Junchan (Pure Outside Hand)
Like chanta but contains no honors — every meld and the pair contains a terminal (1 or 9). 3 han closed, 2 han open. Higher value than chanta but brittle: a single honor tile anywhere in the shape downgrades the hand to chanta.
Read the full explainer →Example hand
123m789m123p789s11p
Open in shanten calculator →Related yaku
Chanta (Outside Hand)
2 HanEvery meld and the pair contains at least one terminal or honor tile. 2 han closed, 1 han open. Sequences are restricted to 1-2-3 and 7-8-9 — the only ones containing a terminal. Junchan is the honor-free 3 han version.
Honroutou (All Terminals and Honors)
2 HanEvery tile is a terminal (1 or 9) or honor. 2 han. Since terminals and honors cannot form sequences, the hand always pairs with toitoi or chiitoitsu — the resulting stack is typically 4 han or more before dora.
Sanshoku Doujun (Three-Color Straight)
2 HanThe same numerical sequence in all three numbered suits (e.g., 234m / 234p / 234s). 2 han closed, 1 han open. Often paired with pinfu or tanyao, and structurally exclusive with ittsu — pick one or the other based on whether your early draws cluster vertically or spread horizontally.
Ittsu (Pure Straight)
2 HanSequences 1-2-3, 4-5-6 and 7-8-9 all in a single suit. 2 han closed, 1 han open. The same-suit cousin to sanshoku-doujun — vertical inside one suit versus sanshoku's horizontal three-suit spread, and the two cannot coexist.
Chinitsu (Full Flush)
6 HanA hand made entirely of one numbered suit. 6 han closed, 5 han open — the highest non-yakuman han floor in the catalogue. Common when one suit floods your hand; stacks naturally with pinfu, iipeiko or ittsu inside the same suit.