3 Patterns for Using 3 Tiles (Multiple Wait Basics pt01)

Check Mahjong No Jan-Ryu for the original article. 

*Translation of the original article start below*

So let’s look at these 7 tiles. We will introduce 3 types on this page that you will see very often, so let’s try to remember them.

7 Tiles (01/19)
Waiting on 3 Tile Types, 11 Tiles in Total
1P has 4 Tiles, 4P has 3 Tiles and 7P has 4 Tiles remaining

This comes up very often. If there are 3 tiles for your wait, it is called a San-Men-Chan. There are various patterns, but the basic form of a San-Men-Chan is this shape. It’s a【Riyan-Men wait】＋【Riyan-Men wait】.

Different example for the same shape of wait.
3,6,9 wait and 2,5,8 wait.

The maximum amount of tiles remaining are 11 tiles. (Of course, if the tiles are already discarded, or if other players are using them, the actual tiles available will differ)

※ A Riyan-Men wait’s tile is called “Suji”. If you don’t know the basics of “Suji”, please refer to the link below.

Remember Suji and be Confident with the Shape of Your Tiles

  ▼ Now here is the 2nd pattern…

7 Tiles (02/19)
Waiting on 3 Tile Types, 9 Tiles in Total
2P has 3 Tiles, 5P has 3 Tiles and 8P has 3 Tiles remaining

This is a shape progressing from a No-Be-Tan wait. It is essentially a【Tanki wait】＋【Tanki wait】＋【Tanki Wait】. This is also a common shape that you will encounter, so some may call this shape a No-Be-Tan as well.

Different example for the same shape of wait.
1,4,7 wait and 3,6,9 wait.

The maximum amount of tiles remaining are 9 tiles.

 ▼ Next, is the 3rd pattern…

7 Tiles (03/19)
Waiting on 3 Tile Types, 9 Tiles in Total
2P has 3 Tiles, 5P has 2 Tiles and 8P has 4 Tiles remaining

This is a【No-Be-Tan wait】＋【Riyan-Men wait】and is also very common. Similar to the 3455678 shape below, it has the same value meaning as【Riyan-Men wait】＋【No-Be-Tan wait】.

Different example for the same shape of wait.
2,5,8 wait and 3,6,9 wait.

The maximum amount of tiles remaining are 9 tiles. You must pay attention for this wait when aiming for Pin-Fu.

This Pin-Fu wait is a 3,6,9 wait…
but a 3 will be considered a Tan-Ki wait, and won’t be Pin-Fu. 6 or 9 will become Pin-Fu.

So depending on the tile you win on, there are cases where it will or will not become Pin-Fu. It will be easy once you memorize it, but let’s remember these shapes.

These 3 shapes are very common so mastering these are key for your Mahjong game. Next we will go over 10 patterns for using 3 tiles. Once you understand this, you will no longer be afraid of multiple wait shapes.