Tile Wise American Mahjong · NMJL Style · Made for iPad

Finally feel confident
at the Mahjong table.

American Mahjong is hard. Tile Wise makes it learnable — structured lessons and 30+ quizzes, then two ways to play a full game on your iPad: a coached learning simulator that shows your best hands and which tiles to keep or pass, and a full game simulator against three AI opponents. Built for players who want to sit down with friends and actually know what they're doing.

Download on the App Store → See What's Inside

Now on the App Store — start free with a 7-day trial

Inside the App

See exactly what you're getting.

Built for iPad. Everything works offline.

Tile Wise Full Game Simulator on iPad — a realistic four-sided table with your hand along the bottom and three AI opponents' racks lining the top and sides

Play a Full Game

A realistic four-sided table with three AI opponents. Two ways to play — a coached learning simulator and a full game simulator — with full Charleston, calling, and real NMJL rules. Save and resume any game.

Tile Wise Master Assessment screen — 50 questions across 14 topics, score per topic area, strengths and weak spots, and links to review misses

Master Assessment

50 questions, 14 topics — scored by category.

Tile Wise Daily Practice complete screen showing 3 of 5 correct, a daily streak, and today's review topics

Daily Practice

5 questions a day. Build a streak.

Tile Wise quiz results popup showing score with Next Lesson button

Smart Quizzes

See your score, why you missed, and jump straight to the next lesson.

Tile Wise Charleston Practice screen showing tile rack with pass direction tabs and Strategy Tip

Charleston Practice

Step through every pass — Right, Across, Left — with color-coded tiles and a Strategy Tip at each stage.

What is Tile Wise?

The American Mahjong app built for players who want to stop guessing at the table.

Tile Wise teaches American Mahjong (NMJL-style rules) through structured lessons, adaptive quizzes, and a personal coach that tracks your progress across 14 topic areas — then lets you put it all into play. Sit at a full table and play complete games two ways: a coached learning simulator that suggests your best hands and tags every tile keep or pass, and a full game simulator for the real, unassisted experience. Built specifically for the National Mah Jongg League card — the version played by American social groups. Everything works offline on your iPad. No account required. Your data never leaves your device.

Features

Everything you need to get good.

Not just rules — a full system that meets you where you are and builds your game over time.

Daily Practice

5 targeted questions every day, weighted toward your weakest areas. Build a streak and watch your game improve.

Master Assessment

50 questions across all 14 topics. See your score by category — with direct links to review anything below 70%.

Pre-Game Refresh

5 rule reminders before you sit down — drawn from your weakest categories. Ready in under 60 seconds.

Charleston Drill

Practice the most strategic part of the game in isolation. Deal, pass, and get coached on every decision.

Coached Learning Simulator

Play a complete game with a coach beside you — it ranks your best hands, shows what each one still needs, and tags every tile keep, maybe, or pass as you draw and discard.

Full Game Simulator

When you're ready for the real thing, play a full hand against 3 AI opponents with no hints — Charleston, Pung, Kong, Jokers, and real NMJL scoring on a realistic four-sided table. Save any game and pick up right where you left off.

Ask Tile Wise

Type any rule question and get an instant plain-language answer. Fully offline — no AI subscription needed.

Performance History

Track quiz scores, daily streaks, and assessment grades over time. See exactly where you're improving.

My Card Builder

Enter your current NMJL card in seconds with a tap-to-build tile keyboard — no typing. The Coach and both simulators then play and validate against the hands you're actually using.

30+ Quizzes

Every NMJL topic covered — tiles, the Charleston, Joker rules, strategy, scoring, and more. Answers shuffle every time so you learn the concepts, not the order.

How It Works

From beginner to confident player.

A structured learning path — or explore by topic. The Coach guides you either way.

Learn the Foundations

Tiles, hand patterns, Joker rules, the Charleston, Flowers, scoring — every NMJL rule explained with quizzes after each topic.

Practice Every Day

5 daily questions weighted to your weak spots. The streak keeps the habit going.

Drill the Charleston

Deal tiles and run the 3-pass Charleston with the Coach telling you which hands to target and which tiles to pass.

Play Full Games

Sit at the table against AI opponents — first with the coached learning simulator guiding your hands and discards, then on your own in the full game simulator when you're ready.

How We Teach

Built on how people actually learn.

Tile Wise isn't just a rulebook with a quiz bolted on. Every feature is built around established learning science — the same methods used in language apps and classrooms — so the rules don't just make sense once, they stick for game night.

Active Recall

You answer, then you remember.

Pulling an answer out of your own memory builds far stronger recall than re-reading ever does. So every lesson ends with a quiz — and the answer choices reshuffle each time, so you learn the concept, not the position of button B.

In Tile Wise: 30+ quizzes after every topic, with shuffled answers.
Spaced Repetition

The right review, at the right time.

Revisiting material at growing intervals is the most reliable way to move it into long-term memory. Tile Wise resurfaces the topics you're shakiest on instead of drilling what you already know.

In Tile Wise: Daily Practice and Missed / Unsure Tiles bring back exactly what didn't stick.
Immediate Feedback

Fix mistakes while they're fresh.

A correction lands hardest the moment you make the error — not days later. Tile Wise never just marks you wrong; it tells you why and points you back to the exact lesson.

In Tile Wise: Every quiz result explains each answer and links straight to review.
Scaffolded Practice

Train with help, then on your own.

The fastest path to independence is support that fades as you improve — learn it together, then do it solo. Tile Wise lets you play a full game coached, then take the training wheels off when you're ready.

In Tile Wise: the Coached Learning Simulator guides every hand; the Full Game Simulator removes the hints.
Deliberate Practice

Drill the hard part in isolation.

