Mahjong sets
A Chinese mahjong set has 144 tiles. American and Japanese sets differ, so check first.
Read a mahjong set before you buy
Match your game
Count the tiles first. American rules need 8 jokers, riichi drops the flowers, and Sichuan play uses only the 108 suit tiles.
Check the size
Chinese tiles usually run bigger than Japanese ones. Check the millimeters against any racks or automatic table you own.
Read the faces
Western sets print small numbers in the corners. Traditional sets show only Chinese numerals and pictures, like the little bird on the 1 bamboo.
The clack of tiles means the house is full.
Before you buy a set
Old sets may be real ivory. Federal rules and some state laws ban most ivory sales in the US, so choose bone, bamboo or resin instead.
Mahjong sets
Hand-picked pieces are on the way.
Good to know
How many tiles are in a mahjong set?
A Chinese set has 144 tiles: 108 suit tiles, 28 honors and 8 flowers. American sets have 152 with 8 jokers. Japanese riichi sets have 136.
Can I play American mahjong with a Chinese set?
Not as it comes. American rules need 8 jokers, which most Chinese sets lack. Some players put stickers on spare blanks, but tiles without corner numbers take getting used to.
What are mahjong tiles made of?
Most new tiles are melamine or acrylic. Old Chinese sets used bone and bamboo, and vintage American sets are often Bakelite or Catalin.
