NEW TO THE TABLE
Your path to the table
Welcome to mahjong. Get to know the tiles, try your first hand and build up to a game with friends. We'll take it one step at a time, with short lessons you can return to whenever you need a reminder.
SAVE YOUR PATH
Create an account
Save your progress and pick up where you left off.
0 of 22 lessons
Day 1
Meet the tiles
Get to know your tiles, find matching groups and put them together for your first mahjong.
- 5 min
- 4 min
Pairs, pungs, kongs and quints
Recognise groups of two, three, four and five matching tiles.
Quick reference - 6 min
Your first mahjong
Finish a practice hand of four pungs and a pair, then declare mahjong.
Quick reference
Day 2
Take a turn
Get into the rhythm of drawing and discarding, then try calls and jokers to help your hand.
- 5 min
- 8 min
- 5 min
- 7 min
Call your winning tile
Call a discard to finish your hand, then read that hand on the card.
Quick reference
Day 3
Read the card
Take the card one row at a time and find a hand you'd like to build.
- 7 min
Reading the card
Read group sizes, suit colours and instructions to find a matching hand.
Quick reference - 7 min
- 6 min
Exposed, concealed and dead hands
Check whether a row allows calls and recognise an impossible exposure.
Quick reference - 5 min
Practise using the card
Play a hand using the card, with hints and visible opponents’ tiles.
Quick reference
Day 4
The Charleston
Trade spare tiles with your tablemates and explore what your starting hand could become.
- 8 min
- 6 min
- 6 min
- 5 min
Practise from the deal
Choose your own passes and play a full hand with help available.
Quick reference
Day 5
Exchanges and endings
Spot useful joker exchanges and get familiar with the different ways a hand can end.
- 7 min
- 6 min
Wall games and dead hands
Learn what happens when the wall runs out or a hand becomes dead.
Quick reference - 7 min
Day 6
Your first full game
Bring it all together in a full game, with visible opponents' tiles, hints and Undo to help you along.
- 25 min
Your first full game
Play a complete game with visible opponents’ tiles, hints and Undo.
Quick reference
Day 7
Join a real table
Try the view from a real table, work out scores together and get ready to join a game.
- 15 min
Play with opponents’ tiles hidden
Use exposures and discards to follow a game with hidden opponents’ tiles.
Quick reference - 6 min
Scoring and payments
Calculate payments from the row value, winning tile and jokerless bonus.
Quick reference - 10 min
At a real table
Practise table habits: naming discards, calling, exchanging jokers and asking for help.
Quick reference
0 of 19 lessons
Day 1
Meet the tiles
Get to know your tiles, find matching groups and put them together for your first mahjong.
- 5 min
- 4 min
Pairs, pungs, kongs and quints
Recognise groups of two, three, four and five matching tiles.
Quick reference - 6 min
Your first mahjong
Finish a practice hand of four pungs and a pair, then declare mahjong.
Quick reference
Day 2
Take a turn
Get into the rhythm of drawing and discarding, then try calls and jokers to help your hand.
- 5 min
- 8 min
- 5 min
- 7 min
Call your winning tile
Call a discard to finish your hand, then read that hand on the card.
Quick reference
Day 3
Read the card
Take the card one row at a time and find a hand you'd like to build.
- 7 min
Reading the card
Read group sizes, suit colours and instructions to find a matching hand.
Quick reference - 7 min
- 6 min
Exposed, concealed and dead hands
Check whether a row allows calls and recognise an impossible exposure.
Quick reference
Day 4
Exchanges and endings
Spot useful joker exchanges and get familiar with the different ways a hand can end.
- 7 min
- 6 min
Wall games and dead hands
Learn what happens when the wall runs out or a hand becomes dead.
Quick reference
Day 5
Build two hands
Explore two hands at once, moving tiles between racks and making calls with both plans in mind.
- 5 min
- 7 min
Arrange your two hands
Move hidden tiles between racks to organise two possible hands.
Quick reference - 8 min
Choose a rack when calling
Call for one rack while saving tiles your other hand needs.
Quick reference
Day 6
Declare and keep playing
Enjoy your first Siamese mahjong, then play on toward a second and see how the scoring works.
- 7 min
- 6 min
When to declare
Decide whether to secure a completed hand or keep its tiles available.
Quick reference - 7 min
Day 7
Your first Siamese game
Try a full two-player game and see what two hands you can build, with help close at hand.
- 25 min
Your first Siamese game
Play a full Siamese game with hints and visible opponents’ tiles.
Quick reference
Reference
- Rules referenceRefresh a rule for turns, calls, jokers, passing or scoring.
- Frequently asked questionsQuick answers to common questions while you learn.
- GlossaryLook up tile names and game terms.
- How to read the cardCheck group sizes, suit colours and the instructions beside a row.
- At a real tableA printable checklist for your first game with a group.
- What changes in SiameseTwo racks, no Charleston, two mahjongs.
Teaches on the Learner card · reviewed 2026-09-14