How many flowers are in American mahjong?
An American mahjong set has 8 flower tiles. The pictures on them differ, but in the American game all 8 count as the same tile, named "Flower". Any two of them make a pair.
Last checked: 14 November 2026. Sources: public pages on the League rules. See how American Mahjong Coach is made.
What flower tiles look like
The 8 flowers have 8 different pictures. A typical set has four "flowers" and four "seasons". Each group has the numbers 1 to 4, and many tiles have a Chinese character.
In the American game the numbers and the season names mean nothing. A flower is a flower. You do not need a matching pair of pictures.
Flower art differs much between sets. Some sets show plants. Other sets show boats, people or buildings.
The 1 Bam is not a flower
The 1 Bam shows a bird on most sets. It has no bamboo stick. New players often put it with the flowers. The 1 Bam has the number 1 in the corner, and it belongs to the Bam suit.
Flowers on the card
- The card shows a flower as the letter F. FF is a pair of flowers. FFFF is a kong of flowers.
- A flower has no suit. The colour of the F on the card means nothing.
- The set has 8 flowers, so a group of five or six flowers is possible. The 2026 card has groups of six flowers.
Flowers and jokers
- A joker can replace a flower in a group of three or more flowers.
- A pair of flowers must be two real flowers. No joker.
Legal: a kong of flowers with a joker.
Not legal: a pair of flowers with a joker.
How to call a flower
You can call a discarded flower to complete a pung, kong, quint or sextet of flowers. You can call it for a pair only when it gives you mah jongg.
Flowers in the Charleston
You may pass a flower in the Charleston. Only jokers are barred.
Teachers do not agree on flowers in the Charleston. Most teachers keep their flowers until they have a clear hand without flowers, because many hands use flowers. Other teachers pass a lone flower that they do not use. Both are allowed.
How flowers differ from other tiles
| Tile | Copies in the set | Suit |
|---|---|---|
| Each number tile, for example 4 Dot | 4 | Dot, Bam or Crak |
| Each wind | 4 | None |
| Each dragon | 4 | Goes with one suit |
| Flower | 8 | None |
| Joker | 8 | None |
Practise it
Drill 1 shows the tiles as a real set shows them, with eight different flower pictures and the bird of the 1 Bam. Level 2 asks you to find all flowers in a rack.
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