Editing Mahjong tiles (section)

=== Suited tiles ===
''Suited tiles'' ({{cjkv|c=序數牌|p=xùshùpái|l=ordinal number tiles|labels=no}}; also {{cjkv|c=數字牌|p=shùzìpái|cj=sou3zi6paai2|l=number tiles|labels=no}}; also {{cjkv|j=数牌|r=shūpai/suupai|l=number tiles|labels=no}}) have a suit and a rank. There are three [[Chinese playing cards#Money-suited cards|money-based suits]] with ranks ranging from one to nine. There are four tiles of each rank and suit combination, thus there are 36 tiles in a suit, and 108 suited tiles in total.  To refer to a suited tile, the rank is named, followed by the suit. The ones and nines of each suit ({{cjkv|c=幺九|p=yāo jiǔ|cj=jiu1gau2|j=ヤオ九|r=yaochū|labels=no}}) are collectively referred to as the ''terminal tiles''. Suited tiles may be used to form [[Mahjong#Melds|melds]].

==== Circles ====
The ''circle (dot, coin, wheel, stone) suit'' ({{cjkv|c=筒子|p=tǒngzi|cj=tung<sup>4</sup>zi<sup>2</sup>|l=barrel|labels=no}}; also {{cjkv|c=筒子|j=ピンズ|r=pinzu|l=[[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]: ''pinta''; "spot|labels=no}}) is represented by a series of circles.

[[Image:MJt1-.svg|50px|1 Circle]][[Image:MJt2-.svg|50px|2 Circle]][[Image:MJt3-.svg|50px|3 Circle]][[Image:MJt4-.svg|50px|4 Circle]][[Image:MJt5-.svg|50px|5 Circle]][[Image:MJt6-.svg|50px|6 Circle]][[Image:MJt7-.svg|50px|7 Circle]][[Image:MJt8-.svg|50px|8 Circle]][[Image:MJt9-.svg|50px|9 Circle]]

[[Image:Eiraku-Tsuho.jpg|150px|right|thumb|The circles represent copper coins like this.]]

The 1 Circle is generally a large circle of multiple colors, while the rest of the circle tiles consist of smaller circles, each circle being of one color.  The 2 Circle consists of a green and a blue circle, the 3 consisting of one green, one red, and one blue circle arranged diagonally (the order the circles appear in, as well as the orientation, differs between sets).  The 4 Circle has two blue circles and two green circles, arranged in a rectangle with circles of like color in opposite corners.  The 5 Circle is similar to the 4 Circle, with another circle (its color depending on the set) in the middle.  The 6 Circle consists of two green circles at the top and four red circles in the bottom (with a space between the green and red circles). The 7 Circle is similar to the 6 Circle, but has 3 green circles arranged diagonally from top-left to bottom-right.  The 8 Circle has eight blue circles arranged in a 2x4 rectangle.  The 9 Circle has three each of green, red, and blue circles, with each color occupying a row. There is some space between each row, and the middle row is always of the red circles (the blue and green, of course, depends on the orientation of the tile).

Because of the large size of the circle in the 1 Circle, it is commonly nicknamed ''da bing'' (大餅 pinyin ''dàbǐng'', literally: "big pancake").

From the monetary origin of this suit, the circles represent the copper coins known in English as "[[Cash (Chinese coin)|cash]]". (1銅=one copper coin).

==== Bamboo ====
[[Image:Chinesische-Käschschnüre.JPG|100px|right|thumb|[[String of cash coins (currency unit)|Strings of coins]]]]
The ''bamboo (stick, string, bam) suit'' ({{cjkv|c=索子|p=suǒzi|cj=sok<sup>3</sup>zi<sup>2</sup>|j=索子|r=sōzu|l=woven thread|labels=no}}; also {{cjkv|c=條/条|p=tiáo|l=strip|labels=no}}), with the exception of the 1 Bamboo, which is commonly represented by a bird (like [[Image:MJs1-.svg|25px|1 Bamboo]], [[Image:MJs1b2-.svg|25px|1 Bamboo]] or [[Image:MJs1b1-.svg|25px|1 Bamboo]]), is represented by outlines of sticks.

[[Image:MJs1-.svg|50px|1 Bamboo]][[Image:MJs2-.svg|50px|2 Bamboo]][[Image:MJs3-.svg|50px|3 Bamboo]][[Image:MJs4-.svg|50px|4 Bamboo]][[Image:MJs5-.svg|50px|5 Bamboo]][[Image:MJs6-.svg|50px|6 Bamboo]][[Image:MJs7-.svg|50px|7 Bamboo]][[Image:MJs8-.svg|50px|8 Bamboo]][[Image:MJs9-.svg|50px|9 Bamboo]] or<br/>
[[Image:MJs1bird-.svg|50px|1 Bamboo]][[Image:MJs2b-.svg|50px|2 Bamboo]][[Image:MJs3b-.svg|50px|3 Bamboo]][[Image:MJs4b-.svg|50px|4 Bamboo]][[Image:MJs5b-.svg|50px|5 Bamboo]][[Image:MJs6b-.svg|50px|6 Bamboo]][[Image:MJs7b-.svg|50px|7 Bamboo]][[Image:MJs8b-.svg|50px|8 Bamboo]][[Image:MJs9b-.svg|50px|9 Bamboo]]

The 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 Bamboo are represented entirely out of green sticks only or blue and green sticks, while the middle stick in the 5 Bamboo, the top stick of the 7 Bamboo, and the sticks along the center column of the 9 Bamboo are red. Some sets may also have the sticks along the bottom row or center column of the 7 Bamboo in blue. The 8 Bamboo has its sticks forming an M-shape and its mirror image.

