# Counting Tiles in Mahjong Island: How Copies Help You Choose

**Quick answer:** Every tile has 4 copies. Count the ones already showing in the Discards and Open Groups, and you know whether a tile is still worth waiting for or whether to plan around it.

Source: https://mahjongisland.com/blog/counting-tiles-in-mahjong · Mahjong Island · Updated 2026-11-01

Counting tiles in Mahjong Island helps you choose a tile by showing how many copies are still out there. So a quick count tells you whether a tile is worth waiting for.

## What counts as gone?

A copy is gone once it is face up where everyone can see it. That means two places. The first is the Discards, the tiles players have thrown away. The second is Open Groups, the Groups players have placed face up after taking a discard.

Copies in other players' hands are hidden, so you cannot count them. Count only what is showing. What is left is the most you can still hope to draw.

## An example with a Pair

Say you hold a Pair, 2 matching tiles. You hope to grow it into a Set, 3 matching tiles. Each tile has 4 copies, so 2 more copies exist somewhere.

Now look at the Discards. If both of those copies are already there, none is left to draw. Only a Joker can turn your Pair into a Set now.

That changes your choice. A hand that needs a third copy is now much harder to finish. A hand that only needs your Pair as a Pair is still fine. To make the most of your Jokers, see [Mahjong Island Joker strategy](/blog/mahjong-joker-strategy).

[Count the copies](https://mahjongisland.com/learn/count-copies)

## How counting fits with choosing a hand

Counting works best with one other habit. After the deal, find the 2 or 3 hands on the Island Card your tiles are closest to. Keep the tiles they share. When two hands are close, lean toward the one whose tiles are still out there.

A tile none of your best hands uses is the easiest discard. For more on this, read the [Mahjong Island strategy guide for beginners](/guides/mahjong-strategy-for-beginners).

## One habit for your next hand

Before you wait on a tile, count what's gone. Add the copies in your own hand to the ones in the Discards and Open Groups, then subtract from 4. If the answer is zero, plan around a Joker or change hands.

[Play a hand against the computer](https://mahjongisland.com/play?new=1)

## Frequently asked questions

### How many copies of each tile are there in Mahjong Island?

Every tile has 4 copies. Count the ones showing in the Discards and Open Groups to know how many are left.

### What if every copy I need is already discarded?

Then only a Joker can finish that Group, and only if it is a Set or larger. A Joker can never fill a Single or a Pair.