We all likely know what it means to "Mahj," but are you confident that you know the difference between a kong and a pung? How about a "heavenly hand?" Here is a non-exhaustive list of mahjong terms you may come across in playing our favorite game.
Mahjong: A rummy-like game played with tiles. The name Mahjong means Sparrow because the sound of shuffling tiles sounds like the chattering of sparrows. Players call "Mahjong" when they win.
Mahj: Short for Mahjong, often exclaimed when a player wins the game. Also used when you spy your friends across the room and say, "wanna Mahj?!"
Charleston: The passing of tiles, 3-at-a-time, around the table in a pattern. This happens after the deal before gameplay begins. Tiles are passed right, over, left, then left, over, right (ROLLOR). The first three passes (ROL) are required and after that any player can stop the Charleston or continue. If you choose to continue, you must do all three passes of the second Charleston.
Blind Pass: Passing tiles during the Charleston that were passed to you without looking at them. This is helpful if you don't have enough tiles that you want to get rid of--you can take tiles meant for you and pass them directly on. Blind Pass can only be done during the first left or the last right of the Charleston.
Courtesy Pass: After the Charleston, players across the table from each other agree to exchange 0, 1, 2, or 3 tiles with each other. This is the final chance to swap tiles before the gameplay begins.
Curtsy: This refers to pushing out the walls. Walls are pushed out in the opposite direction of gameplay. The dealer pushes out her wall first, then walls are curtsied to the left of the dealer around the table as needed.
ROLLOR: Right, Over, Left, Left, Over, Right. This is the acronym to remember which direction to pass tiles during the Charleston. First to the Right, then Over/across, then Left. Then, if your table chooses to do a second Charleston: Left, Over, Right.
East Seat: This is the first person to deal at the table. When you first sit down, all players roll the dice. The highest roll is the East Seat and deals first. After that first game, the deal moves around the table to the right.
Numbers of Tiles:
- Single - a single tile. Jokers cannot be used as a single in your hand. You cannot call for a single unless it is the final tile you need to Mahj.
- Pair - two like tiles. Jokers cannot be used to make a pair in your hand. You cannot call for a tile to make a pair unless it is the final tile you need to Mahj.
- Pung - a group of three like tiles. You can call for tiles to complete a pung and Jokers may be used for any or all of your pung.
- Kong - a group of four like tiles. You can call for tiles to complete a kong and Jokers may be used for any or all of your kong.
- Quint - a group of five like tiles. You can call for tiles to complete a quint and Jokers must be used to complete your qui9nt
- Group of Singles - groups of multiple non-matching tiles. For example 2023 or NEWS. Though they appear to be Kongs on the card, they are actually groups of singles and therefore cannot be called for and cannot use Jokers.
NMJL: The governing body of American Mah Jongg, the National Mah Jongg League. The NMJL is responsible for creating the cards we us to play American Mahjong. New cards are released every April.
Ghost: The empty seat when playing mahjong with 3 players. The Ghost is also sometimes called Sally or Bob, depending on your group.
Siamese: Playing Mahjong with just two players. In Siamese Mahjong, each player plays two hands at a time and Mahj is called once both hands have been completed by a single player. Siamese is a great way to get extra practice in, since you only need one other person to play. It is also a great way to learn a new card, as you get to p0lay multiple hands each game.
Bird Bam: The 1 Bam is also called Bird Bam because there is always a bird on that tile. Many groups choose to clink glasses and say Chers when a Bird Bam is played--a fun little house rule.
Soap: The White Dragon or Dot Dragon is also called the Soap because its rectangular shape looks a bit like a bar of soap. The Soap is the only dragon that can also be used as a zero; when it is used as a zero it has no suit.
Calling: Players claim a discarded tile by saying "Call," or "Pause." Only the most recently discarded tile can be called.
Exposing: When a player calls a tile, they must then expose that section of their hand to show that they have all of the tiles needed for that section. Only hands that have an X on the right hand side of the card can be exposed, so look carefully!
Concealed/Closed: Some hands have a letter C on the right hand side of the card, meaning they must be played closed or concealed. This means the player cannot call for any tiles to complete their hand except for the final tile to Mahj.
Live/Dead Tiles: The tile that has most recently been discarded is the Live tile. Live tiles stay Live until the next player racks their drawn tile. Once the next player racks their tile the discarded tile is Dead. A Dead tile can only be taken from the middle using a Blank and only if your group plays with blanks.
Heavenly Hand: After the deal, without passing any tiles in the Charleston, the dealer's hand is a Mahjong (complete hand to win). In this case, the dealer wins and there is no Charleston.