When you throw a tile in American Mah Jongg you say its name out loud, so the first thing to learn is what each tile is called. There are 152 tiles in seven kinds. Here is every one, with the name players use at the table.
The three suits
Each suit runs from 1 to 9, and there are four of every tile. Say the number, then the suit, without an s: "three Dot", "five Bam", "nine Crak".
All four 3 Dots. Every numbered tile comes four times, and so does every wind and dragon.
Bams
Bam is short for bamboo. The tiles show green and red sticks of bamboo, as many as the number.
The Bams, 1 to 9. The 1 Bam shows a bird on most sets, not a stick, so some players call it the bird. When thrown it is still called "one Bam".
Craks
Crak is short for character. Each tile carries a Chinese number at the top and, under it, the red character for "ten thousand". If you cannot read the Chinese number, read the small number in the corner, which most American sets print.
The Craks, 1 to 9: "one Crak" to "nine Crak".
Dots
Dots show circles, as many as the number. Some players call them circles; at the table you say "Dot".
The Dots, 1 to 9: "one Dot" to "nine Dot".
The winds
Four winds, four of each, for sixteen tiles. Say the direction: "North", "East", "West", "South". On the card they are written N, E, W and S. A wind belongs to no suit and never has a number.
North, East, West and South.
The dragons, and Soap
Three dragons, four of each, for twelve tiles. Each dragon goes with one suit, and a hand on the card often asks for the dragon of the suit it is played in.
The Green Dragon goes with Bams, the Red Dragon with Craks, and the White Dragon with Dots.
- Green Dragon: said "Green" or "Green Dragon".
- Red Dragon: said "Red" or "Red Dragon".
- White Dragon: almost everyone calls it Soap, because on most sets it is a plain white tile with a blue frame, like a bar of soap. In the hands that spell a year it plays as a zero, and then it belongs to no suit.
The year 2026 in tiles: a 2 Dot, Soap as the zero, a 2 Dot and a 6 Dot.
Flowers
Eight flowers, all the same tile. Say "Flower". Many sets print four of them as seasons; those count as flowers too, and the numbers or pictures on them mean nothing in this game. On the card a flower is written F.
Four flowers. Any flower can take the place of any other.
Jokers
Eight jokers. Say "Joker" when you throw one, though a thrown joker is dead and nobody can take it. Jokers can be used to make 3 of a kind or more, but not pairs. The card never prints a joker; you use one wherever a line asks for three or more of the same tile.
Allowed: two 9 Bams and a joker make three of a kind. Not allowed: a 9 Bam and a joker as a pair.
Jokers, and the edges of the rules has every case, including taking a joker off another player's rack.
How the card writes the tiles
A printed card cannot draw tiles, so it writes them.
| The card prints | The tiles |
|---|---|
| a number, such as 5 | a tile of that number, in the suit the colour stands for |
| N, E, W, S | North, East, West, South |
| D | the dragon of that colour's suit |
| 0 | Soap, the White Dragon, as a zero |
| F | a flower |
The colours never name a suit. One colour means one suit of your choice, two colours mean two different suits, three colours mean all three. How to read the card goes through a line tile by tile.
If you learned Chinese mahjong
The suits and honours are the same tiles, with different names. Bams are bamboo, Craks are characters, Dots are circles. The American set adds the eight jokers, which is why it has 152 tiles, and treats all eight flowers and seasons as the same tile.
Practise the names
The tiles lesson shows each tile in turn. At the table, every throw is written out by name, such as "4 Dot", so the names become habit within a game or two.
Questions
What is Soap in mah jongg?
Soap is the White Dragon. It goes with the Dot suit, and in hands that spell the year it plays as a zero.
Which dragon goes with which suit?
The Green Dragon goes with Bams, the Red Dragon with Craks, and the White Dragon, Soap, with Dots.
Why does the 1 Bam have a bird on it?
On most sets the 1 Bam shows a bird instead of a single bamboo stick, so some players call it the bird. It plays exactly like any other Bam, and when thrown it is called "one Bam".
How do you say a tile when you throw it?
Say the number and the suit for a numbered tile ("four Crak"), the direction for a wind ("West"), the colour for a dragon ("Red", "Green" or "Soap"), and "Flower" or "Joker" for those.
Sources
The tile counts and the dragon for each suit follow the American Mah Jongg Association's rules guide (guide.americanmahjonggassociation.com, Mah Jongg Tiles and Understanding the Card) and the school's rules page.