Wait Types
Last updated: 2026-06-18At tenpai (shanten 0) you judge wait quality. Same tenpai can differ in win rate, fu, and defense—final step of tile efficiency.
Ryanmen (Two-sided)
Adjacent waits are high-rate and among the best shapes.
Waits on 4m, 5m, 6m, 7m. Central 4567 taatsu mixes ryanmen and kanchan—good for labeling practice.
Kanchan and Penchan
- Kanchan — e.g. 1m-3m waiting on 2m only
- Penchan — edge waits like 1m-2m on 3m or 8m-9m on 7m
Tanki and Shanpon
- Tanki — single tile; lower rate, may add fu
- Shanpon — two pair waits; watch tiles left
Seven-tile example
Waits on 2m, 5m, 8m—compact teaching shape for ryanmen / penchan ideas.
Choosing Waits
When building tenpai via discard, weigh:
- Number of wait types
- Tiles remaining
- Fu impact (penchan / tanki often +2 fu)
- Opponents’ discards
Distance to tenpai: Shanten. Discards: Discard Strategy.