Name

Japanese

Value

Closed/Open

Thirteen orphans

kokushi musō – 国士無双

Limit / Double limit (13 wait)

Closed only

Image:MJw1.pngImage:MJw9.pngImage:MJt1.pngImage:MJt9.pngImage:MJs1bird.pngImage:MJs9.pngImage:MJf1.pngImage:MJf2.pngImage:MJf3.pngImage:MJf4.pngImage:MJd3.pngImage:MJd2.pngImage:MJd1.png{{pad|1em}}Image:MJf2.png

The Japanese name of the yaku, kokushi musō, means "a peerless distinguished person in a country." Along with seven pairs, this is the only hand that contradicts the requirement for a hand to have four sets and a pair. In a thirteen orphans hand, the player has one of each dragon tiles, one of each wind tiles, a 1 and a 9 (terminal) from each suit, plus any tile that matches anything else in the hand. If the winning tile was for your pair (namely a thirteen way wait), it is worth two yakuman (called daburu [double] yakuman).

Other names for this yaku are shiisan yaochū (十三么九) which means "thirteen of smallest numbers and 9's (and honors)," or its abbreviation shiisan yao (十三么).

Four concealed triplets

sū ankō – 四暗刻

Limit / Double limit (single wait)

Closed only

Image:MJw4.pngImage:MJw4.pngImage:MJw4.pngImage:MJw8.pngImage:MJw8.pngImage:MJt9.pngImage:MJt9.pngImage:MJt9.pngImage:MJs2.pngImage:MJs2.pngImage:MJs2.pngImage:MJf1.pngImage:MJf1.png{{pad|1em}}Image:MJw8.png

A concealed hand that consists of four triplets/quads. If the hand has two pairs left when the hand is ready, then it can only qualify as a yakuman hand if the tile is drawn off the wall. In the case of single-tile waits for the pair, it is worth two yakuman.

Big three dragons

daisangen – 大三元

Limit

Closed/Open

Image:MJw5.pngImage:MJw6.pngImage:MJw7.pngImage:MJs4.pngImage:MJs4.pngImage:MJd3.pngImage:MJd3.pngImage:MJd3.pngImage:MJd2.pngImage:MJd2.pngImage:MJd1.pngImage:MJd1.pngImage:MJd1.png{{pad|1em}}Image:MJd2.png

A triplet or quad of each type of dragon tile.

Little four winds

shōsūshii – 小四喜

Limit

Closed/Open

Image:MJs6.pngImage:MJs7.pngImage:MJs8.pngImage:MJf1.pngImage:MJf1.pngImage:MJf1.pngImage:MJf2.pngImage:MJf2.pngImage:MJf2.pngImage:MJf3.pngImage:MJf3.pngImage:MJf4.pngImage:MJf4.png{{pad|1em}}Image:MJf3.png

A hand consisting of three triplets/quads of winds and a pair of the fourth wind.

Big four winds

daisūshii – 大四喜

Limit/Double limit

Closed/Open

Image:MJt3.pngImage:MJt3.pngImage:MJf1.pngImage:MJf1.pngImage:MJf1.pngImage:MJf2.pngImage:MJf2.pngImage:MJf2.pngImage:MJf3.pngImage:MJf3.pngImage:MJf3.pngImage:MJf4.pngImage:MJf4.png{{pad|1em}}Image:MJf4.png

A hand consisting of four triplets/quads of winds. It can be worth one or two yakuman in some rules. Little four winds (shōsūshii) and this yaku are kinds of sūshiihō (四喜和).

All honors

tsūiisō – 字一色

Limit

Closed/Open

Image:MJf1.pngImage:MJf1.pngImage:MJf2.pngImage:MJf2.pngImage:MJf2.pngImage:MJf3.pngImage:MJf3.pngImage:MJd3.pngImage:MJd3.pngImage:MJd3.pngImage:MJd2.pngImage:MJd2.pngImage:MJd2.png{{pad|1em}}Image:MJf1.png

A hand composed exclusively of wind and dragon tiles.

