User Guide
Last updated: 2026-10-18
Introduction
This tool helps mahjong enthusiasts improve their tile efficiency judgment through various training modes, progressively mastering core concepts like tenpai, discard decisions, shanten calculation, and yaku recognition.
Why Training?
Tile efficiency is fundamental to mahjong skills. Systematic training helps improve reading speed, optimize discard choices, and enhance actual gameplay performance.
General Settings
Before starting training, you can adjust the following parameters:
Tile Count
Choose between 13-tile or 14-tile modes depending on the training type.
Difficulty Level
From easy to hard, different difficulties affect hand complexity.
Timer
Set time limits for answering to simulate real-game pressure.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Daily Challenge
Daily Challenge is the habit loop: everyone gets the same UTC-day set (5 tenpai + 5 discard). Play anonymously; sign in to join the day leaderboard and credit your training streak. Full rules: Daily Challenge.
Play today’s challenge
5 tenpai + 5 discard — compare correct answers and time worldwide.Open Daily ChallengeTenpai Training
Tenpai training helps you quickly identify ready hands and waiting tiles. This is the foundation of tile efficiency training.
Start Tenpai Training →
Training Steps
- System randomly generates a 13-tile ready hand
- Observe the hand and identify waiting tiles
- Click or use keyboard shortcuts to select waiting tiles
- Submit answer to view results
Example Hands
The drill grades every winning tile. Shape names are on Wait Types. Each hand below is shanten 0.
Shanten 0. Waits 4m×4 and 7m×4: 2 kinds, 8 copies. Sequences 123p, 456p, and 789p, pair 88s, and 56m. 56m is a ryanmen, and neither wait is already in the hand.
Shanten 0. Waits 9s×3: 1 kind, 3 copies. Triplets 111m, 222m, and 333m, sequence 123s, and a single 9s. The tanki already holds one 9s.
Shanten 0. Waits 1s×4, 4s×3, and 7s×4: 3 kinds, 11 copies. Sequences 123m and 123p, pair 99m, and 23456s. 4s is ×3 because one copy is held.
💡 Training Tips
- Start with easy difficulty to familiarize yourself with common ready hand patterns
- Learn to distinguish between two-sided, single, and multi-sided waits
- Gradually increase difficulty to challenge complex hands
- Practice improves recognition speed for better in-game decisions
Heqie Training
Heqie training helps you learn optimal discard selection with 14 tiles. This is one of the most commonly used skills in actual gameplay.
Start Heqie Training →
Training Steps
- System generates 14 tiles
- Analyze the hand to find the best discard
- Select the tile to discard
- View correct answer and explanation
Example Hands
Rank every cut by lower shanten, then more copies, then more kinds. That ladder is tile efficiency. A tie on all three keys is Discard Strategy.
Best cut 1s. The 13 is shanten 0, 2 kinds, 6 copies: 1m×3 and 4m×3. 1234m is a nobetan, and each end is already held once. Cutting 1m or 4m is also shanten 0, with 1 kind and 3 copies (1s×3). Cutting 1p or 9p is shanten 1, 19 copies, 6 kinds.
Best cut 1p. The 13 is shanten 0, 3 kinds, 11 copies: 1s×4, 4s×3, and 7s×4. Sequences 789m and 456p, pair 99m, and 23456s. 4s is ×3 because one copy is held. Cutting 2s stays at shanten 1 with 44 copies and 13 kinds.
Best cut 5s. The 13 is shanten 0, 2 kinds, 7 copies: 3s×3 and 6s×4. The wait is ryanmen 45s, and 3s is ×3 because 123s already holds one. Cutting 1s or 4s is shanten 0, 2 kinds, 4 copies: 9p×2 and 5s×2, a shanpon on the two pairs.
💡 Training Tips
- Focus on which tile is least beneficial for future draws, prioritize discarding isolated and edge tiles
- Analyze shanten changes after discard, choose the option that minimizes shanten
- Keep taatsu that can form multi-sided waits
- In actual gameplay, also consider safe tiles and reading opponents
One Shanten Training
One shanten training helps you identify hands one step away from tenpai and find all effective tiles that can make the hand ready.
Start One Shanten Training →
Training Steps
- Observe 13 tiles
- Identify effective tiles (tiles that can make the hand ready)
- Select all effective tiles
- Submit answer
Example Hands
One accepting draw reaches tenpai. The list is Counting Effective Tiles. The distance is on One-Shanten Discard.
Shanten 1. 9 kinds, 23 copies: 1p×4, 2p×2, 3p×2, 4p×3, 5p×2, 6p×3, 7p×2, 8p×4, 9p×1. Every pin drops the number. 9p is ×1 because the hand already holds three.
Shanten 1. 6 kinds, 20 copies: 1m×3, 2m×3, 3m×4, 1p×3, 2p×3, 3p×4. Sequences 123s, 456s, and 789s, plus 12m and 12p. 3m and 3p are ×4 because neither is held.
Shanten 1. 6 kinds, 20 copies: 1m×3, 2m×3, 3m×4, 1p×3, 2p×4, 3p×3. Sequences 123s, 456s, and 789s, plus 12m and 13p. 2p is ×4 because the kanchan does not hold it. The copy total matches the two-ryanmen hand above.
