The short answer: American Mahjong arrived from China around 1920 and became a national craze by the mid-1920s. It got its modern form in 1937, when the National Mah Jongg League (NMJL) standardized the rules and yearly card. Growth continued through the 1970s, and the 2020s brought an online, younger revival.
So when did American Mahjong start? Ask five players and you will get five answers — 1920, 1923, 1937, 1970s, 2020. All are real.
How Did Mahjong First Reach America?
- Around 1920, travelers and merchants brought the game back from China, where it had been played for centuries.
- Joseph Babcock’s English rulebook, published in 1920, made the game easy to learn.
- It caught fire fast: by the mid-1920s, sets were everywhere and clubs opened nationwide.
- Jewish communities in New York kept it alive when the craze faded.
What Changed in 1937?
In 1937, a group of players — mostly Jewish women in New York — founded the National Mah Jongg League to end the chaos of conflicting rule sets.
- One official rulebook, so a hand in Brooklyn matched one in Los Angeles.
- A yearly NMJL card listing the winning hands everyone chased.
- Standard procedures for the Charleston, scoring, and play.
- The league still exists, and the card still comes out yearly.
If you need one date for when did American Mahjong start, take 1937. Growth then came in waves: suburban clubs through the 1970s, online play in the 2000s, and a younger online revival in the 2020s.
So the honest answer to when did American Mahjong start: around 1920 for the game, 1937 for the rules. New players: learn what a Mahjong card is and how to read a Mahjong card, then read up on the Charleston. Our guide to American Mahjong has the big picture.
Related Questions
Did Mahjong Come from China?
Yes. Mahjong originated in China, where it had been played for centuries before Westerners encountered it. The American version evolved from Chinese rules, adding the NMJL card and the Charleston after 1937.
Why Did American Mahjong Decline and Return?
The first craze faded in the late 1920s, partly because competing rule sets confused everyone. The NMJL fixed that in 1937, and club play kept it alive for decades. Online apps brought a new wave in the 2020s.
Is American Mahjong the Same as Riichi?
No. American Mahjong uses the NMJL card, jokers, and the Charleston. Riichi is the Japanese version, with different scoring, no jokers, and no passing round. Mahjong Solitaire is a separate one-player tile-matching puzzle.