Big seven stars

daichisei – 大七星

Double limit

Closed only

Image:MJf1.pngImage:MJf1.pngImage:MJf2.pngImage:MJf2.pngImage:MJf3.pngImage:MJf3.pngImage:MJf4.pngImage:MJf4.pngImage:MJd3.pngImage:MJd2.pngImage:MJd2.pngImage:MJd1.pngImage:MJd1.png{{pad|1em}}Image:MJd3.png

This is the seven pair variation to all honors. This hand adds one more yakuman towards all honors in some local rules.

All terminals

chinrōtō – 清老頭

Limit

Closed/Open

Image:MJw1.pngImage:MJw1.pngImage:MJt1.pngImage:MJt1.pngImage:MJt1.pngImage:MJt9.pngImage:MJt9.pngImage:MJt9.pngImage:MJs1bird.pngImage:MJs1bird.pngImage:MJs9.pngImage:MJs9.pngImage:MJs9.png{{pad|1em}}Image:MJw1.png

A hand consisting solely of triplets or quads of 1’s and 9’s (terminals).

All green

ryūiisō – 緑一色

Limit

Closed/Open

Image:MJs2.pngImage:MJs2.pngImage:MJs3.pngImage:MJs3.pngImage:MJs4.pngImage:MJs4.pngImage:MJs6.pngImage:MJs6.pngImage:MJs8.pngImage:MJs8.pngImage:MJs8.pngImage:MJd2.pngImage:MJd2.png{{pad|1em}}Image:MJs6.png

This hand contains only green dragons plus the 2, 3, 4, 6, or 8 of bamboo. Many of the Japanese sets exclusively color those tiles as green only. The other bamboo tiles of 1, 5, 7, and 9 have red paint on them, thereby not making them all green. Although the hand can include green dragons, it does not have to. Some Mahjong sets do not have the same color scheme.

Nine gates

chūren pōtō – 九蓮宝燈

Limit / Double limit (9 wait)

Closed only

Image:MJt1.pngImage:MJt1.pngImage:MJt1.pngImage:MJt2.pngImage:MJt3.pngImage:MJt4.pngImage:MJt5.pngImage:MJt6.pngImage:MJt7.pngImage:MJt8.pngImage:MJt9.pngImage:MJt9.pngImage:MJt9.png{{pad|1em}}Image:MJt4.png

A hand composed of 1-1-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-9-9 of one suit, plus any other tile of the same suit.

Regardless of the value of the extra tile, this is always a standard mahjong hand of four sets and a pair, as shown in the animation below. Worth two yakuman if the hand was waiting on nine different tiles (or otherwise called junsei chūren pōtō [純正九蓮宝燈]), and the only possibility of that is if it had 1-1-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-9-9 and was waiting on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9.

Image:Nine-Gates-anim.gif

Four quads

sū kantsu – 四槓子

Limit

Closed/Open

Four quads in one hand, which can be open or closed. In some rules, a round is a draw when four quads are made by two or more players, or when the fifth quad is made.

Sequential pairs of same suit simples

dai sharin – 大車輪

Limit

Closed only

Image:MJt2.pngImage:MJt2.pngImage:MJt3.pngImage:MJt3.pngImage:MJt4.pngImage:MJt4.pngImage:MJt5.pngImage:MJt5.pngImage:MJt6.pngImage:MJt6.pngImage:MJt7.pngImage:MJt8.pngImage:MJt8.png{{pad|1em}}Image:MJt7.png

A hand of seven pairs that are sequential, the same suit, and consist of only simple tiles (numbers 2 through 8). This hand is often recognized only if it is made by a suit of pinzu (筒子; circles, coins) since the Japanese name of the hand means big wheels. Some rules do not apply yakuman to the hand, in which case it has 11 han (chin'itsu, ryanpeikō, tan'yao, and pinfu).

It is noted that the hand can be recognized as a pinfu hand and always has multiple waits whatever the winning tile may be. Some of its waits lose some yaku and thus decrease the value. For example, when the hand waits 7, it also waits 1 and 4.

As for other suits, the hand is called bamboo forest (大竹林, dai chikurin) for bamboos and numerous neighbours (大数隣, dai sūrin) for characters.

