Bamboo flower mahjong tile

A bamboo stem on a numbered bonus tile.

Also known as: Bamboo gentleman tile, Flower four tile, Zhu tile

CulturalSport & gamesQuiet profile

Meanings

The bamboo flower tile, fourth of the four flower bonus tiles, distinct from the bamboo suit.

Culturally establishedVerified fact
Is the bamboo, fourth of the four flower bonus tiles.
Contexts: History
Culturally establishedVerified fact
Is a different tile from any member of the bamboo suit despite the shared name, which is the commonest confusion in a full mahjong set.
Contexts: History

A jointed bamboo stem drawn as a straight vertical line crossed by short bars, with leaves and a small numeral in one corner.

A fuller structured visual breakdown is not yet documented for this symbol.

IdentityModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the identity is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.
Historical originLow confidence: Low confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far, but early or supporting evidence is limited, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the current use is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.
Visual matchModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.

Mahjong Competition Rules
World Mahjong Organisation · retrieved 2026-08-25
Tertiary reference for the internationally standardised mahjong rule set, used for the composition of the tile set and the names of its tiles. Regional rule sets differ in scoring and in which optional tiles are used, and records say so where it matters rather than presenting one variant as the game.

Last reviewed 2026-08-26

Meanings

The bamboo flower tile, fourth of the four flower bonus tiles, distinct from the bamboo suit.

Culturally establishedVerified fact

Is the bamboo, fourth of the four flower bonus tiles.

Contexts: History

Culturally establishedVerified fact

Is a different tile from any member of the bamboo suit despite the shared name, which is the commonest confusion in a full mahjong set.

Contexts: History

Confidence

IdentityModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the identity is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.
Historical originLow confidence: Low confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far, but early or supporting evidence is limited, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the current use is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.
Visual matchModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.

Sources

Mahjong Competition Rules
World Mahjong Organisation · retrieved 2026-08-25
Tertiary reference for the internationally standardised mahjong rule set, used for the composition of the tile set and the names of its tiles. Regional rule sets differ in scoring and in which optional tiles are used, and records say so where it matters rather than presenting one variant as the game.

Last reviewed 2026-08-26