American vs Hong Kong vs Riichi Mahjong: Which Style Is Right for Your Group?

Most people come to mahjong through a single tradition — a grandmother's version, a college dorm set, a YouTube rabbit hole that lasted three hours. Then they discover that the way they learned is not the only way, and the whole thing opens up.

There are dozens of regional variants, but three styles dominate in English-speaking markets. Here is a plain guide to each.

American Mahjong

The version most common at kitchen tables and club nights across the US, American Mahjong was formalised in the 1930s and today follows the annual card published by the National Mah Jongg League (NMJL).

Each year, the NMJL releases a new card listing the only legal winning hands for that year. You cannot win with a hand that isn't on the card — which sounds restrictive, but it does something useful: it levels the playing field. New players have the same card as veterans.

A few features that distinguish it:

• Joker tiles — eight extra tiles that can substitute for any suited tile. They are generous with new players and strategically interesting for experienced ones.
• Charleston — a mandatory tile-passing round before play begins. Unusual and distinctly American; most players either love it or quietly accept it.
• The card — buy one each April. Every player at the table needs their own.

Best for: groups that want a gentle onboarding curve, a shared ruleset, and an active social community to draw from.

Hong Kong Mahjong

Sometimes called Cantonese Mahjong, this is the style played across much of the Chinese diaspora and widely popular in Southeast Asia and the UK.

It plays with 144 tiles, no Jokers, and no annual card. Winning hands are more open — most standard combinations of sequences and sets count — but the scoring can be intricate, with multipliers for special hands, flower tiles, and concealed wins.

There is no Charleston. Play begins immediately after the deal, and the pace tends to be faster. Experienced players can feel the rhythm of a game in a way that American Mahjong doesn't quite replicate.

Best for: groups with at least one experienced player who can teach the scoring, those drawn to a more fluid, skill-expressive game, or anyone with a cultural connection to the Hong Kong tradition.

Riichi Mahjong

Japanese Mahjong — specifically the Riichi variant — is the style that dominates competitive mahjong worldwide and features heavily in manga, anime, and online play.

It plays with 136 tiles (no flower tiles in the standard format) and introduces the Riichi mechanic: a player who is one tile from winning can declare Riichi, locking their hand and earning bonus points if they win. It adds a layer of tension and information that the other styles don't have.

Riichi has a well-developed competitive scene and strong online communities (the game Mahjong Soul is Riichi-based). The scoring system is complex — beginners often lean on reference sheets for months.

Best for: players who want to go deep, competitive players, and those who want to connect with the global tournament scene.

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A quick comparison

| | American | Hong Kong | Riichi | |---|---|---|---| | Jokers | Yes | No | No | | Annual card | Yes | No | No | | Flowers | No | Yes (optional) | No | | Learning curve | Low | Medium | High | | Speed of play | Moderate | Fast | Moderate | | Online community | Strong | Strong | Very strong |

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Which should you choose?

Start with American if you have no prior mahjong experience in your group and want to be playing properly within an evening.

Start with Hong Kong if someone in your group already knows it, or if you want to learn the style that most closely resembles what mahjong looked like before it left China.

Work your way to Riichi when you're ready to play against strangers online, enter tournaments, or simply want the deepest game the tiles offer.

None of them is the right answer. Most committed mahjong players eventually learn two or three styles. The tiles are the same; the thinking is different; and the pleasure of each is real.

Pick one and start. You can always learn the others.