Mah-Jongg Equipment

Mah-Jongg, can be played either with a set of Mah-Jongg tiles, or less commonly, a set of Mah-Jongg playing cards (sometimes spelled 'kards' to distinguish them from the list of standard hands used in American Mah-Jongg); one brand of Mah-Jongg cards calls these Mhing). Playing cards are often used when travelling as it reduces space and is lighter than their tile counterparts, but are of a lower quality in return. In this article, "tile" will be used to denote both playing cards and tiles.

Many Mah-Jongg sets will also include a set of chips or bone tiles for scoring, as well as indicators denoting the dealer and the wind of the round. Some sets may also include racks to hold tiles or chips (although in many sets the tiles are generally sufficiently thick so that they can stand on their own), with one of them being different to denote the dealer's rack.

Computer implementations of Mah-Jongg are also available: these allow you to play against computer opponents, or against human opponents on the Internet.

A set of Mah-Jongg tiles will usually differ from place to place. It usually has at least 136 tiles, most commonly 144, although sets originating from America or Japan will have more. Mah-Jongg tiles include:

Circle suit: named as each tile consists of a number of circles. Each circle is said to represent copper (tong) coins with a square hole in the middle.



Bamboo suit: named as each tile (except the 1 Bamboo) consists of a number of bamboo sticks. Each stick is said to represent a string (suo) that holds a hundred coins.

Character suit: named as each tile represents ten thousand (wan) coins, or one hundred strings of one hundred coins.



Wind tiles: East, South, West, and North.



Dragon tiles: red, green, and white. The term dragon tile is a western convention introduced by Joseph Park Babcock in his 1920 book introducing Mah-Jongg to America. Originally, these tiles are said to have something to do with the Chinese Imperial Examination. The red tile ("中"榜) means you pass the examination and thus will be appointed a government official. The green tile ("發"財) means, consequently you will become financially well off. The white tile (a clean board) means since you are now doing well you should act like a good, incorrupt official.



Flower tiles: typically optional components to a set of Mah-Jongg tiles, often contain artwork on their tiles.