Eight consecutive winnings

pārenchan – 八連荘

Limit

Dealer only

A player wins eight times consecutively. The conditions of the hand depend on rules. The ninth and following winnings are often yakuman again, while some rules say the sixteenth is the next yakuman. It has nothing to do with the number of honba because the number increases when a round is a draw. In some rules, no other yaku is necessary in the eighth winning. Some say the player must be a dealer from the first time. The player is always a dealer when the hand is accomplished. The hand is often optional.

Name

Japanese

Value

Closed/Open

Thirteen orphans

kokushi musō – 国士無双

Limit / Double limit (13 wait)

Closed only

Image:MJw1.pngImage:MJw9.pngImage:MJt1.pngImage:MJt9.pngImage:MJs1bird.pngImage:MJs9.pngImage:MJf1.pngImage:MJf2.pngImage:MJf3.pngImage:MJf4.pngImage:MJd3.pngImage:MJd2.pngImage:MJd1.png{{pad|1em}}Image:MJf2.png

The Japanese name of the yaku, kokushi musō, means "a peerless distinguished person in a country." Along with seven pairs, this is the only hand that contradicts the requirement for a hand to have four sets and a pair. In a thirteen orphans hand, the player has one of each dragon tiles, one of each wind tiles, a 1 and a 9 (terminal) from each suit, plus any tile that matches anything else in the hand. If the winning tile was for your pair (namely a thirteen way wait), it is worth two yakuman (called daburu [double] yakuman).

Other names for this yaku are shiisan yaochū (十三么九) which means "thirteen of smallest numbers and 9's (and honors)," or its abbreviation shiisan yao (十三么).

Four concealed triplets

sū ankō – 四暗刻

Limit / Double limit (single wait)

Closed only

Image:MJw4.pngImage:MJw4.pngImage:MJw4.pngImage:MJw8.pngImage:MJw8.pngImage:MJt9.pngImage:MJt9.pngImage:MJt9.pngImage:MJs2.pngImage:MJs2.pngImage:MJs2.pngImage:MJf1.pngImage:MJf1.png{{pad|1em}}Image:MJw8.png

A concealed hand that consists of four triplets/quads. If the hand has two pairs left when it is one tile away from winning, then it can only qualify as a yakuman hand if the tile is drawn off the wall. In the case of single-tile waits for the pair, it is worth two yakuman.

Big three dragons

daisangen – 大三元

Limit

Closed/Open

Image:MJw5.pngImage:MJw6.pngImage:MJw7.pngImage:MJs4.pngImage:MJs4.pngImage:MJd3.pngImage:MJd3.pngImage:MJd3.pngImage:MJd2.pngImage:MJd2.pngImage:MJd1.pngImage:MJd1.pngImage:MJd1.png{{pad|1em}}Image:MJd2.png

A triplet or quad of each type of dragon tile.

Little four winds

shōsūshii – 小四喜

Limit

Closed/Open

Image:MJs6.pngImage:MJs7.pngImage:MJs8.pngImage:MJf1.pngImage:MJf1.pngImage:MJf1.pngImage:MJf2.pngImage:MJf2.pngImage:MJf2.pngImage:MJf3.pngImage:MJf3.pngImage:MJf4.pngImage:MJf4.png{{pad|1em}}Image:MJf3.png

A hand consisting of three triplets/quads of winds and a pair of the fourth wind.

Big four winds

daisūshii – 大四喜

Limit/Double limit

Closed/Open

Image:MJt3.pngImage:MJt3.pngImage:MJf1.pngImage:MJf1.pngImage:MJf1.pngImage:MJf2.pngImage:MJf2.pngImage:MJf2.pngImage:MJf3.pngImage:MJf3.pngImage:MJf3.pngImage:MJf4.pngImage:MJf4.png{{pad|1em}}Image:MJf4.png

A hand consisting of four triplets/quads of winds. It can be worth one or two yakuman in some rules. Little four winds (shōsūshii) and this yaku are kinds of sūshiihō (四喜和).

All honors

tsūiisō – 字一色

Limit

Closed/Open

Image:MJf1.pngImage:MJf1.pngImage:MJf2.pngImage:MJf2.pngImage:MJf2.pngImage:MJf3.pngImage:MJf3.pngImage:MJd3.pngImage:MJd3.pngImage:MJd3.pngImage:MJd2.pngImage:MJd2.pngImage:MJd2.png{{pad|1em}}Image:MJf1.png

A hand composed exclusively of wind and dragon tiles.

