Mahjong Tiles Explained | Mahj 101 Ep. 2 (Bams, Craks, Dots, Winds, Dragons, Flowers & Jokers)

Episode 2 of Mahj 101 introduces every tile in American Mahjong:

• Suits: Bams, Craks, Dots (1–9 with a Matching Dragon). The are 4 of each suited tile in a set.
• Dragons: Red, Green, White or Soap (D on the NMJL Card). The Green goes with Bam, Red with Crak, and White/Soap with Dot. Soap can also be a zero when needed on the NMJL Card, and then does not have a suit. There are 4 of each dragon in a set of mahjong tiles.
• Winds: North, East, West, South (NEWS on the NMJL Card). There are 4 of each wind direction in a tile set.
• Flowers: 8 per set, don’t need to match (F on the NMJL Card).
• Jokers: Wild tiles, only used in groups of 3+ tiles.

Pro tip: Always use an American Mahjong set with at least 152 tiles. Our favorites? Southern Sparrow’s hand-painted, luxury tile sets 

As you're learning how to play American Mahjong with us, we encourage you to watch these episodes in order, so you don't miss any rules or concepts. 

Here is the full episode list:

• Episode 1: What is American Mahjong 
• Episode 2: The Tiles Explained (This is the one you're watching now!)
• Episode 3: How to Read and Play the NMJL Card
• Episode 4: How to Set Up a Game of Mahjong & How to Deal
• Episode 5: How to Organize Your Tiles & Choose a Section of the NMJL Card 
• Episode 6: The Charleston & Courtesy Pass
• Episode 7: Mahjong Gameplay Basics
• Episode 8: How to Win Mahjong & Scoring/Betting