Mahjong Orchid Tile

It marks the orchid flower tile in mahjong. Where flower rules apply, expose it when drawn and take a replacement; it does not make a sequence, triplet, or other ordinary meld.

Mahjong took shape in China in the late nineteenth century. Surviving tile sets from the 1870s and later records show that extra tile groups were not standardized, helping explain why flower tiles differ across regional traditions. The orchid, plum, bamboo, and chrysanthemum form the Four Gentlemen in Chinese art, a tradition visible in ink painting by the eleventh century. These plants came to represent cultivated character.

Does every mahjong game use the orchid?

No; mahjong flower rules vary by variant. Hong Kong-style mahjong may score the orchid with other plant and season tiles as a bonus; American mahjong treats flowers as a broader bonus category. Standard Japanese riichi leaves flower and season tiles out. If you are identifying a set, the orchid marks the flower or bonus group; the rules in use determine whether and how it scores.