# Mangan — Riichi Mahjong Glossary

> A limit hand reached at 5 han (any fu), 4 han 40+ fu, or 3 han 70+ fu, paying 8,000 (non-dealer) or 12,000 (dealer). The first scoring limit.

**Source:** https://www.mahjongmaster.co/learn/riichi/glossary/mangan/
**Author:** Kenji Tanaka (https://www.mahjongmaster.co/about/kenji-tanaka/)
**Publisher:** Mahjong Master (https://www.mahjongmaster.co)
**Published:** 2026-02-18
**Updated:** 2026-03-10
**Japanese:** 満貫
**Category:** scoring
**Variant:** riichi

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# Mangan

## What Mangan means

**Mangan** (満貫, まんがん) is a limit hand in mahjong worth a fixed payment of 8,000 points for non-dealers or 12,000 points for dealers, regardless of the exact point value of the hand. It is achieved through specific combinations of han (doubles) and fu (base points) that meet or exceed the mangan threshold.

## How Mangan works

Mangan represents the first scoring limit in mahjong's point system. Rather than calculating the exact point value of a hand, players who achieve mangan receive a standardized payment. This simplification occurs because the calculated point value would exceed normal limits.

### Qualifying Combinations

A hand qualifies as mangan in the following scenarios:

- **5 han** with any fu value
- **4 han** with 40 or more fu
- **3 han** with 70 or more fu

The most common way to achieve mangan is through a 5 han hand, as this requires no minimum fu requirement. However, players can also reach mangan with fewer han by accumulating higher fu values through complex tile combinations.

### Payment Structure

When a player wins with a mangan hand:
- **Non-dealer (ko)** receives 8,000 points total from all players
- **Dealer (tsumo)** receives 4,000 points from each player (12,000 total)
- **Dealer (ron)** receives 12,000 points from the discarder

The dealer receives 50% more payment than non-dealers, consistent with mahjong's payment structure.

### Strategic Significance

Mangan serves as an important psychological and strategic milestone in mahjong. It represents a substantial point swing, enough to significantly impact a player's standing in a game. Many players strategically pursue hands that reach mangan rather than settling for smaller scoring hands.

The threshold creates interesting decision-making moments. A player holding a hand worth 4,800 points might wait for an additional han rather than settling immediately, hoping to achieve mangan's 8,000-point payment.

### Scoring Hierarchy

Mangan occupies a specific position in mahjong's scoring hierarchy:

1. **Mangan** (8,000/12,000)
2. **Haneman** (12,000/18,000) - 1.5x mangan
3. **Baiman** (16,000/24,000) - 2x mangan
4. **Sanbaiman** (24,000/36,000) - 3x mangan
5. **Yakuman** (32,000/48,000) - 4x mangan

Understanding where mangan fits helps players evaluate hand potential and decide whether to continue pursuing higher-scoring combinations.

## Mangan in practice

A player declares riichi with a closed hand and wins on a single tile. The winning hand contains:

- A completed triplet of dragons (1 han)
- Ippatsu (1 han)
- Menzen tsumo (1 han)
- Riichi (1 han)
- Winning on the last tile (1 han)

This totals 5 han, automatically qualifying as mangan. The player receives 8,000 points (or 12,000 as dealer) without calculating fu, even though the hand's fu value might be quite low.

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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/glossary/mangan/.*