Learning a few terms makes it easier to read guides and talk about the game. This article covers the words you will see in how to play, Mahjong rules, and Mahjong tiles guide. Terms are used the same way in both classic Mahjong and Mahjong Solitaire when they refer to tiles and matching.
Suits and Honors
Suits are the three number groups: Dots (circles), Bamboos (sticks), and Characters (wan). Each has ranks 1–9. Honors are Winds (East, South, West, North) and Dragons (Red, Green, White). They have no rank; two tiles match if they are the same wind or same dragon. For full detail, see our Mahjong tiles guide.
Free Tile and Matching
A free tile is one that has nothing on top of it and at least one long side (left or right) open. Only free tiles can be played. Matching means removing two identical free tiles (same suit and rank, or same honor type). In Mahjong Solitaire, you match pairs until the board is clear or no move remains. For the mechanics, see tile matching.
Layout, Reshuffle, Deadlock
The layout is the 3D-style arrangement of tiles at the start (e.g. turtle, fortress). Reshuffle (when available) rebuilds the board so you can try again. A deadlock is when no free matching pair exists—the game cannot be completed. These terms appear in strategy and winning strategies articles. With these terms in mind, you can follow any guide and enjoy the game.