Mastery comes from repeatedly practicing the specific skill you find hardest — not from playing the whole game and hoping it clicks. So the trickiest, most strategic moment gets its own focused drill.

In Tile Wise: the Charleston Drill lets you run the passes over and over, coached on each one.
Mastery Learning

Spend your effort where the gaps are.

You learn fastest when practice is aimed at what you haven't mastered yet. Tile Wise pinpoints your weak topics by name and steers your practice there — instead of treating every player the same.

In Tile Wise: the Master Assessment scores 14 topics and weights your Daily Practice toward the weakest.
Liz Corbin, founder of Tile Wise and Liz Corbin Designs

From the Founder

I built this because I couldn't find what I needed.

"American Mah Jongg is so difficult, and yet the joy of finally sitting down and playing with confidence is completely worth it."

As a designer, a former corporate trainer, and a Mah Jongg fan, I was genuinely disappointed with the training and simulation options available. Nothing out there matched the depth the game actually requires, especially for American Mah Jongg. You need to learn tiles, the Charleston, Joker rules, reading the card, and strategy just to feel comfortable at the table for the first time.

I built Tile Wise to train myself, my friends, and my family. So many people would love to join their friends and play, but they lack the fundamentals to feel confident as a beginner and there is no easy on-ramp. The learning curve is real, and most people give up before they ever get to experience how fun this game actually is.

My goal was simple: an app that meets players wherever they are, whether a complete beginner or an experienced player with gaps, and gives them the tools to grow their understanding of the game in a way that is actually easy and enjoyable to use. Years of teaching adults complex skills shaped how every lesson, quiz, and drill is built — in the order you actually learn, so it sticks.

— Liz Corbin Creator of Tile Wise  ·  Former Corporate Trainer  ·  Owner of Liz Corbin Designs

Who It's For

Built for American Mahjong players at every level.

Whether you're learning for the first time or finally getting good enough to stop making mistakes.

Complete Beginners

Start at zero. Tiles, suits, the deal, the Charleston — explained before you ever play a hand.

Players Who Forget Rules

Pre-Game Refresh gives you 5 targeted reminders before you sit down — whatever you most often forget.

Intermediate Players

Master Assessment finds your exact gaps. Strategy lessons on defensive play, reading the table, and more fill them in.

Regular NMJL Players

Enter your current NMJL card for coaching against your actual hands. Daily Practice keeps your game sharp.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about American Mahjong and Tile Wise.

What is American Mahjong (NMJL)?+

American Mahjong (Mah Jongg) is a tile-based game played according to rules published annually by the National Mah Jongg League (NMJL). Players build 14-tile hands matching patterns on a card updated each January. Key features: the Charleston tile-passing ritual, Joker wildcards, and Flower tiles used where the card calls for them (no dead wall or replacement in the American game). Most popular in U.S. women's social groups.

Can Jokers be used in pairs?+

No — never. Jokers cannot substitute in a pair in any hand, section, or card year. Pairs require exactly 2 real, matching tiles. Jokers may only substitute in sets of 3 or more. They are also banned from Singles & Pairs hands entirely and cannot act as Flowers.

What order does the Charleston go?+

The First Charleston (mandatory): Right → Across → Left. Remember ROLLOR: Right-Over-Left, Left-Over-Right. The Second Charleston (optional, any player can decline): Left → Across → Right. A Courtesy Pass of 1–3 tiles may follow.

Does Tile Wise work with my current NMJL card?+

Yes — through My Card Builder. Type in your hand notations and the Coach recommends hands from your actual card. The Coached Learning Simulator also validates Mahjong declarations against your entered hands. The app ships with a fictional Practice Card for training, but entering your real card makes all coaching specific to what you're playing.

What's the difference between the learning simulator and the full game?+

Both play a complete NMJL hand against three AI opponents. The Coached Learning Simulator adds a coach panel that ranks the best hands for the tiles you're holding, shows what each hand still needs, and tags every tile keep, maybe, or pass — ideal while you're learning. The Full Game Simulator turns the coaching off for the real, unassisted experience. You pick your mode — and which card to play against — before each game.

Does Tile Wise work offline?+

Yes, completely. Tile Wise has no servers and requires no internet connection. All content, quizzes, both game simulators, and Ask Tile Wise are fully on-device. Your data — scores, streaks, card entries — never leaves your iPad.

How much does Tile Wise cost?+

7-day free trial with full access. Then $12.99/month or $99.99/year (about $8.33/month — save 36%). All subscriptions managed through Apple. Cancel any time from your iPad Settings.

Pricing

Start free. Stay as long as you're learning.

7-day free trial with full access. Cancel any time.

Monthly

$12.99

per month

  • All 30+ quizzes & content
  • Daily Practice + streaks
  • Master Assessment
  • Coached + full game simulators
  • Charleston Drill
  • Ask Tile Wise chatbot
  • My Card Builder
Download on the App Store
Best Value — Save $56/year

Annual

$99.99

per year — just $8.33/month

  • Everything in Monthly
  • Save 36% vs monthly
  • All 30+ quizzes & content
  • Daily Practice + streaks
  • Master Assessment
  • Coached + full game simulators
  • Charleston Drill + Ask Tile Wise
Download on the App Store

Available on iPad (iPadOS 17+). Subscriptions through Apple. After the 7-day free trial, your subscription auto-renews (monthly or annually) unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Cancel any time in Settings → Subscriptions.

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Available now on the App Store — start today with a 7-day free trial.

Download on the App Store

iPad  ·  iPadOS 17+  ·  7-day free trial