Nine Gates

What is Nine Gates in Japanese Mahjong

Nine Gates is a yakuman yaku where the hand must consist entirely of tiles from one suit. It requires three 1s and three 9s, forming two triplets.These form two triplets. The remaining tiles must include one copy of each tile from 2 to 8 (i.e., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, one of each). It is one of the rarest and most difficult hands to complete in Riichi Mahjong, requiring a highly specific combination of tiles. Nine Gates is extremely prestigious and highly valued for its rarity and the luck required to draw the right tiles. Completing this hand grants yakuman points, the maximum possible points in the game, making it a coveted and respected achievement in the Mahjong community.

How to Achieve Nine Gates？

Closed Hand Status: The hand must remain in an unmelded state (no Chow, Pung, or Kong). It must consist entirely of tiles drawn by the player themselves. If the hand contains any melds (such as Kong, Chow, or Pung), it does not meet the requirements for the Nine Gates.

Pure One Suit: The hand must consist entirely of tiles from a single suit (Man, Pin, or Sou). No tiles from other suits or honors (wind or dragon tiles) are allowed.

Specific Hand Structure:

• The hand must include one set of 1s (three copies of the tile) and one set of 9s (three copies of the tile). These form two triplets.
• The remaining tiles must include one copy of each tile from 2 to 8 (i.e., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, one of each).
• Finally, add one duplicate tile to form the pair. This duplicate can be any tile already present in the hand, from 1 to 9.

What is the Strategy and Risk of Nine Gates?

Very Rare Hand: Nine Gates is one of the rarest hands to complete because it requires a very specific combination of terminal tiles and a complete sequence. Achieving this hand requires both luck and patience. Since the sequence of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 must come from the same suit, it is rare to draw the right tiles in a single game.

Luck and Patience: Nine Gates requires luck to draw the necessary terminal tiles and to complete the sequence from a single suit. The difficulty comes from having to complete the entire 9-tile sequence (1 through 9) from a single suit, which is very rare to happen.

No Melding from Other Players: Nine Gates must be a concealed hand. This means you cannot call tiles from other players (no pung, chow, or kong), and all the tiles must be self-drawn. The only exception is the pair, which can be completed by either self-drawing or calling from an opponent’s discard.

Patience and Wait: Given the nature of the hand, the player will likely be waiting for the last pieces of the hand to form. Nine Gates typically requires a long wait to complete, as one specific sequence (1–9) needs to be drawn.