Meet the Mahjong Tiles

The first time you sit down and see a row of tiles covered in Chinese characters, circles and sticks, it can feel like a lot. Don't worry: mahjong tiles come in just a few families. By the end of this lesson you'll be able to read a hand.

Suit tiles: three suits, 1 to 9

Suit tiles do most of the work. There are three suits, each numbered 1 to 9:

• Characters (also called craks): a number in Chinese with the character 萬 underneath. Learn the numerals 一 to 九 and you're set.
• Dots (also called circles): count the circles. Seven circles is the 7 of dots.
• Bamboo (also called bams): count the sticks. Four sticks is the 4 of bamboo.

There are 4 identical copies of every tile, so the suits add up to 3 suits × 9 × 4 = 108 tiles.

Honor tiles: winds and dragons

Honor tiles have no numbers, only names:

• Winds: East, South, West and North, 4 of each.
• Dragons: Red, Green and White, 4 of each. Red is a red 中, Green is a green 發, and White is blank (some sets draw a frame on it).

That's 7 honors × 4 = 28 tiles. Suits plus honors make 136 tiles, the core of every mahjong set.

The two tiles beginners mix up

The 1 of bamboo is often a bird. Lots of sets draw a peacock or a little bird instead of a stick. If you see a bird, it's the 1 of bamboo.

The White dragon is not a spare tile. That blank tile is a real dragon, just like Red and Green. Don't put it aside.

Tips for reading tiles

• Suit first, number second: circles are dots, sticks are bamboo, characters are characters.
• Just count: if you can't tell the 7 of dots at a glance, count the circles. After a few games you won't need to.
• Sort your hand: group characters, dots, bamboo and honors as soon as you pick up your tiles. Building sets gets much easier.

Once you know the tiles, the next step is putting them together in groups. That's the heart of mahjong. See you in the next lesson!

Quick quiz