💡 Training Tips
- First analyze what taatsu or pair is missing, then deduce effective tiles
- Don't miss any possible effective tiles
- Practice improves recognition speed and accuracy
- Understanding effective tiles helps make better decisions in actual gameplay
Shanten Calculation
Practice quickly calculating shanten numbers. Shanten is an important indicator of hand quality - lower shanten means closer to winning.
Start Shanten Training →
Training Steps
- Observe the hand
- Calculate how many steps away from tenpai
- Enter the shanten number
- View answer
Example Hands
The drill grades the integer. A longer list can still be the larger number. The ruler is How to Count Shanten.
Shanten 2. 16 kinds, 53 copies.
Shanten 1. 6 kinds, 20 copies: 1m×3, 2m×3, 3m×4, 1p×3, 2p×3, 3p×4. Sequences 123s, 456s, and 789s, plus 12m and 12p.
Shanten 0. Waits 4m×4 and 7m×4: 2 kinds, 8 copies. Sequences 123p, 456p, and 789p, pair 88s, and ryanmen 56m.
Shanten 3. 18 kinds, 62 copies. The hand holds a triplet of 1m, and 1m is not an accept. The sort takes the shanten 2 hand above, 53 copies, ahead of these 62 copies.
💡 Training Tips
- Remember standard winning form needs 4 sets + 1 pair, add one shanten for each missing taatsu
- Quickly identify existing taatsu, triplets, and pairs in the hand
- Calculate how many effective draws are needed to reach tenpai
- Practice improves calculation speed and accuracy
One Shanten Discard Training
In one shanten state, choose optimal discard to retain maximum effective tiles. This is advanced tile efficiency training.
Start One Shanten Discard Training →
Training Steps
- Confirm hand is in one shanten
- Analyze effective tile count after discarding each tile
- Choose the discard option with most effective tiles
- Submit answer
Example Hands
On 14 tiles the sort is lower shanten, then more copies, then more kinds. The worked version is One-Shanten Discard.
Best cuts 1m, 4m, and 1s. Each leaves shanten 2, 31 copies, and 11 kinds. Cutting 8s is shanten 2, 27 copies, 10 kinds. Cutting 1p is shanten 3, 59 copies, 18 kinds.
Shanten 0. Waits 1p×2, 4p×2, and 7p×3: 3 kinds, 7 copies. The four-meld reading waits on all three. Seven pairs also waits, and only on 7p, so the list still shows 7p once. Chiitoitsu scores in 立直, as 七对 in 国标, and on 川麻 tables that include it.
Best cuts 1p and 2p. Each leaves shanten 0, 1 kind, 3 copies: cutting 1p waits 2p×3, and cutting 2p waits 1p×3. Cutting 1s or 9s stays at shanten 1 with 38 copies and 12 kinds.
💡 Training Tips
- Focus on taatsu efficiency and hand flexibility, avoid breaking multi-sided wait possibilities
- Calculate effective tile count for each discard option, choose the one with most
- Consider wait width after tenpai, prioritize multi-sided waits
- Keep taatsu that can form good shapes
Yaku Recognition Training
Yaku recognition training helps you select every hand-inherent yaku on a completed winning hand. Use it to build fast yaku reading and han counting (situational yaku and menzen tsumo are out of scope for this drill).
Start Yaku Recognition Training →
Training Steps
- Study the winning hand (melds may appear; the winning tile is highlighted)
- Check every yaku that applies from the candidate list
- Submit to see the correct set and a short explanation
- Switch among Simple / Medium / Hard and practice or timed mode
💡 Training Tips
- Decide closed vs open first, then drop yaku that require a closed hand
- Scan common 1-han yaku before compounds; do not miss yakuhai or seat/round winds
- Your selection must match the correct set exactly—extra or missing yaku counts as wrong
- Pair this drill with Counting Han, Fu Calculation Basics, and Scoring Basics
Hand Analysis Tool
Comprehensive analysis tool for any hand configuration. This is the best tool for learning and studying tile efficiency.
Use Hand Analysis Tool →
How to Use
- Input or select tiles (supports 13 or 14 tiles)
- Click analyze button
- View detailed analysis results
Analysis Modes
Thirteen tiles opens normal mode. Fourteen tiles opens cut mode and ranks every discard. The printout is the same one linked from the hands above.
Shanten 0. Waits 1p×3: 1 kind, 3 copies. Sequences 123s, 456s, 789s, and 123m, plus a single 1p.
Best cut 1s. The 13 is shanten 0, 2 kinds, 6 copies: 1m×3 and 4m×3. Cutting 1m or 4m is shanten 0 with 3 copies (1s×3). Cutting 1p or 9p is shanten 1, 19 copies, 6 kinds.
Analysis Results Include
Detailed Analysis Content
- Shanten Number: How many steps away from tenpai
- Effective Tiles: All tile types and counts that can reduce shanten
- Recommended Discard: In 14-tile mode, analyze effectiveness of each discard option
- Tenpai Information: If in tenpai, show all waiting tiles
- Hand Evaluation: Overall hand efficiency and improvement suggestions