How Many Tiles Are in a Mahjong Set? 136, 144, 152 and 166 Explained

American mahjong uses 8 flowers and 8 jokers, for 152 tiles in play. A Chinese or Hong Kong set has 144 tiles (8 of them flowers and seasons), a Japanese riichi set has 136, and most American sets sold today hold 166 because they pack spares.

Every count on this page is a sum of the same building blocks, and once you know the blocks you can check any set on a kitchen table in about 5 minutes.

How many tiles does each style use?

The 166 column comes from the contents lists of two American sets sold in 2026. Both list 108 suit tiles, 16 winds, 12 dragons, 16 flower and season tiles, 10 jokers and 4 blanks. Other brands split the spares differently, so count against your own box list.

You may also meet two more numbers. Singapore and Malaysian sets add 4 animal tiles to the 144, for 148. Riichi sets often swap one regular 5 in each suit for a red 5, which changes no totals.

How many flowers are in American mahjong?

Eight. In the American game a flower is simply a flower, which means the season tiles and the flower tiles are interchangeable, and the number or picture on them doesn't matter. A hand on the NMJL card that shows an F accepts any of the 8.

If your set holds 16 flower and season tiles, use 8 and put 8 back in the box. Mixing all 16 in would change how often flower hands come together.

In Chinese and Hong Kong play the 8 are different. Each flower and season is numbered 1 to 4 to match a seat, and they score as bonus tiles rather than forming sets.

How many jokers and which ones are spares?

The American game uses 8 jokers, so a set with 10 gives you 2 spares in case one is lost or chipped over the years. Our jokers page covers how jokers are played.

How do you check a used set for missing tiles?

Sort first, count second. Sorting into groups of 4 catches a missing tile without counting all 152 tiles one at a time, and it also shows you which tile is missing.

1. Suits. Lay out each suit in rows by rank, 1 to 9, 4 tiles per rank. You need 27 complete groups of 4. A short group shows at a glance.
2. Honors. Four groups of winds (E, S, W, N) and 3 groups of dragons, 4 tiles each. That's 28 tiles.
3. Flowers. Count 8 for any style. American play needs no particular mix of flowers and seasons.
4. Jokers. Count 8 for American play.
5. Add up. 108 + 28 + 8 = 144. Add 8 jokers for 152.

Worked check 1. A used American set arrives with 160 tiles. Sorting shows 27 full suit groups (108), 28 honors and 16 flower-type tiles: 152 so far. That leaves 8 tiles, which turn out to be 7 jokers and 1 blank. The set is 1 joker short for American play. A joker sticker on the blank fixes it.

Worked check 2. A Chinese set has 144 tiles and 4 blanks, 148 in all. To play American rules you need 8 jokers. The 4 blanks with joker stickers cover half of that, so you still need 4 more jokers or 4 spare tiles to label.

Can you play American mahjong with a Chinese set?

Yes, if you add 8 jokers. A 144-tile set already has the 108 suit tiles, 28 honors and 8 flowers that the American game uses. You also want racks, and it helps if the tiles carry small Arabic numerals in the corner, because the NMJL card is written in numbers.

The reverse also works. Take the jokers and spares out of an American set and you have 144 tiles for a Hong Kong game.

Common Rules Questions

Why does my American set come with 10 jokers?

The game uses 8. The other 2 are spares in case a joker is lost, cracked or worn. Put the extras back in the box before you build the wall, because playing with 10 jokers makes hands complete faster than the card's values assume. If your group wants more jokers on purpose, call it a house rule and agree on it before play.

What are the blank tiles for?

Mostly as replacements. If a tile goes missing, you write or stick its face on a blank. Some American groups also play a "blanks" house rule, where a player may trade a blank for any discarded tile. That's not in the NMJL rule book, so agree on it first, and never mix blanks into the wall without that agreement.

Is the white dragon the same as a blank tile?

No. The white dragon is a real playing tile, and there are 4. In many sets it shows a blue or black rectangle frame, while a true blank has no marking at all. In American play the white dragon also stands for zero on the card. If your set's white dragons look plain, count them: you need 4, plus however many blanks the box list says.

What should you do if a tile is missing?

Replace it before you play, or at least set aside the other 3 tiles of that group so nobody builds toward a tile that can't arrive. A missing 6 dot means one player can never complete four 6 dots, and in American play it also changes the odds on hands that need that tile. A blank with a sticker or a neat handwritten face is the usual fix until you find or buy a replacement.

What to read next

• American mahjong rules
• How to choose a mahjong set
• Mahjong tile sizes compared
• All mahjong rules

Sources: National Mah Jongg League, Mah Jongg Made Easy (152-tile American game: 8 flowers, 8 jokers). 166-tile contents taken from two retailer listings captured 2026-10-10. All sums rechecked by script (see methodology). Last updated 2026-10-10.