What do the colors on the mahjong card mean?
By Jerry Chen. Checked and updated November 1, 2026
Short answer: number of suits, not which suits
They tell you how many suits a hand uses: one color means any one suit, two colors any two suits, three colors all three suits.
The detail
Colors do not name suits. Red does not have to be craks and green does not have to be bams. In a two-color hand, red just means "suit one" and green "suit two".
All groups shown in the same color must be in the same suit.
Flowers and winds are printed in blue and do not count as a suit color.
Sources
These follow standard National Mah Jongg League rules. House rules vary; agree on them before you play.
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