Home / Journal / Mahjong tile meanings: every tile explained
Journal
Mahjong tile meanings: every tile explained
By Inkjong · 14 November 2026
A mahjong set looks complicated, but it is built from a few simple groups: three suits, the winds, the dragons, flowers and, in American mahjong, jokers. Here is what every mahjong tile means.
The three suits
Most of the set is made of three suits, each numbered 1 to 9, with four copies of every tile (36 tiles per suit).
Dots (also called circles or coins) show round coins. Bams (bamboo) show bamboo sticks; the 1 bam is usually drawn as a bird. Craks (characters) show a number above the character 萬, which means ten thousand.
The four winds
There are four of each wind: East (東), South (南), West (西) and North (北). In play, the winds also set the seats and the order of the rounds.
The three dragons
There are four each of three dragons. The red dragon shows 中, meaning "centre". The green dragon shows 發, meaning "fortune". The white dragon was traditionally a blank tile; in American sets it is often a framed tile nicknamed "soap", and it doubles as a zero in year hands.
In American mahjong each dragon is paired with a suit: red with craks, green with bams and white with dots.
Flowers and seasons
Flower tiles are bonus tiles. A Chinese set usually has eight (four flowers and four seasons). Their designs vary from set to set, which makes them a favourite place for artists to show off.
Jokers
American mahjong adds jokers, which can stand in for tiles in many hands. A standard American set has eight; many sets include spares.
How many tiles in a mahjong set?
A Chinese set has 144 tiles. American mahjong is played with 152 tiles: the same 144 plus eight jokers. Many American sets ship with 166 tiles, adding spare jokers, flowers and blank tiles. The Inkjong Irezumi Mahjong Set has 166 tiles, so it covers American, Hong Kong and Chinese play.
Tattoo art on the tiles
On the Inkjong set every suit, wind and dragon keeps a bold, readable symbol, framed by Japanese tattoo art. The bigger showpiece tiles carry dragons, koi, a hannya joker, peonies and waves. See the Irezumi Mahjong Set, or read about the Japanese dragon.