Complete Faan Guide: Every Hong Kong Mahjong Hand Explained
This is the complete reference for every faan pattern in Hong Kong Mahjong. Whether you’re a beginner learning the basics or a seasoned player settling a scoring dispute, this guide has you covered.
What is Faan (番)?
Faan is the scoring unit in Hong Kong Mahjong. Every winning hand is worth a certain number of faan based on the tile patterns it contains. More faan = higher payout.
Most games require a minimum of 3 faan to win.
Hand Sets
Hong Kong Mahjong has evolved over the years, with different groups recognizing different sets of hands:
- Classic — The traditional hand patterns everyone agrees on
- New 6 (新六番) — Six additional patterns added later
- New 18 (新十八番) — Eighteen more patterns, used in more modern play
Most casual games use Classic + New 6. Tournament play often includes all three. See our detailed comparison of hand sets for help choosing.
Classic Hands
1 Faan
All Sequences (平胡) All four melds are sequences (three consecutive tiles in the same suit). This is the most basic winning pattern.
Seat Wind (門風) A triplet of your seat wind. If you’re sitting East and have three East wind tiles, that’s 1 faan.
Round Wind (圈風) A triplet of the current round wind. In the East round, a triplet of East wind tiles gives 1 faan.
Dragon Triplet (番牌 — 中/發/白) A triplet of any dragon tile (Red 中, Green 發, or White 白). Each dragon triplet is worth 1 faan.
No Flowers (無花) You drew no flower or season tiles during the game. Worth 1 faan as a bonus.
Self-Drawn Win (自摸) You completed your hand by drawing the winning tile yourself (rather than picking up someone’s discard). Worth 1 faan.
2 Faan
All One Suit with Honors (混一色 — some score as 3) All tiles from one numbered suit plus honor tiles (winds and dragons). Note: Some groups score this as 3 faan.
Voided Suit (缺一門) Your hand contains tiles from only two of the three numbered suits (plus optional honors).
3 Faan
All Triplets (對對胡) All four melds are triplets or quads (no sequences). A strong, recognizable pattern.
Mixed One Suit (混一色) One numbered suit plus honor tiles only. No tiles from the other two suits.
Small Three Dragons (小三元) Two triplets of dragons plus a pair of the third dragon. For example: triplet of Red, triplet of Green, pair of White.
All Flowers of One Type (正花) All four flower tiles or all four season tiles. Worth 3 faan as a bonus.
5 Faan
Small Four Winds (小四喜) Three triplets of wind tiles plus a pair of the fourth wind.
6 Faan
Full Flush (清一色) Every tile in your hand is from the same numbered suit. No honor tiles at all.
Big Three Dragons (大三元) Triplets of all three dragon tiles (Red, Green, and White).
8 Faan
Big Four Winds (大四喜) Triplets of all four wind tiles (East, South, West, North). Extremely rare.
10 Faan (Limit Hands)
Thirteen Orphans (十三么) One each of every terminal (1s and 9s) and honor tile, plus one duplicate. 13 unique tiles + 1 pair.
All Honors (字一色) Every tile is a wind or dragon tile. No numbered suit tiles at all.
All Terminals (清么九) Every tile is a 1 or 9. No middle tiles, no honors.
Nine Gates (九蓮寶燈) A specific pattern in one suit: 1-1-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-9-9 plus any tile from the same suit. One of the rarest hands.
Hidden Treasure (天胡/地胡) Dealer wins on the initial deal (天胡 Heavenly Hand) or non-dealer wins on their first draw (地胡 Earthly Hand).
New 6 Hands (新六番)
These six patterns are widely recognized in modern Hong Kong play:
Mixed Terminals (混么九) — 3 faan All tiles are terminals (1s and 9s) or honor tiles.
Chicken Hand (雞胡) — 1 faan A winning hand that has no other faan patterns. The absolute minimum.
Last Tile Draw (海底撈月) — 1 faan You win by self-drawing the very last tile from the wall.
Last Tile Claim (河底撈魚) — 1 faan You win by claiming the very last discarded tile.
Win by Kong (槓上自摸) — 1 faan You win by drawing a replacement tile after declaring a kong.
Robbing the Kong (搶槓) — 1 faan You win by claiming a tile that another player uses to upgrade a pung to a kong.
New 18 Hands (新十八番)
Advanced patterns for experienced players:
Three Concealed Triplets (三暗刻) — 2 faan Three of your four triplets were self-drawn (concealed), not claimed from discards.
All Revealed (全求人) — 2 faan All four melds were formed by claiming others’ discards. Your only concealed tile is the pair.
Two Identical Sequences (一般高) — 1 faan Two sequences of the same numbers in the same suit.
Three Identical Sequences (三般高) — 6 faan Three sequences of the same numbers in the same suit.
Three Step Sequences (三步高) — 2 faan Three sequences where the starting number increases by one across three suits.
Four Step Sequences (四步高) — 6 faan Four sequences with consecutive starting numbers.
Fully Concealed (門前清) — 1 faan Your entire hand was self-drawn. No melds formed from discards.
Two Dragon Triplets (雙箭) — 2 faan Triplets of two different dragon tiles.
All Pairs (七對子) — 4 faan Seven pairs instead of the standard four melds + one pair structure.
And more — the full New 18 set includes additional rare patterns.
Faan Quick Reference Table
| Faan | Common Hands |
|---|---|
| 1 | All Sequences, Seat Wind, Round Wind, Dragon Triplet, No Flowers, Self-Drawn |
| 2 | Voided Suit, Three Concealed Triplets |
| 3 | All Triplets, Mixed One Suit, Small Three Dragons |
| 4 | All Pairs (Seven Pairs) |
| 5 | Small Four Winds |
| 6 | Full Flush, Big Three Dragons |
| 8 | Big Four Winds |
| 10 | Thirteen Orphans, All Honors, Nine Gates |
Tips for Counting Faan
- Check for suit composition first — Full Flush? Mixed One Suit? This is the biggest faan source.
- Check meld structure — All Triplets? All Sequences?
- Check for dragon/wind triplets — Easy to miss but they add up.
- Check bonuses — Self-drawn, no flowers, etc.
- Patterns stack — A Full Flush with All Triplets is 6 + 3 = 9 faan!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is faan in mahjong?
Faan (番) is the scoring unit in Hong Kong Mahjong. Each winning hand earns faan based on the tile patterns it contains, and the faan total determines how much the losers pay the winner.
What is the highest faan hand in Hong Kong Mahjong?
Limit hands like Thirteen Orphans, All Honors, and Nine Gates are worth the maximum of 10 faan (or 13 faan in some rule sets). These are extremely rare and represent the biggest possible payout.
How many faan do you need to win?
Most games require a minimum of 3 faan to declare a winning hand. Some casual groups lower the minimum to 1 faan — always confirm the house rules before starting.
What’s the difference between Classic, New 6, and New 18 hand sets?
Classic hands are the traditional patterns everyone recognizes. New 6 adds six widely accepted modern patterns like Chicken Hand and Last Tile Draw. New 18 introduces eighteen more advanced patterns for experienced players. Most casual games use Classic plus New 6.
Don’t want to memorize all this? TileBuddy has a built-in hand wiki with every pattern, plus a faan calculator that identifies patterns automatically.