Mahjiku › Mahjong variants › American vs Chinese Official
American and Chinese Official mahjong differ above all in how a hand is scored: American counts in points (card-assigned) (fixed point value per card pattern), Chinese Official in points (the "81 patterns") (cumulative fan-counting against a standardized 81-pattern list). Beyond the scoring, the tile sets are different sizes (152 against 144), and they treat jokers differently. Both are played by 4 players, and the everyday consequence is that a hand worth a lot at one table can be worth very little at the other.
How American and Chinese Official mahjong differ — the tile set, the hand, and above all how each one is scored.
| American | Chinese Official | |
|---|---|---|
| Also called | American Mah Jongg | 国标麻将 |
| Played in | United States | China (competition circuit), international (WMO events) |
| Tiles | 152 | 144 |
| Flowers | 8 flowers — a distinct honor category; how many a hand needs is set by that year's card | 4 flowers + 4 seasons (8 bonus tiles) |
| Jokers | 8 jokers — wild only in groups of three or more (pungs/kongs/quints), never singly or in a pair | none |
| Hand size | 13 | 13 |
| Scored in | points (card-assigned) | points (the "81 patterns") |
| Scoring system | fixed point value per card pattern | cumulative fan-counting against a standardized 81-pattern list |
| Learning curve | advanced | advanced |
American. American mahjong (NMJL rules) is a four-player game where legal hands are defined entirely by an officially published card that changes every year, played with 152 tiles including 8 wildcard jokers and preceded by the Charleston tile-passing ritual.
Chinese Official. Chinese Official (国标麻将 / MCR) is the standardized competition ruleset created in 1998, built around 81 fixed scoring patterns and an 8-point minimum to win — designed to replace regional house rules with one standard.
Last updated: 2026-08-27.
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