Meet the tiles
Hong Kong mahjong, lesson 1. All 144 tiles, and how to tell them apart.
1. There are 144 tiles
They come in 6 kinds. You'll meet each one.
- 5 Dot: Dots
- 1 Bam: Bams
- 5 Crak: Craks
- East: Winds
- Red Dragon: Dragons
- Flower 1: Flowers
2. Dots (1 of 6)
Dots are one of 3 suits. A suit has tiles numbered 1 to 9. There are 4 of each tile.
- 1 Dot
- 2 Dot
- 3 Dot
- 4 Dot
- 5 Dot
- 6 Dot
- 7 Dot
- 8 Dot
- 9 Dot
3. Bams (2 of 6)
Short for bamboo. Count the sticks or read the corner. The 1 Bam is a bird.
- 1 Bam
- 2 Bam
- 3 Bam
- 4 Bam
- 5 Bam
- 6 Bam
- 7 Bam
- 8 Bam
- 9 Bam
4. Craks (3 of 6)
Short for characters. Read the number in the corner.
- 1 Crak
- 2 Crak
- 3 Crak
- 4 Crak
- 5 Crak
- 6 Crak
- 7 Crak
- 8 Crak
- 9 Crak
5. Which suit is this?
Question: What is this? [6 Dot]
Answer: Dots
Question: What is this? [4 Bam]
Answer: Bams
Question: What is this? [2 Crak]
Answer: Craks
Question: What is this? [1 Bam]
Answer: Bams
Question: What is this? [8 Crak]
Answer: Craks
6. Winds (4 of 6)
East, South, West and North. Read the letter in the corner. There are 4 of each.
- East
- South
- West
- North
7. Dragons (5 of 6)
Red, Green and White. There are 4 of each.
- Red Dragon: Red Dragon
- Green Dragon: Green Dragon
- White Dragon: White Dragon
Note: Winds and dragons are called honor tiles. They have no numbers.
Go to step 78. Bonus tiles (6 of 6)
There are 4 flowers and 4 seasons. Each one is different, numbered 1 to 4.
- Flowers (Plum, Orchid, Chrysanthemum, Bamboo): Flower 1, Flower 2, Flower 3, Flower 4
- Seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter): Season 1, Season 2, Season 3, Season 4
Note: These are bonus tiles. They are not part of your hand. They can add to your score. If you know American mahjong: there are no jokers.
Go to step 89. Quiz: Name that tile
Question: What is this? [5 Bam]
Answer: 5 Bam
Question: What is this? [South]
Answer: South
Question: What is this? [White Dragon]
Answer: White Dragon
Question: What is this? [7 Crak]
Answer: 7 Crak
Question: What kind of tile is this? [Flower 3]
Answer: A bonus tile
Question: How many of each suit tile are there? [3 Dot, 3 Dot, 3 Dot, 3 Dot]
Answer: 4
What this lesson teaches
- There are 144 tiles: Dots, Bams and Craks, numbered 1 to 9, 4 of each.
- Winds and dragons are honor tiles. They have no numbers.
- Flowers and seasons are bonus tiles. There are no jokers.
