The character suit has nine tiles, numbered 1 to 9, with four copies of each. American players call them Craks, Hong Kong players call them Characters, and Riichi players call them manzu. Each tile shows two Chinese characters. The top one is the number. The bottom one, usually red, means ten thousand, and it is the same on every tile. So you only need to learn nine characters.
- One Crak American: 1 Crak
Hong Kong: 1 Character
Riichi: 1-man - Two Crak American: 2 Crak
Hong Kong: 2 Character
Riichi: 2-man - Three Crak American: 3 Crak
Hong Kong: 3 Character
Riichi: 3-man - Four Crak American: 4 Crak
Hong Kong: 4 Character
Riichi: 4-man - Five Crak American: 5 Crak
Hong Kong: 5 Character
Riichi: 5-man - Six Crak American: 6 Crak
Hong Kong: 6 Character
Riichi: 6-man - Seven Crak American: 7 Crak
Hong Kong: 7 Character
Riichi: 7-man - Eight Crak American: 8 Crak
Hong Kong: 8 Character
Riichi: 8-man - Nine Crak American: 9 Crak
Hong Kong: 9 Character
Riichi: 9-man
Reading the numbers
| Tile | Character | Number |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一 | One |
| 2 | 二 | Two |
| 3 | 三 | Three |
| 4 | 四 | Four |
| 5 | 五 | Five |
| 6 | 六 | Six |
| 7 | 七 | Seven |
| 8 | 八 | Eight |
| 9 | 九 | Nine |
How to remember them
- One, two, and three are simply one, two, and three lines.
- Four looks like a box.
- Six looks like a small roof with two legs.
- Eight is two lines that spread apart.
- Seven and nine are the ones most people mix up. Seven has a cross with a tail. Nine has a hook.
Many sets also print a small number in the corner, as ours do. You can turn those off in the Tile Trainer once you feel ready.
How the suit works in each style
- American: Craks appear in hands on the card. Their matching dragon is the Red Dragon.
- Hong Kong and Riichi: They form runs and sets, like any other suit.
- Mahjong Solitaire: Each tile matches only an identical tile.