Mahjiku › Questions › What is a winning hand in mahjong?
In most variants a winning hand is four sets (runs or triplets) plus a pair — 14 tiles — though the exact shape varies (Taiwanese wins with five sets and a pair; American must match a fixed card pattern).
In the majority of mahjong variants — Hong Kong, Japanese Riichi, Chinese Official — a standard win is four sets plus a pair. A "set" is either a run of three consecutive tiles in one suit (a chow) or three identical tiles (a pung); the pair is two identical tiles. That is 4×3 + 2 = 14 tiles, completed on the tile you draw or claim to win.
Some special hands break the mould — Seven Pairs, or Thirteen Orphans (one of each terminal and honour, plus a duplicate). And two variants change the shape entirely: Taiwanese builds a bigger 17-tile hand (five sets and a pair), while American mahjong requires the hand to match one of the exact patterns printed on that year's official card.
Last reviewed 2026-08-23.
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