LEARN

Glossary

Heard a new word at the table? Find it among these 62 short definitions, with links to try each idea.

1 Bam: The bird tile. It is the 1 in the Bam suit.
allocation: Arranging hidden tiles between your two Siamese racks. You can move them again until they become exposed or declared.
Bam: A tile in the bamboo suit, numbered 1 to 9. The 1 Bam shows a bird.
blanks: Extra blank tiles included in some sets. Some groups use them under house rules. TileClack does not use them.
blind pass: Pass incoming tiles onward without looking at them, only on first left or final right in the Charleston.
C (on the card): C means concealed. Keep your groups hidden while building this hand. You may still call its winning tile.
call: Ask for the tile just discarded to complete a matching group of three or more, or to declare mahjong.
card: The list of winning hands. Your 14 tiles must match one complete row, including its group sizes, suits and instructions.
Charleston: The tile exchanges before American play begins. Pass three unwanted tiles at a time, keeping every joker.
claim: In TileClack, hold the current discard while you choose how to use it. At a table, say “wait” while you check.
Coach: Help with choosing moves during a guided or practice game. Turn to the Coach whenever you'd like to explore a choice.
colour (on the card): On the card, same colour means same suit and different colours mean different suits. You choose which suits to use.
concealed hand: A row marked C. Keep its groups hidden while building, and call only the tile that completes the whole hand.
consecutive run: Numbers that follow each other, such as 2, 3, 4 and 5. Read the card row’s instructions to see where the run may start.
courtesy pass: Exchange 0 to 3 tiles with the player across. Both players pass the lower number offered.
Crak: A tile in the suit marked with Chinese characters, numbered 1 to 9.
dead hand: A hand that can no longer win. An exposure that fits no card row makes it dead. In American play, you stop drawing and calling.
declared hand: A completed hand you have announced and shown. In Siamese, its 14 tiles stay fixed while you continue with the other hand.
discard: The tile you put face up on the table to end your turn. Name it aloud at a physical table.
discarder: The player who put out the current discard. In American play, they pay double if another player wins on it.
Dot: A tile in the circle suit, numbered 1 to 9.
dragon: Red, green or white (soap). Red matches Craks, green matches Bams, and soap matches Dots. You have four of each.
draw: Take the next tile from the wall to start a normal turn. Calling a discard replaces your draw.
East: The player who starts the game. In American play, East gets 14 tiles and discards first without drawing.
exposed hand: A card row that allows you to call discards for completed matching groups of three or more. You may also build it without calling.
exposure: A completed group shown face up after you call a discard. It stays exposed for the rest of the hand.
first Charleston: Three passes of three tiles: right, across, left.
flower: One of eight flower tiles. They all count as matching, even if their pictures differ.
group: One part of a winning hand, such as a pair, pung, kong or quint. Read each group’s size from the card.
guided game: A complete game where you choose your own moves, with hints and Undo nearby when you want them.
hold back: Use jokers in an exposure to save natural tiles for your other Siamese hand. It is an optional choice on the call sheet.
joker: A tile that replaces another tile in a matching group of three or more. You cannot use it in a single or pair.
joker exchange: Trade a matching natural tile you hold for an exposed joker. Do it on your turn, after drawing or calling and before discarding.
jokerless: A winning hand with no jokers. Eligible hands double payments again, but Singles and Pairs does not receive this bonus confirm.
kong: Four matching tiles, such as four 3 Dots.
Learner card: The practice card used throughout these lessons. It introduces winning hands gradually as you learn.
Lesson: A short explanation and a chance to try one part of the game. Come back whenever you'd like a reminder.
like numbers: A card section using the same number in several suits. Read the row’s instructions to see which numbers you may choose.
mahjong: A winning hand of 14 tiles matching one complete card row. Declare “Mah Jongg” and show your tiles for the table to check.
NEWS: One North, one East, one West and one South. These are four separate tiles, so none can be replaced by a joker.
pair: Two matching tiles. A pair cannot use a joker. You can call a discard to finish it only when it completes your whole winning hand.
practice game: A solo game against computer opponents. Use the Coach when you want help.
pung: Three matching tiles, such as three 7 Bams.
quint: Five matching tiles. A numbered quint needs a joker because only four natural copies exist.
quints (section): A card section with groups of five matching tiles. Numbered quints need jokers because only four natural copies of each tile exist.
rack: The holder for your tiles. Your hidden tiles face you, and exposed groups sit face up where everyone can see them.
racking: Placing your drawn tile into your rack. At a table, this closes the chance to call the previous discard confirm.
row: One complete winning hand printed on the card. Read its groups from left to right.
second Charleston: An optional round of three-tile passes: left, across, right. Any player may stop this round before it starts confirm.
section: A group of card rows with a shared theme, such as 2468 or Consecutive Run. Use your strongest tiles to find a promising section.
self pick: Win on a tile you draw yourself. In American mahjong, all three opponents pay double the row value.
Siamese: Two-player mahjong with two racks and two hands to build per player. There is no Charleston.
singles and pairs: A section using only single tiles and pairs. Jokers cannot be used, and these hands receive no extra jokerless bonus confirm.
soap: The white dragon. It matches Dots, or can stand for zero in a year. As zero, it has no suit.
suit: One of three numbered tile families: Bams, Craks or Dots. Each runs from 1 to 9, with four of each tile.
table rules: House rules a group adds or changes, such as extra tiles or special payments. Ask which ones apply before playing.
turn order: The order players take turns. American mahjong goes to the right, with calls able to interrupt.
value: The number beside a card row. It is the base amount used to calculate payments when that hand wins.
wall: The face-down supply of tiles you draw from. At a table, each player builds 19 stacks of two tiles confirm.
wall game: A game ending with no winner after the wall runs out and the last discard is settled. In American play, nobody pays.
wind: North, East, West or South. You have four copies of each wind tile.
year hand: A hand in the year section. On the Learner card, the year follows the server calendar. Each zero needs its own soap. The year tiles cannot use jokers.

Teaches on the Learner card · reviewed 2026-09-14