Chanta

Chanta

Chanta (混全帯么九, チャンタ) is a yaku worth 2 han (closed) or 1 han (open) where every meld and the pair in your hand contains at least one terminal (1 or 9) or honor tile. The name translates roughly to “mixed outside hand,” indicating that terminals and honors appear throughout the entire hand.

Detailed Explanation

Requirements

For chanta, every component of your hand must touch a terminal or honor:

• Every sequence must include a 1 or 9 (e.g., 1-2-3 or 7-8-9)
• Every triplet must be either terminals (1s or 9s) or honors (winds/dragons)
• The pair must be terminals or honors

A valid chanta hand might contain: 1-2-3 bamboo, 7-8-9 characters, triplet of 9-dots, triplet of East wind, and a pair of White dragons. Every meld touches a terminal or honor.

Open vs. Closed Value

Closed hand: 2 han Open hand: 1 han

Even when reduced to 1 han, chanta remains useful for speed-oriented play. You can call pon on honor triplets or chi on terminal sequences without losing all value.

Comparison to Junchan

Chanta’s stricter cousin is junchan (pure outside hand), which requires terminals only—no honors. Junchan is worth 3 han (closed) or 2 han (open) but is significantly harder to form since you cannot use honor triplets.

The strategic choice:

• Chanta: Easier (can use honors), lower value
• Junchan: Harder (terminals only), higher value

Many hands start as chanta attempts and convert to junchan if no honor tiles materialize, or vice versa.

Incompatible Yaku

Chanta cannot coexist with:

• Tanyao (all simples): Tanyao forbids terminals/honors, while chanta requires them
• Junchan: Junchan is a more restrictive version; you score junchan instead if you meet both requirements

Strategic Considerations

Tile Efficiency Challenges: Chanta limits your tile acceptance. You must specifically draw edge sequences (1-2-3, 7-8-9) or terminal/honor triplets, reducing flexibility compared to building with middle-numbered tiles.

Defensive Value: Terminals (1s and 9s) are often safer discards late-game since they complete fewer possible sequences. Building chanta around terminal sequences can help keep dangerous tiles in your hand while discarding safer simples.

Usage Example

You’re building a hand and notice several terminals and honors in your starting tiles. You commit to chanta, discarding middle-numbered tiles (4, 5, 6). Your final hand: 1-2-3 bamboo (edge sequence), 7-8-9 characters (edge sequence), triplet of 9-dots (terminals), triplet of South wind (honors), and a pair of White dragons (honors). Every meld and the pair contain terminals or honors. You score chanta (2 han if closed, 1 han if open) plus any other applicable yaku.

Related Terms

Junchan: Pure outside hand requiring terminals only (no honors). Worth 3 han closed or 2 han open.

Yaochuuhai: The collective term for terminals and honors—the tiles required for chanta.

Terminal: The 1 and 9 tiles of each suit. Required in sequences for chanta.

Honor Tiles: Winds and dragons. Can form triplets/pairs for chanta.

Tanyao: All simples yaku. Incompatible with chanta since it forbids terminals and honors.