Big seven stars

daichisei – 大七星

Double limit

Closed only

Image:MJf1.pngImage:MJf1.pngImage:MJf2.pngImage:MJf2.pngImage:MJf3.pngImage:MJf3.pngImage:MJf4.pngImage:MJf4.pngImage:MJd3.pngImage:MJd2.pngImage:MJd2.pngImage:MJd1.pngImage:MJd1.png{{pad|1em}}Image:MJd3.png

This is the seven pair variation to all honors. This hand adds one more yakuman towards all honors in some local rules.

All terminals

chinrōtō – 清老頭

Limit

Closed/Open

Image:MJw1.pngImage:MJw1.pngImage:MJt1.pngImage:MJt1.pngImage:MJt1.pngImage:MJt9.pngImage:MJt9.pngImage:MJt9.pngImage:MJs1bird.pngImage:MJs1bird.pngImage:MJs9.pngImage:MJs9.pngImage:MJs9.png{{pad|1em}}Image:MJw1.png

A hand consisting solely of 1’s and 9’s (terminals).

All green

ryūiisō – 緑一色

Limit

Closed/Open

Image:MJs2.pngImage:MJs2.pngImage:MJs3.pngImage:MJs3.pngImage:MJs4.pngImage:MJs4.pngImage:MJs6.pngImage:MJs6.pngImage:MJs8.pngImage:MJs8.pngImage:MJs8.pngImage:MJd2.pngImage:MJd2.png{{pad|1em}}Image:MJs6.png

This hand contains only green dragons plus the 2, 3, 4, 6, or 8 of bamboo. Many of the Japanese sets exclusively color those tiles as green only. The other bamboo tiles of 1, 5, 7, and 9 have red paint on them, thereby not making them all green. Although the hand can include green dragons, it does not have to. Some Mahjong sets do not have the same color scheme.

Nine gates

chūren pōtō – 九蓮宝燈

Limit / Double limit (9 wait)

Closed only

Image:MJt1.pngImage:MJt1.pngImage:MJt1.pngImage:MJt2.pngImage:MJt3.pngImage:MJt4.pngImage:MJt5.pngImage:MJt6.pngImage:MJt7.pngImage:MJt8.pngImage:MJt9.pngImage:MJt9.pngImage:MJt9.png{{pad|1em}}Image:MJt4.png

A hand composed of 1-1-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-9-9 of one suit, plus any other tile of the same suit.

Regardless of the value of the extra tile, this is always a standard mahjong hand of four sets and a pair, as shown in the animation below. Worth two yakuman if the hand was waiting on nine different tiles (or otherwise called junsei chūren pōtō [純正九蓮宝燈]), and the only possibility of that is if it had 1-1-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-9-9 and was waiting on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9.

Image:Nine-Gates-anim.gif

Four quads

sū kantsu – 四槓子

Limit

Closed/Open

Four quads in one hand, which can be open or closed. In some rules, a round is a draw when four quads are made by two or more players, or when the fifth quad is made.

Sequential pairs of same suit simples

dai sharin – 大車輪

Limit

Closed only

Image:MJt2.pngImage:MJt2.pngImage:MJt3.pngImage:MJt3.pngImage:MJt4.pngImage:MJt4.pngImage:MJt5.pngImage:MJt5.pngImage:MJt6.pngImage:MJt6.pngImage:MJt7.pngImage:MJt8.pngImage:MJt8.png{{pad|1em}}Image:MJt7.png

A hand of seven pairs that are sequential, the same suit, and consist of only simple tiles (numbers 2 through 8). This hand is often recognized only if it is made by a suit of pinzu (筒子; circles, coins) since the Japanese name of the hand means big wheels. Some rules do not apply yakuman to the hand, in which case it has 11 han (chin'itsu, ryanpeikō, tan'yao, and pinfu).

It is noted that the hand can be recognized as a pinfu hand and always has multiple waits whatever the winning tile may be. Some of its waits lose some yaku and thus decrease the value. For example, when the hand waits 7, it also waits 1 and 4.

