A standard Mahjong set has 144 tiles: three suits with ranks 1–9, honor tiles (winds and dragons), and often flowers and seasons. In Mahjong Solitaire, you match identical tiles; understanding each type helps you spot pairs quickly. This guide covers the basics; for names and terms, see Mahjong terminology.
Suits: Dots, Bamboos, Characters
Each suit has nine ranks (1–9), with four identical tiles per rank (36 tiles per suit, 108 total). Dots (circles), Bamboos (sticks), and Characters (wan, 萬) are the "number" tiles. In tile matching, two tiles match only if they are the same suit and same rank—e.g. two Bamboo 5s, two Character 9s.
Honors: Winds and Dragons
There are four winds (East, South, West, North) and three dragons (Red, Green, White—sometimes shown as symbols or colors). Each has four copies (28 tiles total). Two tiles match if they are the same wind or same dragon. Honors have no rank; they are matched by type only. They add variety to layouts and are used the same way in both Mahjong Solitaire and classic Mahjong.
Flowers and Seasons
Many sets include four flower tiles and four season tiles (eight total, often unique designs). In Mahjong Solitaire, flowers usually match any other flower, and seasons match any other season. Some implementations treat them as four distinct pairs (e.g. Spring–Spring only). Check your game's rules; either way, they are bonus tiles that add visual and strategic variety to the gameplay.