Flowers are the least tile-like tiles in mahjong: you can't build sets with them, and you put them down the moment you get them. Yet in Taiwanese mahjong the right flower is a free point. Here is how they work.
On this page
The eight flowers
The flowers come in two groups, and there is only one of each:
- Seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter.
- Plants (sometimes called "the four gentlemen"): Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, Chrysanthemum.
Don't mix up the Bamboo flower with the bamboo suit. The flower shows a painted bamboo plant and the character 竹; the suit tiles show counted sticks. And the 1 bamboo, the bird, is a suit tile, not a flower.
The numbers on the flowers
Many flower tiles carry a number from 1 to 4 in the corner. It matches a seat:
| Number | Seat | Season | Plant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East | Spring | Plum |
| 2 | South | Summer | Orchid |
| 3 | West | Autumn | Bamboo |
| 4 | North | Winter | Chrysanthemum |
A flower that matches your seat is your own flower (seat flower). Sitting East, Spring and Plum are yours.
Replacement draws
In styles that use flowers as bonus tiles, a flower never stays in your hand:
- After the deal, starting with the dealer, everyone lays out all their flowers face up.
- For each flower, you draw a replacement from the back end of the wall.
- Drew another flower? Lay it out and replace it again, until your hand has none.
- Drawing a flower during play works the same way: lay it out, draw from the back, then carry on with your turn.
Laid-out flowers aren't part of your hand and can't be claimed, but they can score when you win.
How each style uses flowers
Styles treat flowers very differently:
| Style | Flowers? | How they score |
|---|---|---|
| Taiwanese | Yes, 8 | Own flower 1 tai each; all four seasons or all four plants is a flower kong, 2 tai; all eight is an instant win |
| Hong Kong | Yes, 8 | Own flower 1 fan each; no flowers at all, 1 fan; a full group of four, 2 fan; all eight is an instant limit win |
| Chinese Official | Yes, 8 | 1 fan each, but they don't count toward the 8-fan minimum |
| American | Yes, 8 | All 8 count as the same tile, F; no replacement, they go into your hand like any other tile |
| Japanese | No | 136-tile set |
| Sichuan | No | 108-tile set, not even honors |
Two things to watch for:
- Hong Kong and Chinese Official both score flowers, but treat the minimum differently. In our Hong Kong game, flower fan count toward the 3-fan minimum; in Chinese Official the flower fan are added to the total but ignored when checking the 8-fan minimum.
- American flowers are something else entirely. No replacement, no seasons or plants: all 8 are interchangeable, and many hands on the card start with FF or FFFF.
See how many tiles each style uses in mahjong set sizes, and read about American jokers.
FAQ
What do I do when I draw a flower?
Lay it face up in front of you and draw a replacement from the back of the wall; if that's a flower too, replace again. Flowers aren't part of your hand but can add points when you win.
What is a flower kong?
In Taiwanese mahjong, having all four seasons or all four plants laid out in front of you is a flower kong, worth 2 tai. Collect all eight and you win on the spot.
Why doesn't Japanese mahjong have flowers?
Riichi mahjong uses a 136-tile set without flowers and scores with yaku and dora instead. Sichuan is even leaner, with only the 108 suit tiles. Want flowers? Try Taiwanese mahjong online, or pick a style on the homepage.