Taiwanese mahjong scoring: every tai pattern

How you won

門清 — Concealed hand 1 tai

You won on a discard without ever claiming a meld from another player's tile. Concealed kongs are allowed.

自摸 — Self-draw 1 tai

You won on a tile you drew yourself, after claiming at least one meld.

門清自摸 — Concealed self-draw 3 tai

Both at once: a self-drawn win with no meld claimed from a discard. It replaces 門清 and 自摸 (1 + 1) with a single 3-tai pattern.

全求人 — All melded 2 tai

All five sets were claimed from discards and you won on a discard too, so only the pair is left in your hand. Concealed kongs do not count.Claim all five sets from discards, then win on a discard too, so only the pair is left in your hand. Concealed kongs don't count, and with your sets laid down you can't also score 門清.

Claimed sets

The underlined tile completes the hand.

• 全求人 — All melded 2 tai
• 獨聽 — Single wait 1 tai
• 紅中 — Red dragon pung 1 tai

Total: 4 tai

When you won

海底撈月 — Last tile from the wall 1 tai

Self-drawn on the last tile that can be drawn, when the wall is down to its reserve of 16 tiles.

河底撈魚 — Last discard 1 tai

Won on the discard that follows the last draw.

槓上開花 — Win on a kong draw 1 tai

Self-drawn on the replacement tile you take after declaring a kong.

搶槓 — Robbing the kong 1 tai

Won on the tile another player adds to a pung to make a kong, before the kong completes.

The wait

獨聽 — Single wait 1 tai

Exactly one tile completes your hand: an edge wait, a middle wait or a pair wait, with no other reading.Count what could finish your hand: it only scores if exactly one tile can. Typical shapes are an edge wait (1-2 for a 3), a middle wait (4-6 for a 5) or waiting on one tile for the pair. A wait that two different tiles could finish doesn't count.

The underlined tile completes the hand.

• 門清 — Concealed hand 1 tai
• 獨聽 — Single wait 1 tai

Total: 2 tai

Honour pungs

紅中 — Red dragon pung 1 tai

A pung or kong of red dragons (紅中).

發財 — Green dragon pung 1 tai

A pung or kong of green dragons (發財).

白板 — White dragon pung 1 tai

A pung or kong of white dragons (白板).

圈風 — Prevailing wind pung 1 tai

A pung or kong of the prevailing wind, the wind of the current round.

門風 — Seat wind pung 1 tai

A pung or kong of your own seat wind. The dealer is East and the others follow in turn order.

Flowers and seasons

正花（花） — Seat flower 1 tai

You hold the flower numbered like your seat wind (East 1, South 2, West 3, North 4).

正花（季） — Seat season 1 tai

You hold the season numbered like your seat wind (East 1, South 2, West 3, North 4).

花槓（花） — Set of four flowers 2 tai

You collected all four flowers.Collect all four flowers (梅, 蘭, 菊, 竹). The four seasons make a 花槓 the same way. A hand with flowers can't score 平胡.

Flowers and seasons

The underlined tile completes the hand.

• 門清 — Concealed hand 1 tai
• 正花（花） — Seat flower 1 tai
• 花槓（花） — Set of four flowers 2 tai

Total: 4 tai

花槓（季） — Set of four seasons 2 tai

You collected all four seasons.

The shape of your sets

平胡 — All chows 2 tai

Every set is a run, the pair is a suit tile, you have no flowers, and the winning tile ended a run that was waiting on either side (a two-sided wait).Build it from runs only and avoid flowers. Wait on a two-sided shape, such as holding 2-3 of Dots and winning on either the 1 or the 4. An edge wait (1-2 for a 3) or a middle wait (4-6 for a 5) doesn't count.

The underlined tile completes the hand.

• 門清 — Concealed hand 1 tai
• 平胡 — All chows 2 tai

Total: 3 tai

碰碰胡 — All pungs 4 tai

Every set is a pung or a kong.Collect pungs and kongs instead of runs, and claim a discard whenever you hold a pair of it. It can stack with the concealed-pung patterns when you draw the pungs yourself.

Claimed sets

The underlined tile completes the hand.

• 獨聽 — Single wait 1 tai
• 碰碰胡 — All pungs 4 tai
• 三暗刻 — Three concealed pungs 2 tai

Total: 7 tai

三暗刻 — Three concealed pungs 2 tai

Three pungs or concealed kongs that were not claimed from a discard. A pung completed by the winning discard counts as exposed, unless that tile could also sit in the pair or a run.Hold three pungs you drew yourself instead of claiming them. A pung finished by the winning discard counts as exposed, unless that tile could also sit in the pair or a run.

The underlined tile completes the hand.

• 門清自摸 — Concealed self-draw 3 tai
• 獨聽 — Single wait 1 tai
• 三暗刻 — Three concealed pungs 2 tai

Total: 6 tai

四暗刻 — Four concealed pungs 5 tai

Four concealed pungs or kongs, counted the same way as 三暗刻.Four concealed pungs, so at most one set is a run or a claimed set. It replaces 三暗刻, and the two never count together.

The underlined tile completes the hand.

• 門清自摸 — Concealed self-draw 3 tai
• 獨聽 — Single wait 1 tai
• 四暗刻 — Four concealed pungs 5 tai

Total: 9 tai

五暗刻 — Five concealed pungs 8 tai

All five sets are concealed pungs or kongs, counted the same way as 三暗刻.Every set is a concealed pung or kong. It replaces 四暗刻 and 三暗刻, and because every set is a pung it also counts 碰碰胡.

