Mahjong Tiles Explained: Suits, Winds, Dragons and Bonus Tiles

Understanding the essential Mahjong tile groups—number tiles, Winds, Dragons, and bonus tiles—helps new players recognize patterns faster and make clearer decisions during each turn.

This visual guide explains each tile group with simple examples. To see how these tiles combine into real hands, explore your Hand Structure Foundations. For a neutral reference on tile families, the Mahjong tile overview on Wikipedia is also helpful.

1. Number Tiles (Suits)

Number tiles come in three suits—Dots, Bamboo, and Characters—and run from 1 to 9. These form most of the patterns and flexible sequences players build during a game.

Dots (Circles)

Dots use circular symbols and are typically the easiest suit for beginners to recognize.

Dot tile 1 Dot tile 2 Dot tile 3 Dot tile 4 Dot tile 5 Dot tile 6 Dot tile 7 Dot tile 8 Dot tile 9

Bamboo (Sticks)

Bamboo tiles show stylized stalks and form many flexible sequence shapes.

Bamboo tile 1 Bamboo tile 2 Bamboo tile 3 Bamboo tile 4 Bamboo tile 5 Bamboo tile 6 Bamboo tile 7 Bamboo tile 8 Bamboo tile 9

Characters (Wan)

Character tiles feature the symbol “萬” and represent the numbers one through nine.

Character tile 1 Character tile 2 Character tile 3 Character tile 4 Character tile 5 Character tile 6 Character tile 7 Character tile 8 Character tile 9

2. Honor Tiles

Honor tiles include Winds and Dragons and often influence scoring value.

Winds

There are four Winds: East, South, West, and North.

East Wind tile South Wind tile West Wind tile North Wind tile

Dragons

The three Dragons—Red, Green, and White—are among the most influential tiles in scoring.

Red Dragon tile Green Dragon tile White Dragon tile

3. Flowers and Seasons

Some Mahjong sets include optional Flower and Season tiles that offer small bonuses when drawn. These do not form standard melds.

4. Recognition Tips

Group tiles mentally by suit for faster recognition. Middle numbers (4, 5, 6) complete the widest range of shapes, so practice spotting them quickly. Recognizing honor tiles instantly helps with both value-building and late-game defense.

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