, and the quick guide keeps the basics beside you while you play.

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Beginner questions

Things everyone asks at first

No. The colors show which groups go together. Groups printed in the same color must be the same suit, and groups in different colors must be different suits. The color doesn't mean you need a tile of that color.
No. Jokers go in groups of three or more identical tiles, never in a single or a pair.
Absolutely not. Experienced players use the card during play. The skill is learning how to read it and narrow your choices.
A concealed hand has to be completed without calling discards to expose groups.