As for other suits, the hand is called bamboo forest (大竹林, dai chikurin) for bamboos and numerous neighbours (大数隣, dai sūrin) for characters.

Eight consecutive winnings

pārenchan – 八連荘

Limit

Dealer only

A player wins eight times consecutively. The conditions of the hand depend on rules. The ninth and following winnings are often yakuman again, while some rules say the sixteenth is the next yakuman. It has nothing to do with the number of honba because the number increases when a round is a draw. In some rules, no other yaku is necessary in the eighth winning. Some say the player must be a dealer from the first time. The player is always a dealer when the hand is accomplished. The hand is often optional.

[quads, or, triplets, of][MJt3, or, quads]

Name

Japanese

Han value

Closed/Open

All triplet hand

toitoihō – 対々和, or toitoi – 対々

2

Closed/Open

Image:MJw8.pngImage:MJw8.pngImage:MJw8.pngImage:MJt3.pngImage:MJt3.pngImage:MJt3.pngImage:MJs1bird.pngImage:MJs1bird.pngImage:MJs1bird.pngImage:MJs7.pngImage:MJs7.pngImage:MJf4.pngImage:MJf4.png{{pad|1em}}Image:MJs7.png

The hand consists of all triplets or quads; no sequences.

Three concealed triplets

san ankō – 三暗刻

2

Closed/Open

Image:MJw1.pngImage:MJw4.pngImage:MJw4.pngImage:MJw4.pngImage:MJt1.pngImage:MJt2.pngImage:MJt3.pngImage:MJt9.pngImage:MJt9.pngImage:MJt9.pngImage:MJs2.pngImage:MJs2.pngImage:MJs2.png{{pad|1em}}Image:MJw1.png

Three sets of triplets or quads formed without calling on any tiles. The fourth set can be an open triplet or quad, or a sequence.

Three colour triplets

sanshoku doukō – 三色同刻

2

Closed/Open

Image:MJw3.pngImage:MJw3.pngImage:MJt6.pngImage:MJt7.pngImage:MJt8.pngImage:MJt3.pngImage:MJt3.pngImage:MJt3.pngImage:MJs3.pngImage:MJs3.pngImage:MJs3.pngImage:MJf3.pngImage:MJf3.png{{pad|1em}}Image:MJw3.png

Three triplets consisting of the same numbers in all three suits.

Three quads

san kantsu – 三槓子

2

Closed/Open

Three quads in one hand, which can be open or closed.

Name

Japanese

Han value

Closed/Open

All triplet hand

toitoihō – 対々和, or toitoi – 対々

2

Closed/Open

Image:MJw8.pngImage:MJw8.pngImage:MJw8.pngImage:MJt3.pngImage:MJt3.pngImage:MJt3.pngImage:MJs1bird.pngImage:MJs1bird.pngImage:MJs1bird.pngImage:MJs7.pngImage:MJs7.pngImage:MJf4.pngImage:MJf4.png{{pad|1em}}Image:MJs7.png

The hand consists of all triplets or quads; no sequences.

Three concealed triplets

san ankō – 三暗刻

2

Closed/Open

Image:MJw1.pngImage:MJw4.pngImage:MJw4.pngImage:MJw4.pngImage:MJt1.pngImage:MJt2.pngImage:MJt3.pngImage:MJt9.pngImage:MJt9.pngImage:MJt9.pngImage:MJs2.pngImage:MJs2.pngImage:MJs2.png{{pad|1em}}Image:MJw1.png

Three sets of triplets or quads formed without calling on any tiles. The fourth set can be an open triplet or quad, or a sequence.

Three colour triplets

sanshoku doukō – 三色同刻

2

Closed/Open

Image:MJw3.pngImage:MJw3.pngImage:MJt3.pngImage:MJt3.pngImage:MJt3.pngImage:MJt6.pngImage:MJt7.pngImage:MJt8.pngImage:MJs3.pngImage:MJs3.pngImage:MJs3.pngImage:MJf3.pngImage:MJf3.png{{pad|1em}}Image:MJw3.png

Three triplets consisting of the same numbers in all three suits.

Three quads

san kantsu – 三槓子

2

Closed/Open

Three quads in one hand, which can be open or closed.