Although the origins of Mahjong are unknown, this fast-paced game has grown in popularity in Asia and other parts of the world. To be an excellent Mahjong player, you must be able to recognize each mahjong tile and understand its function. If you’re new to Mahjong, you’ve probably Googled “How many tiles in Mahjong” to get an idea of how the game works and how many tiles are required to play mahjong.
Unfortunately, Mahjong has a large number of tiles but the good news is that they are easy to understand and memorize. This article will answer your questions about Mahjong tiles and explain what each one represents.
There are 144 tiles in a game of Mahjong but some mahjong variations can be played using 136, 148 or 152 tiles. Some game sets include additional tiles, such as seasons and blank tiles, which you can use as flowers and extra jokers. The players choose whether to play Mahjong with or without the extra tiles.
Note: The National Mah Jongg League (NML) introduced Jokers in the 1960s, so your Mahjong set may not have the original Jokers.
Mahjong Tiles
Mahjong tiles are divided into Dots, Bamboos, Cracks, Winds, Dragons and Flowers. The table below shows a breakdown of all the tiles in a Mahjong set.
Traditional Mahjong Tiles
You can see the breakdown of the tiles in a traditional Mahjong set in the table below.
Chinese Characters And Numerals
Each Mahjong tile contains a Chinese character numbered one through nine. You can find the Chinese Mahjong numerals and the equivalent numbers in this table.
Note: Some Mahjong tiles are numbered in both Chinese numerals and Western digits, which makes them much easier to read.
Wind And Dragon Tiles
Check out the wind and dragon tiles, as well as the symbols that represent them.
Tip: Learning how to read the cardinal directions characters in Chinese makes it easier to understand the arrangement of Winds.
Circles Or Dots
The wheels (pin-zu) form the circle or dot tiles. There are four of each of the pieces, numbered 1 through 9.
Bamboos Or Bams
The bamboo tiles depict bamboo sticks (sou-zu). There are four of each bam pieces, numbered 1 through 9.
Tip: The symbol on the first bam piece is a bird, usually a sparrow or a peacock.
Characters Or Cracks
The character tiles show the Chinese characters for figures 1 through 9. There are four of each nine Crack pieces.
Winds
The wind is one of two honor suits in Mahjong. Each of the four winds contains four tiles so there’s a total of 16 wind tiles in a game set.
Dragons
The other honor suit in Mahjong is Dragons or Arrows. There are three Dragons, with each suit having four tiles.
Flowers And Seasons
A Mahjong game set contains a set of four Flowers, which are usually associated with a specific wind. There are also four season tiles, which are associated with the wind like the Flowers.
Note: There is only one tile for each Flower and Season.
Jokers Or Wild Tiles
A Mahjong tile set contains eight identical jokers.
Blanks
There are four blank tiles in a Mahjong set. You can use them as Jokers or to replace damaged tiles.
Mandarin And Cantonese Names Of The Tiles
Here you can see the Mandarin and Cantonese names of some Mahjong tiles.
Dice
Use two dice in Mahjong to determine the dealer as well as who breaks the wall.
Score Cards
The National Mah Jongg League (NML) determines scoring using a list of hands. The NML publishes the score cards and updates them annually. All players keep a card as a reference for building hands and creating Mahjong strategies.
Wind Indicators
Wind indicators display the current wind (the player who begins a round). Some wind indicators are only in Chinese but this table explains how to translate them into English.
Note: Wind indicators are optional and you can decide not to use them when playing.
Scoring Sticks And Coins
You can use scoring sticks and coins to keep track of scoring when playing Mahjong. This table shows how many scoring sticks we recommend giving each player before the game begins.
Mahjong Tile Racks And Pushers
Using racks and pushers in Mahjong is not mandatory but is highly recommended. At the start of the game, you’ll receive racks that you can use to hold your hands and tiles.
Tip: If you don’t want to use the racks, you can arrange the tiles on the table in front of you.
Pushers are arm-like attachments on each rack. A pusher prevents you from accidentally exposing your hand when bringing your wall forward.
Mahjong Mat
You can use a mat to play Mahjong, but it’s not necessary. Players often use mats on glass tables to muffle the sound of the tiles and dice.
The Set-Up And Starting The Game
Follow these steps to set up and start a Mahjong game:
- Place one rack and pusher in front of each player.
- Place all the tiles facing down at the center of the table.
- Have all the players shuffle the tiles.
- Each player must build a Mahjong wall that is two tiles high in front of their rack. Each wall consists of two rows of 17 tiles.
The Deal
The players take turns rolling the dice to determine the dealer. You become the East (dealer) if you roll the highest number.
Tile Distribution
The dealer rolls the dice and breaks the wall to distribute the tiles. You’ll take the first two stacks from the curtsied wall, each containing four tiles. Distribute the stacks counterclockwise. Give each player two stacks until everyone has six stacks (12 tiles).
