[Glossary of Mahjong Terms #7] Mahjong Winning Terms, Wait Types & Riichi/Tenpai

By TAKEYuichi

October 20, 2025 4 min read

Mahjong Winning Terms, Wait Types & Riichi/Tenpai

Winning mechanics and wait shapes determine how—and how often—you score in Riichi mahjong. This guide covers winning terms, common wait types, and riichi/tenpai concepts so you can recognize chances to win and avoid costly mistakes.

1. Winning Terms (アガり系用語)

和了・和り・和る・和了る / Hōra・Agari: Declaring a legal win by tsumo or ron and revealing your hand to all players. If no issues arise, the win is confirmed. win
アガラス / Agarasu: Winning in the final hand (ōrasu) yet still finishing last place. result
和了癖 / Agari-guse: “Getting into the habit of winning” to change momentum—often by aiming for quick, cheap wins like kuitan. strategy
和了トップ / Agari-top: Being in a position on the final hand where winning will secure first place. result
和了逃し / Agari-nogashi: Missing a winning opportunity due to your own mistake. mistake
和了牌 / Agarihai: Any tile that completes your hand (all winning waits). win
和了放棄 / Agari-hōki: A penalty state where you are forbidden to win for the rest of the hand (e.g., due to fouls). penalty
和了目 / Agari-me: The practical possibility of winning—having real outs to complete the hand. evaluation
和了役 / Agari-yaku: The yaku (scoring element) present in the winning hand. scoring
和了連荘 / Agari-renchan: The dealer continues (renchan) when the dealer wins; if only tenpai, some rules end the dealership. dealer
和り形・和了形 / Agari-kei・Hōra-kei: The final structure required to win—includes the type of wait and yaku present. shape
ロン / Ron（栄和 / Ron-hō）: Winning on another player’s discard; also called a “direct hit.” win
自摸和 / Tsumo-hō（門前清自摸和 / Menzen Tsumo）: Winning on a self-draw; when closed, it counts as the yaku Menzen Tsumo. win
一発 / Ippatsu: After declaring riichi, winning within one uninterrupted turn cycle (no calls made in between). bonus
手役 / Teyaku: Another term referring to yaku or yaku-based hand patterns. scoring
振り込み / Furikomi（放銃 / Hōjū）: Dealing into someone’s ron by discarding their winning tile. loss

2. Wait Types (待ち系用語)

嵌張待ち / Kanchan-machi (Closed Wait): Waiting for the middle tile of a sequence (e.g., holding 1–3 and waiting on 2). wait
辺張待ち / Penchan-machi (Edge Wait): Waiting on the edge of the suit (e.g., holding 1–2 and waiting on 3; or 8–9 waiting on 7). wait
両面待ち / Ryanmen-machi (Open-ended): Waiting on either side of a 2-tile run (e.g., 3–4 waits on 2 and 5). wait
単騎待ち / Tanki-machi (Single Pair Wait): All sets are complete; waiting for the pair tile to complete the head. Extreme case is the “hell wait” (jigoku tanki) on the last copy. wait
双碰待ち / Shanpon-machi (Double Pair Wait): Two pairs where either completing tile makes one a triplet and the other the head. wait
ノベタン / Nobetan: A shape where extending a run creates a pair wait on either end (e.g., with 2–3–4–5, waiting on 2 or 5 to form the head). wait
裸単騎 / Hadaka-tanki: All sets are open/exposed; waiting only on the final head tile. wait

3. Riichi & Tenpai Terms (立直／テンパイ系)

一向聴 / Iishanten: One step away from tenpai. metric
二向聴 / Ryan-shanten: Two steps away from tenpai. metric
聴牌 / Tenpai: Ready hand—one tile away from a legal win. state
不聴 / Noten: Not in tenpai when the hand ends. state
不聴罰符 / Noten-bappu: When no one wins, players who are not in tenpai pay penalties to those who are (often totaling 3000 points). penalty
立直 / Riichi: Declaring ready with a closed hand by placing a 1000-point stick; the hand’s structure may no longer change. declare
即リー / Sokuri: Declaring riichi immediately upon reaching tenpai. strategy
ダブルリーチ / Double Riichi: Declaring riichi on your very first turn before any calls; worth extra value. declare
足止め立直 / Ashidome Riichi: A tactical riichi with a cheap or awkward wait to slow opponents or force defensive play. strategy
黙聴・闇聴 / Dama-ten・Yami-ten: Staying in tenpai without declaring riichi (closed hand), waiting to win silently. strategy
振聴 / Furiten: You cannot win by ron if any of your winning tiles appear in your own discard row or were passed after riichi; tsumo is still allowed. restriction
同巡内振聴 / Dōjun-nai Furiten: After skipping a winning ron on the current cycle, you remain furiten until your next draw. restriction
空テン / Kara-ten: Tenpai where all winning tiles are already visible/used—no copies remain in the wall. state
チー聴 / Chi-ten: Reaching tenpai by claiming a chi (open meld). state

Tip: Identify your wait type quickly—ryanmen is strong, while kanchan/penchan/tanki are weaker. Combine this with shanten count and ukeire to decide between value (stay closed) and speed (open or riichi).