Tile guide
A mahjong set has 144 tiles. You don't need to know any of this to play – you only match identical tiles – but it is fun to know what you are looking at.
Dots (circles) 36 tiles
Numbers 1 to 9, shown as circles. Four of each.
Bamboo 36 tiles
Numbers 1 to 9, shown as bamboo sticks. The 1 of bamboo is often drawn as a bird – in our game it is Mochi!
Characters 36 tiles
Numbers 1 to 9, written as the Chinese numerals 一 to 九 above the character 萬 (ten thousand).
Winds 16 tiles
East 東, South 南, West 西 and North 北.
Dragons 12 tiles
Red 中 (centre), green 發 (fortune) and white 白 (a blank frame).
Flowers and seasons 8 tiles
Plum, orchid, chrysanthemum and bamboo; spring, summer, autumn and winter. One of each. In Mochi Mahjong they match only their exact twin, like every other tile.
Mochi Mahjong's own tiles
Besides the classic set, some boards have special tiles: blanket tiles, bell tiles, yarn tangles and the lucky paw. See How to play.