Mahjong Tiles Explained
A visual reference for all 34 unique mahjong tiles — three suits, four winds, and three dragons. Explore each tile's name, cultural meaning, and the yaku it helps build. New to a set? See our mahjong set guide.
Characters (Manzu 萬)
9 tilesOne of Characters
一萬 (イーマン)
The character 萬 (wan/man) means 'ten thousand'. The simplest character tile, showing one red line.
Two of Characters
二萬 (リャンマン)
Shows the character 二 (two) above 萬. Simple and commonly used in all hands.
Three of Characters
三萬 (サンマン)
Shows the character 三 (three) above 萬.
Four of Characters
四萬 (スーマン)
Shows the character 四 (four) above 萬. In some designs, may be red (akadora variant).
Five of Characters
五萬 (ウーマン)
Shows the character 五 (five) above 萬. Often red (aka dora) in modern rule sets, worth one extra han.
Six of Characters
六萬 (ローマン)
Shows the character 六 (six) above 萬.
Seven of Characters
七萬 (チーマン)
Shows the character 七 (seven) above 萬.
Eight of Characters
八萬 (パーマン)
Shows the character 八 (eight) above 萬.
Nine of Characters
九萬 (チューマン)
Shows the character 九 (nine) above 萬. Terminal tile.
Bamboo (Souzu 索)
9 tilesOne of Bamboo
一索 (イーソー)
Often depicted as a bird (peacock or sparrow) rather than a bamboo stick. The 索 (sou) character means 'rope' or 'cord'.
Two of Bamboo
二索 (リャンソー)
Shows two bamboo sticks. Green color represents growth and prosperity.
Three of Bamboo
三索 (サンソー)
Three bamboo sticks, all green - part of the all-green set.
Four of Bamboo
四索 (スーソー)
Four bamboo sticks in green. Central simple tile.
Five of Bamboo
五索 (ウーソー)
Five bamboo sticks. Often red (aka dora) in modern sets, worth one extra han.
Six of Bamboo
六索 (ローソー)
Six bamboo sticks in green. Part of the green tile set.
Seven of Bamboo
七索 (チーソー)
Seven bamboo sticks. High simple tile.
Eight of Bamboo
八索 (パーソー)
Eight bamboo sticks in green. Final green numbered tile.
Nine of Bamboo
九索 (チューソー)
Nine bamboo sticks. Terminal tile.
Circles (Pinzu 筒)
9 tilesOne of Circles
一筒 (イーピン)
Single large circle, often stylized. The 筒 (pin) character refers to coins or money.
Two of Circles
二筒 (リャンピン)
Two circles arranged vertically or diagonally.
Three of Circles
三筒 (サンピン)
Three circles in a triangular pattern.
Four of Circles
四筒 (スーピン)
Four circles in a 2x2 grid pattern.
Five of Circles
五筒 (ウーピン)
Five circles in a dice-like pattern. Often red (aka dora) with a red center circle in modern sets.
Six of Circles
六筒 (ローピン)
Six circles in a 3x2 grid pattern.
Seven of Circles
七筒 (チーピン)
Seven circles arranged in a pattern.
Eight of Circles
八筒 (パーピン)
Eight circles in an organized pattern.
Nine of Circles
九筒 (チューピン)
Nine circles filling the tile face. Terminal tile.
Winds (Kazehai 風牌)
4 tilesEast Wind
東 (トン)
Represents the East direction and spring. Most important wind as it's always the dealer's initial seat.
South Wind
南 (ナン)
Represents the South direction and summer. Corresponds to the second round in hanchan games.
West Wind
西 (シャー)
Represents the West direction and autumn. Less commonly a round wind in standard play.
North Wind
北 (ペー)
Represents the North direction and winter. Least commonly a round wind in standard play.
Dragons (Sangenpai 三元牌)
3 tilesWhite Dragon
白 (ハク)
Represents purity and blank slate. Often depicted as a blank tile or with a blue border frame.
Green Dragon
發 (ハツ)
Represents prosperity and success (發 means 'to prosper'). Green character on white background.
Red Dragon
中 (チュン)
Represents the center or middle way (中 means 'center'). Bold red character, most visually striking dragon.
Ready to Learn Riichi Mahjong?
Start with our comprehensive beginner's guide to understand how these tiles work together.