The underlined tile completes the hand.

• 門清自摸 — Concealed self-draw 3 tai
• 獨聽 — Single wait 1 tai
• 碰碰胡 — All pungs 4 tai
• 五暗刻 — Five concealed pungs 8 tai

Total: 16 tai

The suits

混一色 — Mixed one suit 4 tai

Tiles of a single suit plus honour tiles (winds and dragons).One suit plus honour tiles (winds and dragons). Honour pungs add their own tai on top: a dragon pung, or the prevailing or seat wind.

The underlined tile completes the hand.

• 門清 — Concealed hand 1 tai
• 混一色 — Mixed one suit 4 tai

Total: 5 tai

清一色 — Pure one suit 8 tai

Tiles of a single suit only, with no honour tiles.One suit and no honours at all. It replaces 混一色. The quickest route is to pick your suit early and discard the other two.

The underlined tile completes the hand.

• 門清 — Concealed hand 1 tai
• 平胡 — All chows 2 tai
• 清一色 — Pure one suit 8 tai

Total: 11 tai

字一色 — All honors 16 tai

Only honour tiles: winds and dragons.Only winds and dragons. It replaces 碰碰胡, since a hand of honours is all pungs anyway, and because every set is a wind or dragon pung it usually scores more honour patterns on top, as the example does.

The underlined tile completes the hand.

• 門清自摸 — Concealed self-draw 3 tai
• 獨聽 — Single wait 1 tai
• 紅中 — Red dragon pung 1 tai
• 發財 — Green dragon pung 1 tai
• 五暗刻 — Five concealed pungs 8 tai
• 字一色 — All honors 16 tai
• 小四喜 — Small four winds 8 tai

Total: 38 tai

Dragons and winds

小三元 — Small three dragons 4 tai

Pungs of two dragons and a pair of the third.Pungs of two dragons, with the third dragon as the pair. It replaces the tai of the individual dragon pungs.

The underlined tile completes the hand.

• 門清 — Concealed hand 1 tai
• 獨聽 — Single wait 1 tai
• 小三元 — Small three dragons 4 tai

Total: 6 tai

大三元 — Big three dragons 8 tai

Pungs or kongs of all three dragons.Pungs or kongs of all three dragons (中, 發, 白). It replaces the tai of the individual dragon pungs, so don't rush to discard a dragon pair.

The underlined tile completes the hand.

• 門清自摸 — Concealed self-draw 3 tai
• 獨聽 — Single wait 1 tai
• 三暗刻 — Three concealed pungs 2 tai
• 大三元 — Big three dragons 8 tai

Total: 14 tai

小四喜 — Small four winds 8 tai

Pungs of three winds and a pair of the fourth.Pungs of three winds, with the fourth wind as the pair. It replaces the tai of the prevailing-wind and seat-wind pungs.

The underlined tile completes the hand.

• 門清 — Concealed hand 1 tai
• 獨聽 — Single wait 1 tai
• 三暗刻 — Three concealed pungs 2 tai
• 小四喜 — Small four winds 8 tai

Total: 12 tai

大四喜 — Big four winds 16 tai

Pungs or kongs of all four winds.Pungs or kongs of all four winds, one of the rarest hands. It replaces the tai of the prevailing-wind and seat-wind pungs.

The underlined tile completes the hand.

• 門清自摸 — Concealed self-draw 3 tai
• 獨聽 — Single wait 1 tai
• 四暗刻 — Four concealed pungs 5 tai
• 混一色 — Mixed one suit 4 tai
• 大四喜 — Big four winds 16 tai

Total: 29 tai

Flower wins

八仙過海 — Eight flowers 8 tai

One player collects all eight flower and season tiles. The hand ends at once and this is the whole score.Collect all eight flowers and seasons and you win on the spot, without completing a hand. It is the whole score, and all three other players pay.

Flowers and seasons

• 八仙過海 — Eight flowers 8 tai

Total: 8 tai

七搶一 — Seven rob one 8 tai

One player has seven flower and season tiles and another holds the eighth. The seven-tile holder wins at once, takes the eighth, and the other player pays alone.Hold seven of the eight flowers and seasons while another player holds the eighth: you win at once and take it, and that player alone pays.

Flowers and seasons

• 七搶一 — Seven rob one 8 tai

Total: 8 tai

From tai to points

Each payer hands over the table's base (底) plus its per-tai points (台) for every tai. The host picks the stakes when setting up the table.

底 + 台 × tai

On a discard, a robbed kong (搶槓) or 七搶一, only the player who gave you the tile pays. On a self-draw (自摸) or 八仙過海, all three other players pay.

A false win (詐胡) costs the declarer 8 tai plus the base, paid to each other seat.

Dealer bonus (莊家 and 連莊)

The dealer adds 1 tai, plus 2 more for every time they have kept the deal in a row (連N拉N), to every payment to or from them.

底 + 台 × (tai + 1 + 2 × streak)

Example: a dealer on their second consecutive win (連2拉2) who wins a 3-tai hand collects 3 + 1 + 2 × 2 = 8 tai from each payer.

When patterns overlap

A hand is scored its best reading, and where one pattern contains another only the bigger one counts:

• 門清自摸 replaces 門清 and 自摸.
• 大三元 and 小三元 replace the individual dragon pungs.
• 大四喜 and 小四喜 replace the prevailing-wind and seat-wind pungs.
• 五暗刻 replaces 四暗刻 and 三暗刻, and 四暗刻 replaces 三暗刻.
• 字一色 does not also count 碰碰胡.

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