The wind tiles are East, South, West, and North, with four copies of each. They are honor tiles, so they have no numbers and cannot form runs. Winds also name the seats: East is the dealer, and the others follow around the table. In some styles, a wind set scores more if it matches your seat or the current round. American players use wind tiles in hands on the card.
- East Wind American: East
Hong Kong: East Wind
Riichi: East (ton) - South Wind American: South
Hong Kong: South Wind
Riichi: South (nan) - West Wind American: West
Hong Kong: West Wind
Riichi: West (shaa) - North Wind American: North
Hong Kong: North Wind
Riichi: North (pei)
Reading them
| Tile | Character | Riichi name |
|---|---|---|
| East | 東 | ton |
| South | 南 | nan |
| West | 西 | shaa |
| North | 北 | pei |
Many sets also print a small E, S, W, or N in the corner.
Why the seats look reversed
On a map, going clockwise from East brings you to South. At a mahjong table, going counterclockwise from East brings you to South. If East sits at the bottom of the table, South sits to East’s right. Do not worry if this looks backward. It is simply the way the table is set.
How winds work in each style
- American: Winds appear in hands on the card, and the card decides how to use them.
- Hong Kong: A pung of your seat wind or the round wind adds 1 faan.
- Riichi: A set of your seat wind or the round wind is a yaku worth 1 han.
- Mahjong Solitaire: Each wind matches only an identical wind.