American Mahjong Tiles Explained: Bams, Craks, Dots and More
The first time you open an American Mahjong set, it can feel a little overwhelming. There are 152 tiles staring back at you, covered in symbols, numbers, and characters you’ve probably never seen before. Where do you even start?
This guide walks through every tile type in plain English — what it looks like, what it’s called, and how it fits into the game. By the end you’ll be able to pick up any tile and know exactly what you’re holding.
The three suits
Think of suits like the hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades of a regular deck of cards — except in Mahjong there are three suits instead of four, and each one is numbered 1 through 9. Every suit tile comes in four copies, giving you 36 tiles per suit and 108 suit tiles total.
Bams (Bamboo)
Bams are the bamboo suit, numbered 1 through 9. Most sets depict them as green stalks with darker nodes — the higher the number, the more stalks on the tile. The 1 Bam is the exception: it’s usually shown as a single bird (often a peacock or sparrow) perched on a stalk, making it easy to recognize at a glance.
In play: Bams are one of the three main suit tiles you’ll use to build hands. Many NMJL card hands call for runs or groups of Bams — for example, three 3 Bams, or a sequence of 1, 2, 3 Bam.
Craks (Characters)
Craks are the character suit, numbered 1 through 9. Each tile shows a large red Chinese numeral at the top and the character 万 (wàn, meaning “ten thousand”) below it. They’re easy to spot because of the bold red numerals — once you’ve seen a Crak you won’t forget it.
In play: Craks work exactly like Bams — you’ll use them in groups or runs depending on which hand you’re building. Some hands on the NMJL card call for a specific mix of all three suits.
Dots (Circles)
Dots are the circle suit, numbered 1 through 9. Each tile shows the corresponding number of circles arranged in a grid pattern. The 1 Dot is a single large circle — often more ornate than the others — and the 9 Dot has nine circles filling the face of the tile.
In play: Same as Bams and Craks. Dots are your third suit tile and feature heavily across the NMJL card.
Winds and Dragons (Honor tiles)
Honor tiles don’t have numbers — they’re a fixed set of named tiles. There are two types: Winds and Dragons.
Winds
There are four Wind tiles: East, West, North, and South. Each comes in four copies (16 Wind tiles total). They’re typically shown with the corresponding Chinese character — 東 (East), 西 (West), 北 (North), 南 (South) — though many Western sets also print the English letter or word.
In play: Winds appear on the NMJL card in specific hands — sometimes all four together, sometimes just a pair. They’re also used to determine turn order at the start of the game.
Dragons
There are three Dragon tiles, each coming in four copies (12 Dragon tiles total):
• Red Dragon (中, zhōng) — shown in red. Sometimes called “Chun.”
• Green Dragon (発, fā) — shown in green. Sometimes called “Hatsu.”
• White Dragon (白, bái) — often shown as a blank tile or with a simple border. Commonly called “Soap” in American Mahjong.
In play: Dragons appear frequently on the NMJL card. “Soap” (White Dragon) in particular shows up in a lot of hands — it’s worth learning to recognize it quickly since it looks different from set to set.
Flowers
Flower tiles are numbered 1 through 4 and come in two sets of four — eight Flower tiles total. They’re decorative and often beautifully illustrated with seasonal imagery: plum blossom, orchid, chrysanthemum, and bamboo (or similar depending on the set).
In play: In American Mahjong, Flowers are used as regular tiles in specific hands on the NMJL card — unlike some other Mahjong variants where they’re bonus tiles. Don’t discard them automatically just because they look decorative.
Jokers
Jokers are the wild cards of American Mahjong — and they’re one of the things that makes the American version distinct. A standard set includes eight Jokers.
A Joker can substitute for any tile in a hand, with one key restriction: Jokers can only be used in groups of three or more identical tiles. They cannot be used in pairs. So if a hand calls for a pair of 1 Dots, you can’t use a Joker to complete it — you need the real tile.
There’s also a Joker swap rule: if another player has used a Joker in a completed group of tiles on the table, you can swap it out for the tile it represents — as long as you hold that tile in your hand at the time of your turn.
Jokers are highly valuable. If you draw one, think carefully before discarding it.
Quick reference
• Bams — green bamboo stalks, numbered 1–9, four copies each
• Craks — red Chinese numerals, numbered 1–9, four copies each
• Dots — colored circles, numbered 1–9, four copies each
• Winds — East, West, North, South, four copies each (16 total)
• Dragons — Red, Green, White (Soap), four copies each (12 total)
• Flowers — numbered 1–4, two sets (8 total)
• Jokers — wild cards, 8 total