The Mahjong Tile Guide

All 144 tiles explained β€” suits, honor tiles, flowers, and seasons. Know your tiles, win your game.

A standard Mahjong Solitaire set contains 144 tiles across several categories. Understanding the tiles is essential for recognizing matches quickly β€” especially in the later stages of a game when the board is thinned out.

Most tiles appear four times (4 identical copies per unique symbol). Special tiles β€” Flowers and Seasons β€” appear only once each and use different matching rules.

The Suited Tiles

Three Suits β€” 108 Tiles

Each suit has 9 values (1–9), and each value appears 4 times. 3 suits Γ— 9 values Γ— 4 copies = 108 tiles.

πŸŽ‹
Bamboo (Sticks)
Values 1–9 shown as bamboo stalks or a bird (for 1 Bamboo). The most visually distinctive suit β€” each value is clearly differentiated by the stalk count.
β­•
Circles (Coins)
Values 1–9 shown as circular coin symbols. The number of circles directly indicates the tile value β€” 3 circles = 3 Circles.
πŸ€‡
Characters (Wan)
Values 1–9 shown as Chinese characters with the Wan (萬, meaning "ten thousand") character below. The number character above indicates the value.
Honor Tiles

Winds & Dragons β€” 28 Tiles

Honor tiles have no numerical value. 4 Winds Γ— 4 copies + 3 Dragons Γ— 4 copies = 28 tiles.

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East Wind (東)
Represented by the Chinese character 東. Four copies β€” match any two East Wind tiles.
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South Wind (南)
Represented by 南. Four copies in the set.
πŸ€‚
West Wind (θ₯Ώ)
Represented by θ₯Ώ. Four copies in the set.
πŸ€ƒ
North Wind (εŒ—)
Represented by εŒ—. Four copies in the set.
πŸ€„
Red Dragon (δΈ­)
The Red Dragon shows δΈ­ (zhōng, "center"). Four copies β€” one of the most recognizable tiles in the game.
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Green Dragon (η™Ό)
The Green Dragon shows η™Ό (fā, "prosperity"). Four copies.
πŸ€†
White Dragon (η™½)
The White Dragon shows η™½ (bΓ‘i, "white") or appears as a blank tile. Four copies.
Special Tiles

Flowers & Seasons β€” 8 Tiles

These 8 tiles each appear only once. They match differently: any Flower matches any other Flower; any Season matches any other Season.

🌸
Plum Flower
Flower tile 1. Matches any of the 4 Flower tiles (Plum, Orchid, Chrysanthemum, Bamboo).
🌺
Orchid Flower
Flower tile 2. Matches any Flower tile.
🌼
Chrysanthemum
Flower tile 3. Matches any Flower tile.
🎍
Bamboo Flower
Flower tile 4. Matches any Flower tile.
🌱
Spring
Season tile 1. Matches any of the 4 Season tiles (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter).
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Summer
Season tile 2. Matches any Season tile.
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Autumn
Season tile 3. Matches any Season tile.
❄️
Winter
Season tile 4. Matches any Season tile.

Tile Count Summary

  • Bamboo: 9 values Γ— 4 copies = 36 tiles
  • Circles: 9 values Γ— 4 copies = 36 tiles
  • Characters: 9 values Γ— 4 copies = 36 tiles
  • Winds: 4 winds Γ— 4 copies = 16 tiles
  • Dragons: 3 dragons Γ— 4 copies = 12 tiles
  • Flowers: 4 tiles Γ— 1 copy each = 4 tiles
  • Seasons: 4 tiles Γ— 1 copy each = 4 tiles
  • Total: 144 tiles

Matching Rules Summary

Suited tiles (Bamboo, Circles, Characters): must match exactly β€” same suit, same value.

Honor tiles (Winds, Dragons): must match exactly β€” same wind direction or same dragon color.

Flower tiles: any Flower matches any other Flower (4 unique designs, all interchangeable).

Season tiles: any Season matches any other Season (4 unique designs, all interchangeable).

Ready to Use Your Knowledge?

Recognizing tiles fast is the key to high scores. Play a few rounds and the symbols will become second nature.

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