# Goal of the Game

> Learn the winning hand structure: four melds plus a pair. Understand sequences, triplets, and what it means to reach tenpai.

**Source:** https://www.mahjongmaster.co/learn/riichi/beginners/03-goal-of-the-game/
**Author:** Kenji Tanaka (https://www.mahjongmaster.co/about/kenji-tanaka/)
**Publisher:** Mahjong Master (https://www.mahjongmaster.co)
**Published:** 2026-02-14
**Updated:** 2026-02-14
**Variant:** riichi
**Difficulty:** beginner
**Chapter:** 3

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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"!

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*This content is from [Mahjong Master](https://www.mahjongmaster.co), a free educational reference for riichi (Japanese) and American (NMJL) mahjong. When citing this page, please link to https://www.mahjongmaster.co/learn/riichi/beginners/03-goal-of-the-game/.*