Goal of the Game

Now that you know the tiles, let’s talk about what you’re actually trying to accomplish. The objective of mahjong is simple to state but endlessly fascinating to achieve:

Build a complete hand of 14 tiles, consisting of four melds and one pair.

Let’s break down what that means.

The Winning Structure: 4 Melds + 1 Pair

A complete hand has exactly 14 tiles arranged as:

• Four melds (3 tiles each = 12 tiles)
• One pair (2 identical tiles = 2 tiles)
• Total: 12 + 2 = 14 tiles

Here’s a complete winning hand:

This hand has:

• Three sequences (123m, 456p, 789s)
• One triplet (555m)
• One pair (11z, East pair)

Let’s understand each component.

What is a Meld?

A meld is a group of three tiles. There are two types:

Sequences (Shuntsu)

A sequence is three consecutive tiles of the same suit:

Important rules for sequences:

• Must be same suit (you can’t mix suits)
• Must be consecutive (no gaps or wrapping)
• Honor tiles cannot form sequences (no such thing as East-South-West)

Invalid sequences:

• 123z (honors can’t sequence)
• 891m (wraps around—not consecutive)
• 135p (has a gap)
• 1m2p3s (mixed suits)

Triplets (Koutsu)

A triplet is three identical tiles:

Any tile can form a triplet—suits and honors alike. Since each tile appears four times in the set, triplets are less common than sequences but often score better.

Quads (Kantsu)

Technically, you can also make a quad (four identical tiles), but this requires a special declaration during the game. We’ll cover quads later—for now, think of melds as “three tiles.”

The Pair (Jantou)

The pair is two identical tiles. Every winning hand needs exactly one pair:

Any tile can be a pair. Your hand cannot win with zero pairs, two pairs, or more than one pair.

Complete Hand Examples

Let’s look at several winning hands:

Example 1: All Sequences

This hand has:

• Three sequences in characters (123m, 456m, 789m)
• One sequence in circles (123p)
• Pair of 5-bamboo (55s)

Example 2: Mixed Sequences and Triplets

This hand has:

• Two sequences in bamboo (123s, 456s)
• One triplet in bamboo (777s)
• One triplet of East (111z)
• Pair of South (22z)

Example 3: All Triplets

This hand has:

• Four triplets (111m, 333m, 555p, 777z)
• Pair of 9-bamboo (99s)

A hand with all triplets scores a special yaku called “toitoi” (all triplets). We’ll cover yaku in detail later.

Tenpai: One Tile Away

When you have 13 tiles and need just one specific tile to complete your hand, you’re in tenpai (ready hand). This is a critical concept in riichi mahjong.

Here’s a hand in tenpai:

This hand has:

• Three complete melds (123m, 456p, 789s, 555m)
• One incomplete pair (only one 1z)

If you draw or call another 1z (East), you complete the pair and win!

Types of Waits

The tiles you’re waiting for are called your wait or waiting tiles. There are several common wait patterns:

Pair Wait (Tanki)

Waiting to complete a pair:

Needs: One more 5m to complete the pair.

Sequence Waits

Edge Wait (Penchan)

Waiting on the edge of a sequence:

A 12m sequence can only be completed by 3m. Similarly, 89p can only be completed by 7p.

Middle Wait (Kanchan)

Waiting in the middle of a sequence:

A 1_3m sequence needs 2m in the middle.

Both-Sides Wait (Ryanmen)

Waiting on either end of a partial sequence:

A 45m partial sequence can be completed by either 3m (making 345m) or 6m (making 456m). This is the strongest wait because you have two different tiles that can complete it.

Multiple Waits

Advanced hands can wait on multiple tiles or have complex wait patterns. We’ll cover these later—for now, focus on recognizing when you’re one tile away from winning.

What About Yaku?

Here’s a crucial detail: Not every complete hand can win.

In riichi mahjong, your hand must contain at least one yaku (scoring pattern) to be valid. A yaku is like a poker hand—certain tile combinations are worth points. For example:

• All tiles from one suit (flush)
• All sequences (no triplets)
• Winning on your self-draw
• Declaring riichi

We’ll cover the most common yaku in Chapter 7. For now, just know that structure (4 melds + pair) is necessary but not sufficient—you also need a yaku to win.

Starting to Think in Melds

As you play, you’ll start to see your hand not as 13 random tiles but as potential melds. Look at this starting hand:

You might identify:

• Near-sequence: 1234m (could keep 123m or 234m)
• Complete sequence: 567p (done!)
• Pair potential: 88s, 11z, or 33z
• Isolated: 1z, 5z (hard to use)

Experienced players instantly spot these patterns and decide which tiles to discard to maximize their winning chances.

Practice: Identify Complete Hands

Which of these are complete winning hands (4 melds + pair)?

Hand A: Not complete—it has 16 tiles (too many) and two pairs (only one allowed).

Hand B: Complete! Four triplets (111m, 222m, 333m, 444m) and a pair (55m). This would be a high-scoring hand.

Hand C: Complete! Four sequences (123m, 345m, 567m, 789m) and a pair (11z).

Next: How the Game Flows

You now understand what you’re trying to build. In the next chapter, we’ll learn how: the turn structure, drawing tiles, discarding tiles, and when you can call tiles from opponents.

Ready to learn how a round plays out? Click “Next”!