The short answer: an American Mahjong set normally contains three numbered suits (dots, bams, and cracks), four winds, three dragons, eight flowers, and eight jokers. Many sets also include blank replacement tiles. The playing tiles are based on Chinese Mahjong, while the extra jokers and larger tile count support American rules.
The three numbered suits
Each suit runs from one through nine, with four identical copies of every numbered tile. That gives you 36 dots, 36 bams, and 36 cracks.
- Dots, circles, or wheels: round symbols numbered 1–9. Players usually call them “one dot,” “two dot,” and so on.
- Bams or bamboo: bamboo-stick symbols numbered 1–9. The one bam is often pictured as a bird, which surprises new players.
- Cracks or characters: Chinese character tiles numbered 1–9. “Crack” is the common American table name.
Winds and dragons
The honor tiles do not have numbers. There are four copies of each wind and each dragon.
- Winds: North, East, South, and West. Players often say the full direction rather than a nickname.
- Red dragon: usually marked with a red Chinese character.
- Green dragon: usually marked with a green character.
- White dragon or soap: often looks like a blank white tile or a simple blue frame. American players call it “soap” because the rectangle resembles a bar of soap.
On the annual card, dragon relationships matter: red traditionally pairs with cracks, green with bams, and white/soap with dots. Soap can also represent a zero when a hand line uses years or other number patterns.
Flowers
An American set includes eight flower tiles. Their artwork may show flowers, seasons, people, buildings, or other decorative scenes, so appearance varies widely by manufacturer. Under American rules, all eight generally function as interchangeable flowers unless a specific table rule says otherwise.
Jokers
Jokers are wild tiles, but they are not wild in every situation. They may normally substitute inside a group of three or more identical tiles, such as a pung, kong, quint, or sextet. A joker cannot replace a tile in a single, pair, or most year-style single-tile sequences. See the complete joker rules before using one.
Blank tiles
Many modern sets include spare blank tiles. Official American play does not automatically treat blanks as wild tiles. They are usually replacements for lost or damaged tiles unless your group has agreed to a house rule.
Group names you will hear at the table
- Single: one tile.
- Pair: two identical tiles.
- Pung: three identical tiles.
- Kong: four identical tiles.
- Quint: five identical tiles, normally requiring at least one joker.
- Sextet: six identical tiles, also requiring jokers because only four natural copies exist.
A five-minute tile-learning drill
- Pull out one of every numbered suit tile and arrange each suit from 1 to 9.
- Add one of each wind and dragon beneath the suits.
- Put the flowers and jokers in separate rows.
- Point to random tiles and say the name aloud.
- Mix the tiles, then sort them again without looking at a reference.
Once you can name tiles without hesitation, following calls and reading the card becomes dramatically easier.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the one bam a bird?
The one bamboo tile is traditionally represented by a bird, often a peacock or sparrow. It still counts as one bam.
Why is the white dragon called soap?
Its plain rectangular design resembles a bar of soap. It is also used as zero in many American Mahjong year hands.
Are flower tiles all interchangeable?
In standard American play, the eight flowers are generally interchangeable even when their pictures differ.
Can a joker be used for any missing tile?
No. Jokers normally work only in groups of three or more identical tiles, not singles or pairs.