What to Expect at a Beginner Mahjong Class

And What Not to Expect in Your First Lesson

So you’ve heard about mahjong and you’re thinking about taking a beginner lesson. But what actually happens at a beginner mahjong class? You don’t even really know what mahjong is- are you going to be out of place? Can you sign up alone? Sparrow and Dragon hosts mahjong lessons at Martin’s Mercantile in Summerfield and here’s what you can expect from our beginner classes.

First, you do not need to know anything about mahjong before you come to class. Our beginner lesson is 2.5 hours long and covers everything you need to know to play your first game. We’ll spend a few minutes talking about the history of mahjong and the different ways mahjong is played around the world, then we’ll walk you through the mahjong tiles and explain their names and how they work together. After everyone understands the tiles, we’ll introduce the National Mah Jongg League card and spend time teaching you how to read and understand the card.

At this point in the class, if you’re confused and slightly overwhelmed, you’re right on time. We’ll warn you before we get started that most people hit a moment when you start to question your decision to learn this game, but that’s the turning point in the class. Once we get through explaining how to decode the card, everyone will have the opportunity to practice trying to put a hand together. This is when everything you’ve learned over the past 40 minutes starts to click and people have a lot of fun realizing they’re starting to understand the game. Mistakes are welcome here because it shows us where students are confused and we can go over the elements of the card or rules again as a class. After we work on line practice, you’ll play your first game (with lots of coaching!) If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to say “Mahjong!” before class is over.

Second, you can absolutely sign up alone. Our classes at Martin’s Mercantile are in their gorgeous designated mahjong room and we provide everything you need to play American mahjong- including other people! Plenty of people come on their own and it has been lovely to see the friendships form over the mahjong tiles as students return for guided open plays. If you do want to sign up with a friend or two, there’s a place to tell us that on your registration form so we sit you together during class.

Here’s what you shouldn’t expect from your first lesson- you shouldn’t expect to master American mahjong in 2.5 hours. You’ll walk away knowing the basics and being able to play with guidance, but you’ll want to start playing in order to lock in the rules. Mahjong is also nuanced, and there are more advanced rules that won’t come up in our first class. Sparrow and Dragon teaches comprehensive Beginner Mahjong classes, so once you take this you can sign up for any of our “Guided Open Plays.” This is the next step, and you can come to as few or as many of these open plays as you want! We start with going over some basic rules of play before we start, and then you play with as much or as little coaching as you need. The more you play mahjong, the better you get at mahjong!

If you have any questions about a beginner mahjong lesson or how to get started, send us a message! We have frequent events in Greensboro and Summerfield and we hope to see you around the mahjong table soon!