How To Read The Score Card
This table contains all the information you need to know about reading the score card.
The Hands
The score guide is arranged into categories of hands based on common patterns.
Patterns that make up a year, for example, 2023. | |
Patterns that vary. | |
Patterns that require the use of even-numbered tiles. | |
Hands that have at least one quint (five of a kind), in which one is a Joker. | |
Patterns of consecutive numbers. | |
Patterns that require tiles with odd numbers. | |
Patterns that require Winds and Dragons. | |
Patterns using 3s, 6s and 9s. | |
Patterns with single and paired tiles. |
The hands are divided into various combinations. Some combinations contain non-matching tiles but most have two or more matching, identical tiles. These tiles are known as:
The Charleston
The Charleston is a unique ritual in American Mahjong. The Charleston occurs before the actual play starts. During this stage, you have a chance to exchange tiles and improve your hand by passing unwanted tiles face down to other players.
Color
The colors do not represent any particular suit but indicate how many different suits you need for a hand.
- A hand in all blue indicates a single suit for all fourteen tiles.
- Blue and green hands require two suits.
- Blue, green and red require all three suits.
Values
Next to each hand, you’ll find an “X” or a “C”. These letters denote whether the hand is exposed or concealed. You’ll also find a value next to the “X” or “C,” indicating the score for the hand.
Sort Your Hand
Each player must take their tiles and display them on a rack before sorting their hands. To make it easier to sort your hand, place the tiles in this order – Jokers, Blanks, Flowers, Winds, Dragons and then each suit, numerically low to high.
Click here to learn the rules of Mahjong.
What To Pass
When passing tiles, play defensively. Avoid passing Pairs, same tiles, Flowers or Dragons. If you must pass Winds, only pass one at a time.
Blind Pass
During the last pass on the Charleston, you can do a blind pass if you don’t have three unwanted tiles to pass. A blind pass involves taking two or three tiles you have received and including them in your pass.
Jokers
Mahjong rules prevent you from using a Joker for a single or pair. You use a Joker as a substitute for a single tile in a Pung, Kong or Quint.
Note: If you discard a Joker, it becomes dead and no other player can pick it up.
Here are the standard names for various tile combinations in Mahjong:
Terminals | One and nine number suit tiles. |
Simples | Tiles numbered two to eight. |
Groupings | These are Suit tiles such as Cracks, Dots and Bams. |
Pung | 3 identical tiles. |
Chow (Not applicable to American Mah-Jongg) | Three consecutive numbers in a row. |
Kong | 4 identical tiles. |
Quint (American Mah-Jongg only) | 5 identical tiles. |
How To Play Mahjong
Now that you know everything about Mahjong tiles, we’ll quickly go over the basics of the game.
Equipment
Even though some American Mahjong sets consist of 152 tiles, only 144 tiles are used in most games.
In addition to the tiles, most Mahjong sets come with optional equipment such as:
- Racks
- Counters (to denote the four winds)
- Tally sticks (for keeping score)
Click here to find the best Mahjong set.
Game Play
Most Mahjong games involve four players seated around the table. Each player’s goal is to win the game by becoming the first to declare “Mahjong”.
Seating
To start the game, place one of each of the four wind tiles face-down, shuffle them and have each player pick one. The players must seat themselves according to the draw in the clockwise order of N-W-S-E. The East tile is the prevailing wind and the player who picks it starts the game.
Note: In a full session of Mahjong, once each player has been East, the prevailing wind becomes South. Following South, West becomes the prevailing wind and North goes after West.
Building The Wall
After seating, you proceed to build the wall. The South and North shuffle the tiles face down. Once this is done, each player takes 34 tiles and builds their wall. Each wall must contain a row of two tiles and must be 17 tiles long, running in front of each player from left to right. Players then push the four walls to form a square that represents the Great Wall of China.
Breaking The Wall
The dealer throws the dice to decide which player breaks the wall. The dealer then counts the players in an anti-clockwise manner. To choose where to break the wall, the player who is seated where the count ends has to throw again.
Objective
Your objective during the game is to collect three sets of tiles, including:
- A Pung – a set of three identical tiles.
- A Kong – a set of four identical tiles.
- A Chow – a run of three tiles in the same suit.
Note: Whenever a player declares a Kong, they must put all the tiles forming the Kong on the table and immediately pick a tile from the wall
You must collect a pair and four Pungs, Kongs or Chows to win the game. You can also win the game with a special hand.
Special Hands
Special Hands are alternative sets of tiles that you can use to win Mah Jong.
Scoring
Scoring involves the players calculating points for their hands of tiles and paying each other.
The Pause
You can pause the game to pick up the most recently discarded tile when you discard unwanted tiles.
Note: To pause the game, you must announce “Pause” before the next player draws and puts the tile in their rack.
