Four Little Winds

What is Four Little Winds in Japanese Mahjong

Four Little Winds is a yakuman (highest-scoring hand) in Japanese Riichi Mahjong. Four Little Winds is a yakuman yaku that requires three triplets of the four wind tiles (East, South, West, North) and a pair made from the remaining wind tile. It is a challenging hand to form but extremely rewarding, often resulting in a yakuman payout. While it can be completed through open hands (via calls for pung or kong), the difficulty of collecting the necessary wind tiles and creating the correct combinations makes it one of the more rare and valuable hands in Riichi Mahjong.

How to Achieve Four Little Winds？

Three Wind Triplets: The hand must consist of three triplets (or quads) made up of the four wind tiles: East, South, West, and North. Each triplet must be one of these winds, leaving just one wind tile to be used as the pair.

One Wind Pair: The remaining wind tile (the one not included in the three triplets) must be used as the pair. This pair completes the required hand structure: four sets (three triplets of wind tiles and one other set, in this case, the pair of a wind) and one pair.

Yakuman Tier: Four Little Winds is classified as a yakuman, which means it grants the maximum points for a single hand. It’s one of the most difficult and rare yakuman hands to achieve due to the specific tile combination required.

Comparison with Big Four Winds

• Big Four Winds: This yakuman requires four triplets (or quads) of the four wind tiles, i.e., East, South, West, and North—without needing a pair. It is a higher-value yakuman compared to Four Little Winds, as it uses all four triplets, not just three.
• Four Little Winds: Requires three wind triplets plus a pair of the remaining wind tile, making it a bit more achievable than Big Four Winds but still a rare and challenging hand to complete.

What is the Strategy and Risk of Four Little Winds?

High-Value Target: Four Little Winds is a very valuable hand that can end the game with a yakuman payout. Completing the three wind triplets and having the final pair tile is difficult but rewarding.

Can Be Opened: Unlike some other yakuman hands that require a fully concealed hand (closed hand), Four Little Winds can be open. You are free to call pung or kong (meld) from your opponents to form the triplets of the winds, as long as you meet the conditions of the hand.

Opponent Defense: Since Four Little Winds is a yakuman, players will likely become wary if they notice you collecting wind tiles. Opponents may withhold the winds you need or avoid discarding them, so completing this hand may require quick and careful drawing or favorable discards from other players.

Synergies with Other Yaku

• Yakuhai: If you also have your seat wind or the round wind as one of your triplets, you can gain additional han for Yakuhai.
• Dora: If you happen to have a dora tile, that could add even more points to your yakuman hand.

Rarity and Difficulty: Four Little Winds is a rare hand because it requires the collection of three triplets of wind tiles and a specific wind tile pair. Even though it can be opened, it still demands favorable tile draws and can be difficult to complete in a competitive game.