9 articles · read in order

Famous Hands

The celebrated special hands of mahjong, tile by tile: thirteen orphans, nine gates, big three dragons, big four winds, all green, seven pairs and more.

1Famous Hands

Thirteen Orphans

Thirteen orphans is the most famous special hand in mahjong: one of each terminal and honour tile, plus one duplicate. It breaks the four-sets rule and is a limit hand almost everywhere.

2 min read

2Famous Hands

Nine Gates

Nine gates is the rarest of the classic limit hands: 1-1-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-9-9 in one suit, plus any tile of that suit. In its pure form it waits on nine different tiles.

2 min read

3Famous Hands

Big Three Dragons

Big three dragons — pungs or kongs of all three dragons — is one of the most recognisable big hands. Little three dragons, two pungs and a pair, is its smaller cousin.

2 min read

4Famous Hands

Big Four Winds and Little Four Winds

Big four winds needs pungs of all four winds; little four winds has three wind pungs and a pair of the fourth. Both are among mahjong's grandest hands.

2 min read

5Famous Hands

All Green

All green uses only green tiles: the 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 of bamboo and the green dragon. It is one of the most beautiful limit hands, and one of the rarest.

2 min read

6Famous Hands

Seven Pairs

Seven pairs is a special hand of seven different pairs. It is a standard yaku in riichi and a scoring hand in MCR and many Chinese styles, but not allowed everywhere.

2 min read

7Famous Hands

All Pungs

All pungs — four triplets and a pair — is one of the most popular mid-value hands. It is easy to recognise, often fast with calls, and scores well in most styles.

2 min read

8Famous Hands

Pure One Suit and Mixed One Suit

Flush hands — all tiles in one suit (pure) or one suit plus honours (mixed) — are among the most valuable common hands in every Chinese and Japanese style.

2 min read

9Famous Hands

A heavenly hand is a dealer's opening fourteen tiles already forming a win; an earthly hand is a non-dealer winning on their very first draw or the dealer's first discard. Both are pure luck — and limit hands.

2 min read