Mahjong Tiles Explained: Every Tile, What It Means and How Many There Are

Updated October 21, 2026

A standard mahjong set has 144 tiles: 108 suit tiles (dots, bamboo and characters, numbered 1 to 9, with four of each), 16 winds, 12 dragons and 8 flowers and seasons. American mahjong sets add 8 jokers, for 152 tiles. Riichi (Japanese) mahjong uses 136 tiles, leaving out the flowers and seasons.

Every style uses the same core tiles, so once you know them you can read any set.

How many tiles are in a mahjong set?

The count depends on the style you play:

Many sets include a few spare or blank tiles, which is why listings often say 146 or 166 tiles. Vietnamese and Malaysian sets add extra bonus tiles on top of the 144.

What are the three suits?

The three suits are dots, bamboo and characters. Each runs from 1 to 9, with four copies of every tile, so each suit has 36 tiles.

Dots, also called circles, coins or balls, show 1 to 9 circles.

Bamboo, also called bams or sticks, show 1 to 9 sticks. The 1 of bamboo usually shows a bird instead of a stick, so new players often miss it.

Characters, also called craks, show a Chinese numeral above the character 萬, which means 10,000.

What are the wind tiles?

The four winds are East (東), South (南), West (西) and North (北). There are four of each, for 16 wind tiles.

Winds also name the seats at the table. In most styles, East is the dealer's seat.

What are the dragon tiles?

The three dragons are red, green and white. There are four of each, for 12 dragon tiles.

• Red dragon (中): the character means "center" or "middle."
• Green dragon (發): short for a phrase meaning "to strike it rich."
• White dragon: often blank or a framed rectangle. American players call it soap, and on the American card it stands in for zero.

What are flowers and seasons?

Flowers and seasons are bonus tiles. When you draw one, you set it aside and draw a replacement, and depending on the style it can earn extra points or payment.

Each set of four is numbered 1 to 4, and the numbers match the seats: 1 for East, 2 for South, 3 for West and 4 for North. In some Chinese styles, drawing your own seat's flower earns a bonus.

American sets have 8 flowers too, and American hands use them as regular tiles, written as F on the card. In Filipino mahjong, the winds and dragons count as flowers as well.

What are jokers?

Jokers are wild tiles used only in American mahjong. A set has 8 of them, and a joker can stand in for any tile in a group of three or more identical tiles, but never in a single or a pair.

What are red fives?

Red fives are used in Riichi mahjong. They're regular fives printed in red, replacing one of the normal copies, and holding one in a winning hand adds bonus points.

What are mahjong tiles made of?

Most modern sets use melamine, a durable, affordable plastic. Acrylic sets are heavier and more expensive. Vintage sets were made of Bakelite or bone and bamboo, and collectors still look for them.

See our guide to the best mahjong sets for which set fits which style.

How many tiles do you start with?

In most styles you start with 13 tiles, and the dealer starts with 14. Filipino mahjong is an exception: players start with 16 and the dealer with 17. See our Filipino mahjong rules for how that version works.

Mahjong tile nicknames

Playing American mahjong? Our guide to reading the mahjong card shows how these tiles appear on the NMJL card.