hi and welcome to  
CHarli Style!!

Please understand that the game Mah Jong is nothing like the tile matching
game you may have on your computer.  
Think of these tiles as cards.....  a complete deck is important for play.
Hope this helps you make sure you have a complete set.
It is very important that the tiles are the same measurements and color.
The most accurate way to measure is to use millimeters....

There are 3 suits.....
This is the bamboo suit,  numbered 1 - 9 and there are 4 of each. It is most likely that the #1 Bamboo tile is a bird.
This is the dot suit,  numbered 1 - 9 and there are 4 of each
This is the character suit, numbered 1 - 9 and there are 4 of each
 
Each set also has "wind" tiles - 4 each
There are 3 dragons,  Green, White, Red   --  4 each
Each set has 8 flowers & seasons....   2 sets numbered 1-4  (this set has extras)
 
Notes*
Flowers & Seasons
  Most games are played with a total of  8, now seasons can be flowers, fruit or people. For a bouquet, you will need all four of a similar design, i.e.
Same color number and Chinese character with the same group (fruits, flowers or people).
Dragons
  In some games the "white" dragon looks like a box or picture frame, in bone & bamboo sets it is a blank tile..
Jokers & Spares
  Not all rules or games have jokers and not all sets came with spare tiles. The older sets may have 2 blank tiles, a slightly newer version may have 2 jokers, and the more modern sets have extra flowers and or up to 8 jokers. 

Currently the NMJL plays with 8 jokers, other rules vary according to group or house rules. 

Breakdown of tiles
  36 Bamboo
36 Dot
36 Crack (or character)
16 Winds
12 Dragons
8 Seasons/Flowers
TOTAL  =  144      (this does NOT include "jokers" or spares that come with  modern sets, especially bakelite ones)
 
 

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12/24/07