What Are Bams, Cracks, and Dots in Mahjong? The Three Suits
Bams, cracks, and dots are the three suits in American mahjong. Bams are the bamboo tiles, cracks are the ones with Chinese characters, and dots are the ones covered in circles. Each suit runs from 1 to 9.
You'll hear these words at your very first table, usually in the first ninety seconds, usually all at once. Here's what they mean, so you can nod like you've known them forever.
What is a bam?
A bam is a bamboo tile. Bam is just the short, friendly name, the way "mahj" is short for mahjong. The tiles show green bamboo stalks, numbered 1 through 9.
If somebody says "I need a 3 bam," she means the bamboo tile with the number 3. That's the whole sentence, and it has never been more complicated than that.
What is a crak?
A crak is a character tile. Each one shows Chinese characters, and the tiles run from 1 to 9, just like the other suits. You'll see the word spelled "crak" and "crack," and both are common. Same tile, same suit, and nobody is grading your spelling.
These are the tiles most beginners find hardest to read at first, because the characters are unfamiliar. The good news is that the numbers are what you're reading, and there are only nine of them. Give it a few games and your eyes will sort them out without any help from you.
What is a dot?
A dot is a circle tile. The tiles show round circles, numbered 1 through 9. It's the suit that looks most like its name, which makes it the easiest one to remember.
How many tiles are in each suit?
Thirty-six. Every number from 1 to 9 appears four times, and nine numbers times four copies makes thirty-six tiles per suit. Three suits add up to 108 numbered tiles.
That "four of each" detail matters more than it sounds. It means that when three 7 bams have already been played, only one is left, and you know exactly what your odds look like. Our guide to how many tiles are in American mahjong covers the whole 152-tile set, and counting tiles shows you how to use that fact at the table.
Which dragon goes with which suit?
Each of the three dragons is matched to a suit. This is one of those facts that feels random until the day it isn't:
- Green Dragon goes with bams.
- Red Dragon goes with cracks.
- White Dragon goes with dots.
The White Dragon is the blank-looking tile with the border, and it has a nickname. It's called a soap, and it has a whole post of its own, mostly because it deserves one.
How do you tell the suits apart quickly?
Don't try to read every tile. Look at the picture first.
Green sticks mean bams. Circles mean dots. Characters with a number on top mean cracks. Your eyes will work out the picture long before they work out the number, so use the picture to sort your rack into three groups, then read the numbers inside each group.
Sorting your rack by suit is a handy habit for a beginner, and it's completely respectable. People do it at every level. The woman across the table is probably doing it right now.
Beyond the three suits, the set also has winds, dragons, jokers, and a few extras. They're all in the tile-count post above, so you don't have to hold them in your head today. If you've been wondering about the colors on the card, we have a post on what the card colors mean too.
How do you say them out loud?
Number first, then the suit. "Three bam." "Seven crak." "Five dot." That's how you'll hear it at the table, and it's how you'll want to say it when you call a discard.
Say it clearly, because the tile you name is the tile you're claiming. If you ever name the wrong one, the table has a procedure for that, and it's a calm one. Our post on what happens with a misnamed tile walks through it. A beginner mixing up a 6 and a 9 on the first night is about as common as snacks.
Bams, cracks, and dots, quick reference
- Three suits: bams, cracks, and dots.
- Bams are bamboo. Cracks are characters. Dots are circles.
- Each suit runs from 1 to 9, with four copies of each number.
- That's 36 tiles per suit and 108 suited tiles in all.
- Green Dragon goes with bams. Red Dragon goes with cracks. White Dragon goes with dots.
- "Crack" and "crak" are the same word, spelled two ways.
You'll be reading them without thinking
Right now every tile looks like a small, beautiful puzzle. In a few weeks you'll glance at your rack and your brain will just hand you the suits. You won't remember when it happened.
If you want to practice without anybody watching, our learning tools are built for exactly that.