From the monetary origin of this suit, the sticks are actually rope strings (索) that tie 100 Chinese copper coins together by the square holes in the middle. (1索=100銅) The repeated bumps in the sticks depict the individual coins in the strings, but they were mistaken by [[Joseph Park Babcock]] as the knots on the bamboo plants, hence the English name of the suit. The 1 Bamboo, as it commonly depicts a bird, is often referred as ''the sparrow'' (麻雀 - ''má què''); in Japan it is most commonly a peacock. In early sets, there was no bird but a single bent string of cash capped with a red knot ([[Image:MJs1o-.svg|25px|1 Bamboo]]).<ref name="Before" /><ref>[https://www.themahjongtileset.co.uk/an-uncommon-ma-jiang-pattern-from-fujian/ Michael Stanwick: An Uncommon Má Jiàng Pattern from Fujian?] Figure 5 shows variations of the 1 Bamboo, we can see how its appearance changes from a single bent string of cash to a bird. In: [[The Playing-Card]], Vol. 46, No. 2, 2017.</ref>

==== Characters ====
[[File:OldvNewMJ3.jpg|thumb|Old tiles used the cursive character "万".]]
The ''character (myriad, number, crack) suit'' ({{cjkv|c=萬子/万子|p=wànzi|cj=maan<sup>6</sup>zi<sup>2</sup>|j=萬子|r=wanzu/manzu|l=myriad|labels=no}}) is represented by Chinese characters.

[[Image:MJw1-.svg|50px|1 Character]][[Image:MJw2-.svg|50px|2 Character]][[Image:MJw3-.svg|50px|3 Character]][[Image:MJw4-.svg|50px|4 Character]][[Image:MJw5-.svg|50px|5 Character]][[Image:MJw6-.svg|50px|6 Character]][[Image:MJw7-.svg|50px|7 Character]][[Image:MJw8-.svg|50px|8 Character]][[Image:MJw9-.svg|50px|9 Character]]

The rank of the tile is represented at the top, in blue, with [[Chinese numerals]], while the character below (萬 ''wàn'', meaning [[myriad]]) is in red. Older sets used the [[Cursive script (East Asia)|cursive character]] 万 when tiles were still hand-carved. Fujianese sets use 品 (''pǐn'', rank). Most sets use the character 伍 ([[Image:MJw5-.svg|25px|5 Character]]) for five instead of 五 ([[Image:MJw5v1-.svg|25px|5 Character]]).

From the monetary origin of this suit, the myriads (10,000) are actually 100 strings of coins described in the bamboo suit section above.  One myriad equals ten thousand coins or 100 strings of 100 coins. (1萬=100索×100銅)

==== Red tiles ====
''Red tiles'' ({{cjkv|j=赤牌|r=akapai|labels=no}}) are unique to the Japanese set. They appear as a red version of tiles from each suit and are not quadruplicated. They first appeared in the 1970s with the Red 5 Circle which were followed with red 5 tiles for the other suits.<ref>[http://www9.plala.or.jp/majan/mtk98.html 赤牌麻雀] at Mahjan talk (Japanese). Retrieved 20 May 2016.</ref> Red 3s and 7s later appeared and were followed by red 1s and 9s although they are much less commonly found in sets than red 5s.<ref>[http://www28.atwiki.jp/mjpai/pages/26.html], [http://www28.atwiki.jp/mjpai/pages/164.html], [http://www28.atwiki.jp/mjpai/pages/186.html], [http://www28.atwiki.jp/mjpai/pages/189.html] at Mahjong Tiles Wiki (Japanese). Retrieved 20 May 2016.</ref> There is also a rare red white dragon (白ポッチ, ''shiro pocchi'') which can act as a wild card if ''tsumo'' conditions are met.

[[Image:MJt1r-.svg|50px|Red 1 Circle]][[Image:MJs1rbird-.svg|50px|Red 1 Bamboo]][[Image:MJw1r-.svg|50px|Red 1 Character]][[Image:MJt3r-.svg|50px|Red 3 Circle]][[Image:MJs3r-.svg|50px|Red 3 Bamboo]][[Image:MJw3r-.svg|50px|Red 3 Character]][[Image:MJt5r-.svg|50px|Red 5 Circle]][[Image:MJs5r-.svg|50px|Red 5 Bamboo]][[Image:MJw5r-.svg|50px|Red 5 Character]][[Image:MJt7r-.svg|50px|Red 7 Circle]][[Image:MJs7r-.svg|50px|Red 7 Bamboo]][[Image:MJw7r-.svg|50px|Red 7 Character]][[Image:MJt9r-.svg|50px|Red 9 Circle]][[Image:MJs9r-.svg|50px|Red 9 Bamboo]][[Image:MJw9r-.svg|50px|Red 9 Character]][[Image:MJd3r-.svg|50px|Red White Dragon]]

[[File:KinPai5Manzu.jpg|thumb|40px|right|Gold 5 ''manzu'' from a Japanese Mahjong parlor]] These tiles are entirely optional. When inserted into play, one copy of its regular non-red counterpart is removed. They increase the score when melded. Japanese sets typically do not include the [[Four Gentlemen]] flower tiles to make room for the red tiles as flower tiles are rarely used in [[Japanese Mahjong]] anyway. Some mahjong parlours will have their own house tiles which may be red tiles for even ranks, even higher-scoring green tiles or gold tiles ({{cjkv|j=金牌|r=kinpai|labels=no}}), or colored wind tiles.