Mahjong Tiles Meaning: A Simple Guide to Each Symbol

Mahjong is a popular tile-based board game that originated in China. While the traditional version involves four players, the online game can be played by single or multiple players. A Mahjong game set is made up of 144 tiles divided into three main groups:

• Suits (number tiles)
• Honors (wind and dragon tiles)
• Bonus tiles (flowers and seasons)

Each group has a distinct visual representation and functions during gameplay. This article will walk you through the basics, making it easier to recognize each tile as you play.

What Bamboo Tiles Mean in Mahjong

Bamboo tiles are one of the three suits used in Mahjong. They are numbered from 1 to 9, with each tile illustrated with the number of bamboo sticks it represents. The “1” Bamboo tile is a special case — rather than a single bamboo stick, it often has an image of a bird, commonly referred to as the "Sparrow" or "Peacock" depending on the version. This makes it visually distinct from the other Bamboo tiles.

In a Mahjong game, there are 4 sets of numbered Bamboo tiles, making a total of 36 tiles in the Bamboo suit. These tiles form part of the standard number combinations in Mahjong needed to win a hand. While the Bamboo suit has no symbolic meaning behind it, it is essential for forming melds (sets of 3 or 4 matching or sequential tiles).

What Dragon Tiles Mean

Dragon tiles belong to the honors tiles and are of three types.

• The Red one has the Chinese character 中, meaning “center,”
• The Green one has a character 發 which means "prosperity,”
• The White Dragon is a blank tile or a tile with a blue frame.

Dragon tiles are not numbered and are typically used for high-scoring combinations or as bonus tiles, depending on the ruleset. While these tiles are symbolic in traditional Chinese culture, in basic gameplay, they are simply used to complete specific sets that may offer scoring advantages or meet the winning hand requirements.

Mahjong Wind Tiles Explained

These are another type of honor tiles and represent the four cardinal directions: East (東), South (南), West (西), and North (北). Each tile is marked with the Chinese symbol for the direction it represents. In a standard 4-player Mahjong game, the wind tiles can indicate each player’s seat position which may in turn affect the order of play or scoring. But in simpler versions, they’re just used to complete sets, just like the dragon tiles.

Wind tiles are essential to the structure of the game in traditional Mahjong, but don’t carry deeper symbolic meaning in casual versions. Every Mahjong game set has 4 sets of wind tiles, with each set containing 4 unique tiles, making a total of 16 wind tiles.

Mahjong’s Bonus Tiles

In Mahjong, bonus tiles include Flower tiles and Season tiles. They are not used to form regular sets in the gameplay but can offer extra points when drawn. When a bonus tile is drawn, it is typically set aside and replaced with a new tile from the wall. Each tile here is numbered 1 to 4 and has an illustration of either a flower or a seasonal element.

Not all Mahjong versions use bonus tiles, but when they do, they can give extra points or effects depending on the ruleset.

Flower Tiles

Flower tiles are bonus tiles with flower illustrations. They are used for bonus points and cannot be used to complete a hand. When a player draws a Flower tile, they reveal it immediately and set it aside. Each flower tile has an illustration of an orchid, plum blossom, bamboo, or chrysanthemum, and is usually marked with a number (1-4), with each tile appearing just once in a game set.

Season Tiles

Season tiles work in the same way as the Flower tiles and are also bonus tiles. They represent 4 seasons and are usually marked with corresponding symbols or Chinese characters. Like Flower tiles, each Season tile appears just once in a Mahjong set. These tiles can’t form regular sets but can be used for bonus points in certain rulesets.

Basic Suited Tiles in Mahjong and Their Meaning

A majority of Mahjong tiles are suited tiles belonging to one of these three main suits: Circle, Bamboo, and Character. Each suit is numbered from 1 to 9 and is used to build combinations needed for a winning hand in Mahjong. Unlike honor and bonus tiles, suited tiles resemble cards in a deck and follow a numerical sequence. Each suit is made of 36 tiles — 4 sets of 9 tiles, making a total of 108 suited tiles in a Mahjong set.

Circle

Circle tiles (also known as Dots) have simple illustrations of coins or circular shapes on them. The number of circles on a tile corresponds to its number — from 1 to 9. These are often the easiest to identify.

Bamboo

As discussed earlier, Bamboo tiles (also called “sticks” or “bams”) resemble bamboo stalks, usually green. Numbers 2 to 9 are pretty easy to identify, while the 1 Bamboo tile is unique and usually has a bird illustration.

Character

Character tiles are marked with Chinese numerals from 1 to 9, paired with the character 萬 (wan), meaning “ten thousand.” They’re the least intuitive for non-Chinese readers, but they function exactly the same as the other numbered suits.

Ready to Test Your Mahjong Tile Knowledge?

By now, you’ve learned that Mahjong tiles fall into three main groups: suits, honors, and bonus tiles. Each has a unique role in the game — suited tiles build the hand, honor tiles complete key sets, and bonus tiles offer bonus points.

If you're new to the game, try identifying the different tile groups while watching a basic Mahjong tutorial or playing a simple Mahjong game.