American vs Chinese mahjong sets: which to buy
The two sets look alike in listing photos and are not interchangeable. Buy the wrong one and you are either 22 tiles short or carrying racks you will never use. This guide is the shortest honest route to the right one.
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Start with the people, not the set
Mahjong is a four-player game, so the set you need is the one your table plays. In the United States, groups that call it "mah jongg" with two g’s play American and need the 166-tile set. Groups with family ties to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore or mainland China play a 144-tile variant. Groups that learned from Mahjong Soul or an anime play Riichi.
If you do not have a group yet, read the two sections below and then buy the Chinese set — it is the most versatile — unless you are in a part of the US where American mahjong clubs are what you will find.
What is in an American set
The card is not included. The National Mah Jongg League publishes a new card of valid hands every spring, and the whole group plays from it for the year. Budget for one per player.
- 166 tiles: the Chinese 144 plus eight jokers, plus blanks in most sets.
- Arabic numerals printed on the craks and dots, so hands can be read without learning characters.
- Four racks, because hands are kept on a rack rather than standing on the table.
- Often pushers, a bettor and a wind indicator.
- A hard case long enough for the racks.
What is in a Chinese set
A Chinese set plays Chinese Official, Hong Kong, Taiwanese, Singaporean and most regional rules without any additions. It can play Riichi with the red fives missing, and it can be stretched to American with blanks and joker stickers, but neither is how anyone who plays those variants regularly ends up.
- 144 tiles: three suits, winds, dragons, four flowers and four seasons.
- Characters, not numerals, on the character suit. The bamboo and dot suits are countable.
- No racks: tiles stand on edge on the table in front of you.
- Dice and a wind indicator; sometimes chips for scoring.
- A square case or a wooden box.
Tile size and readability
American tiles are 1.2 inches high as standard, with large-print sets at 1.3, and the numerals make them the easiest tiles to read. Chinese tiles are sold by a size number from 32 to 40 — size 36 is the usual choice — and learning the character suit takes a couple of sessions.
If you are buying for a group of older players, or for a long-session group, the American large-print tiles or a Chinese size 38–40 set will be thanked for.
The short answer
- Your group plays American, or you live where the clubs do: American 166-tile set with racks.
- Your group plays any Chinese or Asian variant, or you have no group yet: Chinese 144-tile set, size 36.
- You learned online: Riichi set with red fives.
- You play more than one of these: a Chinese set and a separate American set. A set that tries to do both does neither well.