The tiles are the first thing that puts people off mahjong, and the first thing that makes them fall for it. A full set has 144 tiles covered in circles, bamboo, Chinese characters, winds, dragons and flowers, and at a glance it looks impossibly complex. It is not. Every tile belongs to one of a few simple groups, and once you can read them the whole game opens up. This guide explains every tile in a mahjong set: what each one looks like, what it means, how many there are, and how to tell them apart at a glance.
If you are brand new and want to learn the game itself rather than just the tiles, our guide on how to play mahjong covers the rules and how a hand is won. This page is the tile reference to come back to. Let us start with the overall make-up of a set.
What is in a mahjong set
A standard mahjong set has 144 tiles, and they divide into three broad families:
The suit tiles (108 tiles) are the heart of the game: three suits of circles, bamboo and characters, each running 1 to 9, with four copies of every tile. The honour tiles (28 tiles) are the winds and dragons, which have no number. The bonus tiles (8 tiles) are the flowers and seasons, which sit outside the main play. Add those together, 108 plus 28 plus 8, and you have the full 144.
That is the whole set. Most of the game is played with the three suits, so they are the ones to learn first.
The three suits
The three suits are the workhorses of mahjong, the tiles you build most of your hand from. Each suit runs from 1 to 9, and there are four identical copies of every number, which is why each suit has 36 tiles and the three together make 108. They behave just like suits in a card game: you form runs and sets from them.
Circles (also called dots or balls)
The circles suit shows a number of round discs, from a single circle on the 1 up to nine circles arranged in a grid on the 9. They are the easiest suit to read, because you simply count the circles. Some people call them dots, stones or balls. The 1 of circles is a single large disc, often quite ornate, which makes it easy to spot.
Bamboo (also called sticks or bams)
The bamboo suit shows lengths of bamboo, or sticks, again numbered by how many appear: two sticks for the 2, three for the 3, and so on up to nine. There is one famous exception that catches every beginner: the 1 of bamboo is almost always drawn as a bird, usually a sparrow or peacock, rather than a single stick. It is the one tile in the suits that does not show its own symbol, so learn it early. From 2 upward, just count the bamboo.
Characters (also called cracks or wan)
The characters suit is the one that looks most intimidating, because the number is written as a Chinese numeral rather than shown as a picture. Each character tile has two parts: the top symbol is the number from 1 to 9, and the bottom symbol is always the same, the character for ten thousand (wan). So you are only ever reading the top half, and there are just nine numbers to learn. Once you recognise the nine numerals, this suit is no harder than the others. They are sometimes called cracks or the wan suit.
The honour tiles
The honour tiles have no number and cannot form runs, only sets of identical tiles and pairs. They often carry extra scoring value, which makes them prized. There are two kinds: winds and dragons, 28 honour tiles in total.
The four winds
There are four wind tiles, East, South, West and North, with four copies of each, making 16 wind tiles. They are marked with the Chinese character for each direction, and East is the most important, since the game begins with the East player and the winds cycle from there. In many scoring systems, holding the wind that matches your seat or the current round earns bonus points, so the winds are worth learning to recognise quickly.
The three dragons
There are three dragon tiles, red, green and white, with four copies of each, making 12 dragon tiles. The red dragon is marked with a red character, the green dragon with a green one, and the white dragon is often a blank tile or one with a blue frame. Dragons are high-value honour tiles, and a set of three of one dragon is a strong scoring combination in most traditions.
The bonus tiles: flowers and seasons
The bonus tiles are the eight that sit outside the normal run of play: four flowers and four seasons. Unlike every other tile, you do not keep them in your hand to form sets. When you draw a flower or a season, you set it aside face up and immediately draw a replacement tile, and the bonus tile earns you extra points at the end.
Each of the four flowers and four seasons is numbered 1 to 4, and in many traditions they pair with the winds: flower or season 1 belongs to East, 2 to South, and so on, with a bonus for holding the one that matches your seat. Not every style of mahjong uses the bonus tiles, and they are the one group you can set aside entirely while you are learning, which is why some smaller sets leave them out. When they are used, they add a pleasant element of luck to an otherwise skilful game.
Why 144 tiles, and what a complete set contains
Putting it together, the maths of a standard set is simple: three suits of 36 tiles (108), plus 16 winds and 12 dragons (28 honour tiles), plus 4 flowers and 4 seasons (8 bonus tiles), which totals 144. Some sets also include a few spare blank tiles, used to replace any tile that is lost or damaged over the years, and American mahjong sets add joker tiles on top, which is why an American set has more than 144.
When you are buying, it is worth checking a set is complete and that the tiles are a comfortable size and weight to handle, since that is most of the pleasure of the game. Our mahjong set buyer's guide covers what to look for, and you can see the sets we stock in our range of mahjong sets.
How to tell the tiles apart quickly
The trick that makes mahjong click is realising you never have to read 144 different tiles, only a handful of patterns. Count the circles and bamboo. Learn the nine number characters once and the whole characters suit follows. Remember that the 1 of bamboo is a bird. Recognise the four winds and three dragons as a small fixed group. And set aside flowers and seasons as bonuses rather than hand tiles. Do that and the intimidating wall of tiles resolves into something you can read at a glance, usually within a game or two.
If your household enjoys a variety of games, our range of traditional games brings mahjong together with the other classics worth owning.
Frequently asked questions
How many tiles are in a mahjong set?
A standard mahjong set has 144 tiles: 108 suit tiles (three suits of circles, bamboo and characters, each 1 to 9 with four copies), 28 honour tiles (16 winds and 12 dragons), and 8 bonus tiles (four flowers and four seasons). American mahjong sets add joker tiles on top of this.
What are the three suits in mahjong?
The three suits are circles (round discs, also called dots), bamboo (sticks, with the 1 usually drawn as a bird), and characters (Chinese numerals above the symbol for ten thousand). Each suit runs 1 to 9 with four copies of every tile, and they are the tiles you form most of your sets and runs from.
What are the honour tiles in mahjong?
The honour tiles are the winds and dragons. There are four winds, East, South, West and North, and three dragons, red, green and white, each with four copies. They have no number and cannot form runs, only sets of identical tiles and pairs, and they usually carry extra scoring value.
Why is the 1 of bamboo a bird?
By long tradition the 1 of bamboo is drawn as a bird, usually a sparrow or peacock, rather than a single bamboo stick. It is purely decorative convention, but it catches every beginner, so it is worth learning early. Every other bamboo tile simply shows its number of sticks.
What are the flower and season tiles for?
Flowers and seasons are bonus tiles, four of each, numbered 1 to 4. You do not keep them in your hand; when you draw one you set it aside and draw a replacement, and it earns bonus points, often more if it matches your seat. Not every style of mahjong uses them, so they can be left out while learning.
Reading your set
The 144 tiles of a mahjong set look daunting for about one game, and then they do not. Learn the three suits, the winds and dragons, and the bonus flowers and seasons, and the whole set becomes as readable as a deck of cards, with far more character. Once you can name every tile at a glance, the real game, the strategy of building a winning hand, is where the pleasure begins.
When you are ready for a set of your own, browse our full range of mahjong sets, chosen for quality tiles and cases built to last. Every Sterling Chess order is backed by our 100 day free returns, so you can choose with complete confidence.
