Mahjong Solitaire Rules & Complete Tile Guide

The classic Mahjong Solitaire layout is called the Turtle (or Tortoise). 144 tiles are stacked in a specific formation: a wide, flat base of tiles on the first layer, narrower layers on top, a central spine running through multiple levels, and a single tile at the very top. The exact shape varies between versions but always involves multiple layers stacked on top of each other.

A tile is free — and eligible to be matched — when two conditions are met: it is not covered by any tile on a higher layer, and it is free on either its left or its right side (meaning no tile is directly touching it on at least one horizontal side). A tile blocked on both left and right by other tiles in the same layer cannot be selected, even if its top surface is exposed.

Two free tiles match if they are identical. You click one tile to select it, then click its match to remove both. Most tile groups have four identical copies — two pairs to clear.

Flower tiles are a special exception: the four different flower tiles (each has a unique image) all match each other. Similarly, the four season tiles each have a unique image but all match each other. You don't need to find the exact same flower — any flower matches any other flower.

Circles (1–9, four copies each): tiles showing dot patterns from one to nine circles.

Bamboo (1–9, four copies each): tiles showing bamboo stalks. The 1-bamboo typically shows a bird rather than a single stalk.

Characters / Wan (1–9, four copies each): tiles showing Chinese numerals with the 'ten-thousand' character.

Winds (East, South, West, North — four copies each): tiles bearing the Chinese characters for the four cardinal directions.

Dragons (three types — four copies each): the Red, Green, and White dragons.

Flowers (four tiles, one copy each — match any other flower).

Seasons (four tiles, one copy each — match any other season).

You win by clearing all 144 tiles. You lose (or get stuck) when no two free tiles match. Not all deals are solvable — some random shuffles create impossible configurations where the only matching pairs are all blocked by each other. Most implementations offer a shuffle option when stuck.