Noten

Noten

Noten (ノーテン) is a mahjong term meaning “not in tenpai” at an exhaustive draw. A player in noten is not one tile away from a winning hand when the game reaches a draw, and must pay penalty points to players who are in tenpai.

Understanding Noten

Noten is the opposite of tenpai. While tenpai means being one tile away from winning (having a “waiting hand”), noten means the hand cannot win with a single additional tile. When the wall is exhausted and no one has achieved agari (a winning hand), the game ends in a draw, and players settle points based on their hand status.

Point Settlement in Noten

At an exhaustive draw, the payout structure is determined by tenpai status:

• Players in tenpai receive points from players in noten
• Players in noten pay points to players in tenpai
• If multiple players are in tenpai or noten, points are typically divided equally among recipients or split among payers

The standard settlement is a fixed pool of 3,000 points that moves from the noten side to the tenpai side. With one tenpai player, they collect 1,000 from each of the three noten players. With two tenpai, each noten player pays 1,500. With three tenpai, the lone noten player pays 1,000 to each. If everyone is tenpai, or everyone is noten, no points move.

Strategic Importance

Noten status significantly impacts final scores, especially in the final round. A player in noten may lose 1,000-3,000 points depending on how many opponents are in tenpai. This makes avoiding noten at the end of a hand an important strategic consideration. Players must balance their pursuit of expensive winning hands against the risk of ending in noten.

Honba and Noten

An exhaustive draw adds a honba counter for the next hand (and the dealer keeps the seat if tenpai). The honba raises the value of the next winning hand by 300 points; it does not change the noten settlement itself, which stays at the fixed 3,000-point pool.

Noten at the table

In the final hand of a game, the wall runs out with no winner. East and North reveal tenpai hands; South and West are noten. Under the standard 3,000-point settlement, South and West each pay 1,500, and East and North each receive 1,500. On top of the points, East was the dealer and keeps the seat by being tenpai, so the game continues with a honba added.

This outcome, while seemingly minor, can decide placements in close games, which is why players scramble for formal tenpai in the closing turns.

Notes

Noten rules may vary significantly between different mahjong variants and regional rulesets. Some informal games do not enforce noten payments, while competitive play typically includes them as a standard rule. Always clarify noten settlement rules before beginning a game, particularly regarding honba interactions and dealer multipliers.