The core 136
Every style shares the same core. There are three suits — dots (circles), bamboo (sticks) and characters (cracks) — each numbered one to nine, with four identical copies of every tile. That gives 108 suited tiles. Add four copies of each of the four winds (16 tiles) and four copies of each of the three dragons (12 tiles) and you reach 136.
Japanese riichi uses exactly these 136 tiles, usually with one or three of the fives painted red as bonus tiles. Many Chinese regional games also use 136, and some use fewer — Sichuan mahjong strips out every honour to play with 108.
Flowers and seasons: 144
Chinese, Hong Kong and Taiwanese sets add eight bonus tiles: four flowers (plum, orchid, chrysanthemum, bamboo) and four seasons (spring, summer, autumn, winter), each numbered one to four. That brings the set to 144. Bonus tiles are not part of the hand; when drawn they are set aside, a replacement is drawn, and they may add to the score.
Older and decorative sets sometimes include extra pieces — blank spares, more flowers, or animal tiles used in Singaporean and Malaysian play. A set's exact contents usually tell you where and for which style it was made.
Jokers: 152
American Mah Jongg sets add eight jokers, bringing the total to 152. Jokers were introduced into American play in the decades after the National Mah Jongg League was founded and are now essential to the American game; they can stand in for any tile in a group of three or more identical tiles.
American sets also treat all eight flowers and seasons simply as "flowers", interchangeable with one another, and they come with racks wide enough to hold a hand and act as a wall-pushing tool. Using a Chinese set for American play is possible, but you will need to add jokers — usually with stickers.
Checking a set before you play
Before your first game with a new or second-hand set, lay the tiles out by suit and count them. Missing tiles are common in vintage sets, and a game played with one tile short will eventually produce an impossible situation. Most sets also include a few blank spares that can be painted or stickered as replacements.
It is also worth checking the size of the tiles and whether you have racks, dice and a wind indicator. Large tiles are easier to read, small travel sets are easier to carry, and the right accessories make a big difference to the flow of a game.
