How Many Tiles in American Mahjong? 152 (Plus 14 Extras)
152 tiles get used in American Mahjong play. A typical retail set ships with 166 total: the 152 playing tiles plus 14 extras and replacements. That's the short answer. The 152 playing tiles split across seven groups: three number suits, two honor categories, plus flowers and jokers.
Tile Breakdown
- Bams (Bamboos): 1 to 9, four of each. 36 total.
- Craks (Characters): 1 to 9, four of each. 36 total.
- Dots (Circles): 1 to 9, four of each. 36 total.
- Winds: East, South, West, North, four of each. 16 total.
- Dragons: Red, Green, White, four of each. 12 total.
- Flowers: 8 decorative tiles.
- Jokers: 8 wild tiles unique to American Mahjong.
Total playing tiles: 152.
Why 166 in a Retail Set?
Mahjong tile sets ship with 14 extras: replacement Jokers and Flowers in case tiles get lost or chipped, plus blanks. The 14 extras are not used in play.
Comparison: American vs. Chinese vs. Japanese Sets
- American (NMJL): 152 tiles. 8 Jokers (wild). 8 Flowers. Annual NMJL card.
- Chinese (Hong Kong, Mainland): 144 tiles. No Jokers. 4 Flowers + 4 Seasons. Different scoring.
- Japanese (Riichi): 136 tiles. No Jokers, no Flowers, no Seasons. Streamlined.
The suits and honor tiles are mostly identical across all three variants. The differences are in the auxiliary tiles and the unique American addition of Jokers.
Other Common Tile-Count Questions
How many tiles does each player start with? 13, except East who gets 14.
How many tiles in the wall? After dealing 53 tiles to the four players (13+13+13+14), the remaining 99 tiles form the wall.
How many of each numbered tile exist? 4 of each numbered tile (1 through 9 in each of three suits). That is why Quints (5 of a kind) always require a Joker.
Going deeper
- Complete tiles guide: deeper reference on what each tile means and how it is used
- Tile meanings: cultural and symbolic meaning of each tile
- American Mahjong cheat sheet: 2-page master reference
- Best American Mahjong sets: buying guide for sets with the full 152 + extras
- How to play American Mahjong: beginner walkthrough using the full set
- Joker rules: how the 8 American-only Jokers actually work in play