# Mahjong Island Rules: Everything You Need to Win a Hand

**Quick answer:** In Mahjong Island, you win a hand by being the first to complete 14 tiles that match one hand on the Island Card. Each turn, you draw one tile and discard one.

Source: https://mahjongisland.com/guides/mahjong-rules · Mahjong Island · Updated 2026-10-29

The Mahjong Island rules come down to one goal. Be the first player to complete **one hand on the Island Card**: 14 tiles that match one line on the card. The Island Card is Mahjong Island's own card of hands. The Island Card 2027 has 45 hands in 9 sections, and each month adds 3 Bonus Hands.

Each hand on the card is written as groups of identical tiles. A **Pair** is 2 identical tiles, a **Set** is 3 (called a pung in traditional mahjong), and a **Quad** is 4. Some lines also ask for a Single (1), a Quint (5), or a Sextet (6). Some ask for numbers in a row, like 1-2-3-4-5, as Singles.

Tiles: 7 Dot, 7 Dot, 7 Dot. A Set: three matching 7 Dot tiles.

Tiles: Red Dragon, Red Dragon. A Pair: two Red Dragons.

Tiles: 3 Bam, 3 Bam, 3 Bam, 3 Bam. A Quad: four 3 Bam tiles.

For every hand on the card, with examples, see [Mahjong Island Winning Hands](/guides/mahjong-winning-hands).

## What tiles are in the game?

Mahjong Island plays with 152 tiles. There are three suits, Bam, Crak, and Dot, each numbered 1 to 9. There are four Winds (East, South, West, North) and three Dragons (Red, Green, and White, called Soap). There are 4 copies of each, plus 8 Flowers and 8 Jokers.

Winds and Dragons can fill groups too. For a closer look at each tile, read [Mahjong Island Tiles Explained: Suits, Winds, and Dragons](/guides/mahjong-tiles).

Tiles: East, East, East. A Set of Winds: three East tiles.

## How does the deal work?

Each player is dealt 13 tiles. The dealer gets a 14th tile. The dealer discards first, once the Charleston is done.

A Mahjong Island match is 4 hands. The dealer moves around the table, so every seat deals once.

## How does the Charleston work?

Before play begins, players trade tiles in the Charleston. Everyone passes 3 tiles to the right, then 3 across, then 3 to the left. Jokers are never passed.

Then comes a vote. If every player says yes, a second Charleston passes 3 left, 3 across, and 3 right. Last is the courtesy pass, 0 to 3 tiles with the player across.

## What happens on your turn?

On your turn, you draw one tile from the Draw Pile, the shared stack of face-down tiles. Then you discard 1 tile into your Discards. You hold 13 tiles, draw to 14, then go back to 13. If your hand is complete after the draw, you do not discard: you Win.

[Draw one, discard one](https://mahjongisland.com/learn/draw-discard)

## When can you take a discarded tile?

You may Take Tile, picking up another player's discard, for only two reasons. One is to Win. The other is to make an Open Group, a face-up group of 3 to 6 identical tiles, that a hand on the card still allows.

A hand marked C on the card is Concealed: you cannot take a discard for it, except the winning tile.

If more than one player wants the same tile, a Win comes first. Otherwise, the player closest after the discarder gets the tile.

A Group made with a taken tile goes face up as an Open Group. After taking, you do not draw, and you discard right away. The post on [drawing after taking a tile](/blog/do-you-draw-after-taking-a-tile-in-mahjong) explains more.

## How do Jokers work?

A Joker is wild. It can stand in for a tile in a Set, Quad, Quint, or Sextet. It can never stand in for a Single or a Pair. Every game deals 8 Jokers, each a different kind.

Tiles: 5 Crak, 5 Crak, Palm Joker. A Set with a Joker: two 5 Crak tiles and a Joker as the third.

A discarded Joker is dead: nobody can take it. On your turn, you may also make a Joker swap. If an Open Group has a Joker standing for a tile you hold, trade your real tile for that Joker. Then use the Joker in your own hand.

Learn more in [Mahjong Island Jokers: Rules](/guides/mahjong-jokers-and-card-drops) and in the post on [discarding a Joker](/blog/can-you-discard-a-joker-in-mahjong).

## How do you win a hand?

You win the moment your 14 tiles match one hand on the Island Card. You can draw the last tile yourself, which is a Self-Drawn Win. Or you can take another player's discard when it completes your hand.

[Win on any discard](https://mahjongisland.com/learn/win-on-discard)

Only the winner scores. To see how a winning hand is scored, read [How Mahjong Island Scoring Works](/guides/mahjong-scoring).

## What happens if nobody wins?

If the Draw Pile runs out and nobody has won, the hand is a draw. Nobody scores that hand.

[When nobody wins](https://mahjongisland.com/learn/nobody-wins)

## What does not win?

Only a hand on the Island Card wins: a rack of Sets and a Pair that is not a line on the card does not win.

Ready to try it? You can play a hand against 3 bots in your browser, with no sign-up. New players can also start with [How to Play Mahjong Island: A Beginner's Guide](/guides/how-to-play-mahjong).

[Play a hand free](https://mahjongisland.com/play?new=1)

## Frequently asked questions

### How many tiles do you need to win in Mahjong Island?

You need 14 tiles that match one hand on the Island Card.

### Can a Joker be used in a Pair?

No. A Joker can fill a Set, Quad, Quint, or Sextet, but never a Single or a Pair.

### Can you pass a Joker in the Charleston?

No. Jokers are never passed in the Charleston.

### Who gets a discard if two players want it?

A Win comes first. Otherwise, the player closest after the discarder gets the tile.

### Is Mahjong Island free to play?

Yes. You can play a hand against 3 bots at mahjongisland.com in your browser, with no sign-up and no download.