Mahjiku › Mahjong variants › American vs Riichi
American and Riichi mahjong differ above all in how a hand is scored: American counts in points (card-assigned) (fixed point value per card pattern), Riichi in han + fu (han-fu scoring against a point table). Beyond the scoring, the tile sets are different sizes (152 against 136), 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 Riichi mahjong differ — the tile set, the hand, and above all how each one is scored.
| American | Riichi | |
|---|---|---|
| Also called | American Mah Jongg | 麻雀 / リーチ麻雀 |
| Played in | United States | Japan, international competitive scene |
| Tiles | 152 | 136 |
| Flowers | 8 flowers — a distinct honor category; how many a hand needs is set by that year's card | none — flower and season tiles are omitted from standard riichi sets |
| 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) | han + fu |
| Scoring system | fixed point value per card pattern | han-fu scoring against a point table |
| 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.
Riichi. Riichi (Japanese) mahjong is the modern competitive ruleset centered on the riichi declaration, mandatory yaku, and han/fu scoring — 136 tiles, four players, no flowers in play.
Last updated: 2026-08-27.
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