What Do the Colors Mean on an American Mahjong Card?

The colors on an American Mahjong card show suit relationships. Groups printed in the same card color generally use the same assigned suit, while a different card color signals a different suit assignment. The colors do not tell you to match the decorative ink colors printed on the physical tiles.

What the Colors on an American Mahjong Card Mean

When two groups are printed in the same card color, they generally belong to the same suit assignment. A group printed in a different color belongs to a different suit assignment. The player decides which actual suit—dots, bams, or craks—fills each role while obeying the line.

For example, the first color could be dots and the second could be craks, or those assignments could be reversed when the line permits it. The color relationship matters more than the named color itself.

Card Colors vs. Tile Ink Colors

Card color

A structural instruction that groups tiles into the same or different suits.

Tile-face ink

The decorative or identifying colors printed on an individual physical tile.

How to Turn Card Colors Into Suits

Circle each distinct card color mentally

Determine how many suit roles the line uses.
Identify non-suit groups

Flowers, winds, and some dragon groups are interpreted through their own symbols and relationships.
Assign actual suits

Choose dots, bams, and craks for the color roles based on your rack.
Keep each assignment consistent

Every later group in the same printed color must follow the same suit assignment.
Recheck matching dragons

When a line requires a dragon related to a suit, apply the standard suit-dragon relationship.