Additional Rules
This table contains guidelines regarding errors and penalties in Chinese and American Mahjong.
An accidentally discarded tile has touched the table or been announced. | You can’t take the discarded tile back. |
A tile has been announced incorrectly. | You cannot claim the tile. |
A tile is called but no exposure has been made. | You may retract the call. |
An incorrect exposure has been made. | You may correct the exposure before discarding. |
A player has too few or too many tiles. | The player’s hand is dead (out of the game). |
Three players have too few or too many tiles. | You must replay the game. |
A player’s hand is discovered by another to be impossible, based on the tiles exposed on their rack. | The player’s hand is dead. |
Mahjong is declared in error but the hand has not been exposed. | No penalty and everyone must continue the game. |
Mahjong is declared in error and the hand is exposed. | Your hand is dead and you must pay the winner of the game. |
Ending The Game And Winning
The game ends when either someone declares “Mahjong” or if no tiles are left for the players to draw.
Mahjong made off a discarded tile | The discarder pays the winner double the value of the hand and other players pay a single value. |
Mahjong made off a draw from the wall | Every player pays double the value of the hand. |
Mahjong made off a discarded tile, contains no jokers and is not from the singles and pairs category | The discarder pays the winner four times the value of the hand and other players pay double the value. |
Mahjong made off a draw from the wall, contains no jokers and is not from the singles and pairs category | Every player pays four times the value of the hand. |
The Blank
Some players use blank Mahjong tiles. You can use the Blanks to exchange for a discarded tile or as Super Jokers.
Only For Fans
The following Mahjong rules are advanced so you don’t need to follow them when playing casually or with beginners.
- You become dead if you expose too few or too many tiles to make any hand.
- You become dead if you draw a tile from the wrong wall.
Two-Player Mah Jong Rules
Although Mahjong is typically a four-player game, two people can play by slightly modified rules. Follow the preliminary steps in the same way as in the four-player game and then use the following rules:
- No Chows are allowed. To go Mah Jong, you must gather four Pungs or Kongs and a double.
- When scoring, East Wind doesn’t pay nor receives double.
- When going Mah Jong, if you have a lower score than your opponent, you’ll receive the normal total score plus the difference between the scores.
Three-Player Mah Jong Rules
You can play three-player Mahjong with three walls in a triangle or play with four walls but have the North wind position as a “dummy.” We recommend playing “Triangular Mahjong” by observing these rules:
- Eliminate the North position entirely and remove the four North Winds.
- The walls should contain 22 stacks (44 tiles) in a triangle shape.
- There are three hands in each round and three or four rounds as agreed.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Tiles Do You Get In Mahjong?
You get 13 tiles in Mahjong. When the game starts, each player receives 13 tiles from the dealer and then everyone takes turns drawing and discarding tiles until they complete a legal hand. You can win the game by forming four melds and a pair with the 14th drawn tile. You can also win the game with a small class of special hands.
What Is A Full Mahjong Set?
A full Mahjong set comprises 144 tiles, two dice, tile racks and pushers. The tiles in Mahjong consist of 36 Dots, 36 Bamboos, 36 Cracks, 12 Dragons, 16 Winds, 4 Flowers and 4 Seasons. The Flowers and Seasons are bonus tiles. Some game sets come with 100 money chips and gameplay instructions.
Can You Have More Than 14 Tiles In Mahjong?
No, you can’t have more than 14 tiles in Mahjong. You must always have 13 tiles, except in the middle of your turn after picking up and before discarding. Dealers may have more than 13 tiles before discarding the first tile to start the game. You may also have 14 tiles after calling Mahjong.
How Many Tiles Are In A Mahjong Row?
There are 17 tiles in a Mahjong row. Every player must build a Mahjong wall 17 tiles long and two tiers high. After all the players have created their walls, you can push the wall together to form a square. The dealer has to roll the dice to determine who will draw a tile from the wall.
What Is The Bird In Mahjong?
The bird in Mahjong is a sparrow, which is how the game got its name. Mahjong means ‘’sparrow’’ in English. At the time Mahjong was invented, China had an overpopulation of sparrows. The government rewarded people for capturing sparrows and officials initially used the Mahjong tiles to record the number of birds caught.
How Many Flowers Are In A Mahjong Set?
There are four Flowers in a Mahjong set. The four Flowers are numbered 1 – 4 and using them is optional. If the flower tiles are part of the game, you get bonus points whenever you draw them. Depiction of the flowers varies across Mahjong sets but in most cases, they are Plum blossoms, Orchids, Chrysanthemums and Bamboos.
Conclusion
We hope this guide has answered your question, “how many tiles in Mahjong?” To be clear, the number of tiles in a Mahjong set varies. Some complete sets come with as many as 166 tiles but only 152 are used in play and the rest are spares. You can also play a basic Mahjong game with 136 or 144 tiles.