There are three dragon tiles: Red, Green, and White, with four copies of each. They are honor tiles, so they have no numbers and cannot form runs. The Red Dragon shows the character 中, and the Green Dragon shows 發. The White Dragon is often a blank or framed tile, and American players call it Soap. A set of dragons is often worth extra in Hong Kong and Riichi games.
- Red Dragon American: Red Dragon
Hong Kong: Red Dragon
Riichi: Red Dragon (chun) - Green Dragon American: Green Dragon
Hong Kong: Green Dragon
Riichi: Green Dragon (hatsu) - White Dragon American: Soap (White Dragon)
Hong Kong: White Dragon
Riichi: White Dragon (haku)
What they show
| Tile | Shows | Riichi name |
|---|---|---|
| Red Dragon | 中, often read as “middle” | chun |
| Green Dragon | 發, linked with wealth or prosperity | hatsu |
| White Dragon | Blank, or a simple frame | haku |
How dragons work in each style
American. Each dragon goes with a suit: Red with Craks, Green with Bams, and Soap with Dots. Hands on the card use this pairing.
Hong Kong. A pung of any dragon adds 1 faan. Special hands use all three: Small Dragons and Great Dragons.
Riichi. A set of any dragon is a yaku worth 1 han, even in an open hand.
Mahjong Solitaire. Each dragon matches only an identical dragon.
Common mix-ups
- White Dragon or spare tile? A blank tile in a set may be the White Dragon, or a spare. Check the count: a set has four White Dragons. Extra blanks are usually spares in case you lose a tile.
- Soap in American play. It is the same tile with a different name.