How Many Tiles in Mahjong? American Sets Have 152

Opening your first mahjong set can feel like opening a treasure chest. There are a lot of tiles, and they all look important. So how many should there be, and what are they all for? Let's count them together.

The short answer: 152 tiles in American mahjong

A standard American mahjong set has 152 tiles. Here's how they break down:

Notice the pattern: almost every tile comes in four identical copies. Flowers and jokers are the exceptions, with eight each. For a full tour of the box, including racks and dice, see what's in an American mahjong set.

Every tile in an American set

Here is each tile face, grouped by type, with how many of each category you'll find in a set. These are our own drawings, so the art in your set will look a little different.

Want to learn them by heart? Our free tile quiz has flashcards and a timed quiz for all 152 tiles.

American vs. Chinese mahjong tile counts

Mahjong began in China, and there are many wonderful regional styles there and around the world. Tile counts depend on the style:

• 136 tiles is common in many styles: the three suits, winds and dragons, with no flowers.
• 144 tiles adds 8 flower and season tiles, often used as bonus tiles.
• 152 tiles is the American set, which adds 8 jokers and uses its 8 flowers inside winning hands.

Styles vary, and some regional games use other counts or extra special tiles. If you're shopping, make sure the set says "American" and includes jokers. You can read more about the differences in American vs. Chinese mahjong.

Why American mahjong has jokers

Traditional Chinese sets don't include jokers. They were added as the game developed in the United States during the 1900s, and today they're a defining part of the American style.

American mahjong uses a yearly card of specific winning hands, and many of those hands need four or even five of the same tile. Since there are only four copies of most tiles, jokers make those hands possible. A joker can stand in for any tile in a group of three or more, but never in a single or a pair. Learn the details in our guide to how jokers work.

How many tiles each player holds

Here's where the numbers matter during a game:

• 13 tiles: every player is dealt 13 tiles.
• 14 tiles for East: the dealer, called East, starts with 14 and begins the game by discarding one.
• 13 during play: on each turn you pick up one tile and discard one, so you're back to 13.
• 14 to win: you declare Mahjong when your 14th tile, drawn or called from a discard, completes a hand on the card.

Count your tiles every so often. If you end up with too many or too few, your hand usually can't win. That's called a dead hand, and it happens to everybody now and then. The full flow of a turn is in how to play American mahjong.

The wall: 19 stacks per player

Before the deal, the tiles are mixed face down and built into walls. In a four-player game, each player builds a wall of 19 stacks, two tiles high. That's 38 tiles per wall, and four walls of 38 make exactly 152.

If your wall comes out a stack short or long, don't worry. Just borrow from or share with a neighbor so every wall is even. Playing with two or three people? The setup changes a little; see 2- and 3-player mahjong.

What to do if a tile is missing

It happens more than you'd think, especially with secondhand or heirloom sets. Here's a calm plan:

1. Count by category. Lay out the tiles by type and compare with the table above. Each number tile, wind and dragon should have four copies.
2. Check the usual hiding spots. Look under racks, inside the case lining, under the table and in the bag you carried the set in.
3. Look for spares. Many sets come with a few blank or spare tiles. Some players mark a blank to replace a lost tile.
4. Contact the maker. Some sellers will send a replacement tile.
5. Tell the table. For a casual game, you can play with one tile missing as long as everyone knows which one it is. A missing joker or flower matters more, so try to replace those first.

If you find you have more than 152 tiles, the extras are probably spares. Set them aside before you build the walls.

Quick recap

• American mahjong: 152 tiles, including 8 flowers and 8 jokers.
• Many Chinese styles: 136 or 144 tiles, and styles vary.
• You hold 13 tiles, East starts with 14, and you win with 14.
• Each wall is 19 stacks, two high, in a four-player game.

Next, learn how those tiles turn into winning hands in how to read the mahjong card, or try a full game in our practice game. Any tile names you don't know are in the mahjong glossary, and more beginner articles are on our guides page.