Jokers in American Mahjong: How Many, Where They Can Go, and Joker Exchanges
An American mahjong game uses 8 jokers. A joker can stand in for any tile in a group of 3 or more identical tiles (a pung, kong, quint or sextet) and never in a single or a pair. Many sets come with 10 jokers; the 2 extras are spares.
Chinese, Hong Kong and Japanese mahjong use no jokers at all. Everything below applies to the American (NMJL) game only.
How many jokers are in a set, and how many do you play with?
| Count | What it means |
|---|---|
| 8 | Jokers in play in a 152-tile American game |
| 10 | Jokers in many 166-tile retail sets (2 spares) |
| 0 | Jokers in a 144-tile Chinese or Hong Kong set |
Two American sets we checked list 10 jokers in a 166-tile box. Before you build the wall, take out the 2 spares. Playing with 10 makes joker-heavy hands easier than the card's values assume.
Where can a joker be used?
Only in groups of identical tiles, 3 or more long. That's the whole rule. The table spells it out.
| Grouping | Example | Joker allowed? |
|---|---|---|
| Pung (3 identical) | 5 Dot, 5 Dot, joker | Yes |
| Kong (4 identical) | North, joker, joker, North | Yes |
| Quint (5 identical) | 2 Bam x 2, joker x 3 | Yes |
| Sextet (6 identical) | Any 6 identical tiles | Yes |
| Pair | Red Dragon, joker | No, never |
| Single | One tile standing alone in a hand | No, never |
| Mixed group of different tiles | A year written in tiles, or N-E-W-S | No: the tiles aren't identical |
Quints and sextets need jokers by definition. A set has only 4 of each tile, so 5 identical tiles means at least 1 joker, and 6 means at least 2.
How does a joker exchange work?
On your turn, you may swap a natural tile from your rack for a joker in any exposure on the table. Yours or anyone else's. The natural tile has to be the exact tile the joker stands for.
Example: West has exposed 7 Crak, 7 Crak, joker. You hold a 7 Crak. On your turn, after you draw, you put your 7 Crak in West's exposure and take the joker into your rack. You can do this as many times as you have matching tiles, on 1, 2 or 3 racks, before you discard.
What you can't do: claim a discard to make the swap. A discarded tile can only be claimed for an exposure or for Mah Jongg. To exchange, the natural tile must already be in your rack.
Mah Jongg by exchange: if an exchange completes your hand, it counts as self-drawn, so every player pays you double.
What happens when someone discards a joker?
It's dead. Nobody can claim it, for an exposure or for Mah Jongg. Most players just say "joker" as it goes down, and play moves on to the next player.
Discarding a joker is legal, just rarely smart. One common use is late in a game, when a joker is safer to throw than a natural tile someone may need.
How do jokers change the score?
A hand with no jokers at all is "jokerless" and pays double. A hand from the singles-and-pairs section can't use jokers anyway, so it gets no jokerless bonus. Our scoring page works through the payments.
Common Rules Questions
What are jokers never allowed to be used for?
Official rule: a joker can never fill a single tile or any part of a pair, in any hand. It also can't go into a group of different tiles, such as N-E-W-S or a year spelled out in tiles, because those aren't identical. A discarded joker can't be claimed, and you can't use one to complete a pair even for Mah Jongg. Those limits are printed on the NMJL card itself each year.
How many jokers are in an American mahjong set?
You play with 8. A 152-tile game contains 108 suit tiles, 28 winds and dragons, 8 flowers and 8 jokers. Many sets sold today come with 10 jokers and 166 tiles in total, so you have 2 spares if a joker chips or goes missing. Leave the spares in the box; they aren't part of the game.
Can you claim a discarded joker to win?
No. A discarded joker is dead the moment it hits the table. You can't call it to finish a pung, and you can't call it for Mah Jongg, even when it would complete your hand. You may still win on your own turn with a joker you draw from the wall, or one you take from an exposure by a joker exchange.
Can a pung or kong be made entirely of jokers?
Yes, inside your rack. A concealed pung, kong, quint or sextet may be all jokers, and a winning hand can include such a group. An exposed group can't be all jokers, though. You start an exposure by calling a discarded natural tile, and a joker discard can't be called, so every exposure holds at least 1 natural tile.
What to read next
- American mahjong rules
- How mahjong scoring and payments work
- Mahjong tiles explained: 136, 144, 152 and 166
- Mahjong racks, pushers and accessories
- All mahjong rules
Sources: National Mah Jongg League rules as printed on the back of the annual card and in Mah Jongg Made Easy, quoted by Tom Sloper's Mah-Jongg FAQ 19 and the League's answers collected by Mahj Life; not checked against the book itself. No card hands are reproduced. Joker counts in retail sets from two contents lists captured 2026-10-10. Last updated 2026-10-10.
Sources
- National Mah Jongg League, Mah Jongg Made Easy and the rules printed on the back of the annual card (via Sloper Mah-Jongg FAQ 19 and NMJL answers quoted by Mahj Life)
- Retailer contents lists for two American sets (evidence/price_ymimports_ivory_ridge_fx-am019-a.html, evidence/price_narati_american_set.html)