One of Dots
· yī tǒng · ×4
A large decorated medallion; often called the 'pancake' or 'moon'. A terminal (one or nine).
Read more →Every mahjong tile, explained
43 different faces make up every set. Learn what each one shows, how it is read in Chinese, and how many copies a set contains. Tap a suit to jump to it.
Chinese & Hong Kong set
Three suits, winds, dragons, flowers and seasons.
American set
The Chinese set plus eight jokers.
Japanese riichi set
Suits, winds and dragons only — no flowers.
Dots
Two of Dots
· èr tǒng · ×4
2 coins. Dots descend from the coin suit of old Chinese money cards. A simple (two to eight).
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Three of Dots
· sān tǒng · ×4
3 coins. Dots descend from the coin suit of old Chinese money cards. A simple (two to eight).
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Four of Dots
· sì tǒng · ×4
4 coins. Dots descend from the coin suit of old Chinese money cards. A simple (two to eight).
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Five of Dots
· wǔ tǒng · ×4
5 coins. Dots descend from the coin suit of old Chinese money cards. A simple (two to eight).
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Six of Dots
· liù tǒng · ×4
6 coins. Dots descend from the coin suit of old Chinese money cards. A simple (two to eight).
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Seven of Dots
· qī tǒng · ×4
7 coins. Dots descend from the coin suit of old Chinese money cards. A simple (two to eight).
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Eight of Dots
· bā tǒng · ×4
8 coins. Dots descend from the coin suit of old Chinese money cards. A simple (two to eight).
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Nine of Dots
· jiǔ tǒng · ×4
9 coins. Dots descend from the coin suit of old Chinese money cards. A terminal (one or nine).
Read more →Bamboo
One of Bamboo
· yī tiáo · ×4
Drawn as a bird — a sparrow or peacock — rather than a single stick. A terminal.
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Three of Bamboo
· sān tiáo · ×4
3 bamboo sticks, representing strings of coins. A simple.
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Nine of Bamboo
· jiǔ tiáo · ×4
9 bamboo sticks, representing strings of coins. A terminal.
Read more →Characters
One of Characters
· yī wàn · ×4
The numeral 一 (1) above 萬, 'ten thousand' — the myriads suit of money cards. Also called cracks or craks. A terminal.
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Two of Characters
· èr wàn · ×4
The numeral 二 (2) above 萬, 'ten thousand' — the myriads suit of money cards. Also called cracks or craks. A simple.
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Three of Characters
· sān wàn · ×4
The numeral 三 (3) above 萬, 'ten thousand' — the myriads suit of money cards. Also called cracks or craks. A simple.
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Four of Characters
· sì wàn · ×4
The numeral 四 (4) above 萬, 'ten thousand' — the myriads suit of money cards. Also called cracks or craks. A simple.
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Five of Characters
· wǔ wàn · ×4
The numeral 五 (5) above 萬, 'ten thousand' — the myriads suit of money cards. Also called cracks or craks. A simple.
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Six of Characters
· liù wàn · ×4
The numeral 六 (6) above 萬, 'ten thousand' — the myriads suit of money cards. Also called cracks or craks. A simple.
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Seven of Characters
· qī wàn · ×4
The numeral 七 (7) above 萬, 'ten thousand' — the myriads suit of money cards. Also called cracks or craks. A simple.
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Eight of Characters
· bā wàn · ×4
The numeral 八 (8) above 萬, 'ten thousand' — the myriads suit of money cards. Also called cracks or craks. A simple.
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Nine of Characters
· jiǔ wàn · ×4
The numeral 九 (9) above 萬, 'ten thousand' — the myriads suit of money cards. Also called cracks or craks. A terminal.
Read more →Winds
East Wind
· dōng · ×4
The dealer's wind and the first round wind. Worth extra to East in Chinese and Japanese scoring.
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North Wind
· běi · ×4
Fourth in turn order. Used as a bonus tile in three-player Japanese mahjong.
Read more →Dragons
Red Dragon
· zhōng · ×4
'Centre' or 'middle'. In American play it is linked with the characters (craks) suit.
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Green Dragon
· fā · ×4
'Prosper', as in the New Year wish gong xi fa cai. Linked with bamboo in American play.
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White Dragon
· bái · ×4
Blank or framed in blue. Called 'soap' in American play, where it also stands for zero in year hands.
Read more →Flowers
Flower 1: Plum
· méi · ×1
One of the 'four gentlemen' of Chinese painting. Numbered 1, matching seat East.
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Flower 2: Orchid
· lán · ×1
One of the 'four gentlemen' of Chinese painting. Numbered 2, matching seat South.
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Flower 3: Chrysanthemum
· jú · ×1
One of the 'four gentlemen' of Chinese painting. Numbered 3, matching seat West.
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Flower 4: Bamboo
· zhú · ×1
One of the 'four gentlemen' of Chinese painting. Numbered 4, matching seat North.
Read more →Seasons
Season 1: Spring
· chūn · ×1
A bonus tile set aside when drawn in Chinese styles. Numbered 1, matching seat East.
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Season 2: Summer
· xià · ×1
A bonus tile set aside when drawn in Chinese styles. Numbered 2, matching seat South.
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Season 3: Autumn
· qiū · ×1
A bonus tile set aside when drawn in Chinese styles. Numbered 3, matching seat West.
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Season 4: Winter
· dōng · ×1
A bonus tile set aside when drawn in Chinese styles. Numbered 4, matching seat North.
Read more →Jokers
Joker
· ×8
Used only in American Mah Jongg: stands in for any tile in a group of three or more identical tiles, never in a single or pair.
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