Mahjong Solitaire
Match pairs of identical free tiles to clear the board. Play the classic 144-tile Turtle or a quicker Pyramid or Fortress layout, with hints, shuffle and undo. Every deal is built to be solvable.
Tile guide
How to use the Mahjong Solitaire
- Choose a layout: Turtle is the classic 144-tile game, Pyramid and Fortress are shorter.
- Find a free tile: it has no tile on top of it and its left or right side is open.
- Click two matching free tiles to remove them. Any flower matches any flower and any season matches any season.
- Stuck? Press Hint to highlight a pair, Undo to take back moves, or Shuffle to rearrange the remaining tiles.
- Clear all tiles to win and set a best time. Press New game for a fresh solvable deal.
The 144 mahjong tiles
| Group | Tiles | Copies | Total | Matching rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dots (circles) | 1–9 | 4 each | 36 | Identical tile |
| Bamboo | 1–9 | 4 each | 36 | Identical tile |
| Characters | 1–9 | 4 each | 36 | Identical tile |
| Winds | East, South, West, North | 4 each | 16 | Identical tile |
| Dragons | Red, Green, White | 4 each | 12 | Identical tile |
| Flowers | Plum, Orchid, Chrysanthemum, Bamboo (1–4) | 1 each | 4 | Any flower |
| Seasons | Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter (1–4) | 1 each | 4 | Any season |
The tiles here are drawn as simple, high-contrast pictures so they stay readable on small screens: numbered suits show a small number in the corner, Characters show a big number with a red seal, and Winds, Dragons, Flowers and Seasons carry a short label. Open the Tile guide under the board to see all of them.
The layouts
- Turtle (144 tiles): the classic layout, also known as the dragon or turtle. A wide base of 87 tiles, then layers of 36, 16 and 4 tiles and a single tile on top, plus one tile sticking out on the left and two on the right.
- Pyramid (82 tiles): a stepped pyramid of 8×6, 6×4 and 4×2 tiles with a pair on top. The wide rows mean you have to work in from the ends.
- Fortress (36 tiles): a short game for a coffee break or a phone screen.
Strategy tips
- Free the long rows first. In the Turtle, the single tiles sticking out at the ends block whole rows. Removing them early opens many tiles.
- Prefer tiles that unblock others. When two pairs are available, remove the one that sits on top of a stack or at the end of a long row.
- Watch for all four. If three copies of a tile are free, think before matching: the fourth copy may be buried and need its partner later. If all four are free, remove both pairs at once.
- Do not trap a pair. Avoid situations where two identical tiles lie on top of each other in the same stack, with no other copy left: they can never both be free.
- Use Undo before Shuffle. Undo lets you try a different order; a shuffle changes the whole position.
Enjoy other classic single-player games too: Solitaire, Minesweeper and the Memory Card Game.
Frequently asked questions
What is a free tile in mahjong solitaire?
A tile is free when no tile lies on top of it, even partly, and at least one of its long sides (left or right) is not touching another tile on the same layer. Only free tiles can be selected and matched.
Which tiles match?
Tiles match when they are exactly the same, for example two 5 of Bamboo or two East Winds. The exceptions are the bonus tiles: any of the four Flowers matches any other Flower, and any of the four Seasons matches any other Season.
Is every game solvable?
Yes. Each deal is built backwards: the game repeatedly picks two tiles that would be free at the same moment and gives them a matching pair. Removing pairs in that order always clears the board. You can still get stuck by choosing a different order, which is what makes the game interesting; then use Undo or Shuffle.
How many tiles are in a mahjong solitaire set?
144: four copies each of Dots, Bamboo and Characters numbered 1 to 9 (108 tiles), four copies of each of the four Winds (16) and three Dragons (12), plus four Flowers and four Seasons.
What does Shuffle do?
Shuffle rearranges the faces of the remaining tiles over the same positions. It builds the new arrangement the same way as a new deal, so the position after shuffling can be cleared. You can undo a shuffle.
Are there keyboard shortcuts?
Yes. After clicking the board, press H for a hint, U or Ctrl+Z to undo and S to shuffle the remaining tiles.
Is this the same as Mahjong, the four-player game?
No. Mahjong solitaire (also called Shanghai) uses the same tiles but is a one-player matching game. Classic mahjong is a rummy-like game for four players with draws, discards and scoring hands.