Mahjong tiles fall into a few groups. Three suits, called Bamboo, Characters, and Dots, each run from 1 to 9, with four copies of each. Then come the honors: four winds and three dragons. Some styles add flowers and seasons, and American sets add jokers. So a set can have 136, 144, or 152 tiles, depending on what you play.
The three suits
The honors
Bonus tiles
How many in each set
| Group | American | Hong Kong | Riichi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suits (1 to 9, four of each) | 108 | 108 | 108 |
| Winds | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| Dragons | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Flowers and seasons | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Jokers | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 152 | 144 | 136 |
Some Riichi sets replace regular fives with red fives. The total stays at 136. Read about dora and red fives.
Explore each group
- BamsThe bamboo suit, including the bird on the One.
- CraksThe character suit, and how to read the numbers.
- DotsThe circle suit.
- WindsEast, South, West, and North.
- DragonsRed, Green, and White.
- Flowers and SeasonsThe bonus tiles.
- JokersThe wild tile in American sets.
Tile names
Names change between styles. Our tile names guide has them side by side, and the Tile Trainer helps you learn them. Want one sheet to keep beside you? Print the tile chart.
A note on our tiles
Art varies a lot between sets, especially for flowers, jokers, and the One of Bamboo. All the tiles on this site are original drawings. Yours may look different. The numbers and characters stay largely the same, so you can usually read any set once you know these.
Questions people ask
How many tiles are in a mahjong set?
American sets have 152, Hong Kong sets have 144, and Riichi sets have 136. Mahjong Solitaire usually uses 144.
Why does the One of Bamboo show a bird?
Many sets show a bird on this tile. The usual stories link it to the game's older name, which means sparrows. Its art varies by set.