Faan is the unit used to value a winning hand in Hong Kong mahjong. You add up faan for your hand’s shape, your dragon and wind sets, your flowers, and how you won. Most games require 3 faan to win, and 13 is commonly the limit. Your group then converts faan into points, often using a table. Values vary between groups, so agree on them before you start.
A common faan table
For the shape of the hand
| Hand | Faan | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Common Hand | 1 | Every set is a chow |
| All in Triplets | 3 | Every set is a pung or kong |
| Mixed One Suit | 3 | One suit plus honors |
| All One Suit | 7 | All tiles from one suit |
| Small Dragons | 5 | Sets of two dragons, and a pair of the third |
| Great Dragons | 8 | Sets of all three dragons |
| Small Winds | 6 | Sets of three winds, and a pair of the fourth |
For dragons and winds
| Set | Faan |
|---|---|
| Pung or kong of any dragon | 1 |
| Pung or kong of your seat wind | 1 |
| Pung or kong of the round wind | 1 |
A wind that is both your seat and the round counts twice. A pair of dragons or winds does not score by itself.
For how you won and for flowers
| Reason | Faan |
|---|---|
| Drawing the winning tile yourself | 1 |
| Your own flower or season | 1 each |
| No flowers at all | 1 |
| All four flowers, or all four seasons | 2 |
Groups differ on some of these, and on which other bonuses to allow. The Wikipedia article in our sources lists more of them.
Worked examples
Example 1: Short of the minimum
- All chows: 1 faan.
- No other bonus applies.
- Total: 1 faan. At a 3-faan table, you could not declare this win.
Example 2: Exactly enough
- Pung of Green Dragons: 1 faan.
- Pung of your seat wind: 1 faan.
- Drew the tile yourself: 1 faan.
- Total: 3 faan. You can win.
Example 3: A half flush
- Mixed One Suit: 3 faan.
- Pung of Red Dragons: 1 faan.
- Total: 4 faan.
Example 4: All pungs
- All in Triplets: 3 faan.
- Total: 3 faan.
Turning faan into points
Groups then look up each faan total in a table, where the points roughly double as faan rises. The winner collects from the others, and a player who discarded the winning tile may pay more, depending on house rules. If you are new, the simplest way to play is to keep track of faan on paper. Just ask your group how they do it.
How to count, every time
- Look at the shape: chows, pungs, or one suit?
- Look for dragon sets, and winds that match your seat or the round.
- Look at your flowers and seasons.
- Add one faan if you drew the winning tile.
- Compare with your table’s minimum.
Common beginner mistakes
- Scoring a pair as a set. A pair of dragons adds no faan on this table.
- Forgetting your seat. Your seat wind changes as the deal moves.
- Not planning for the minimum. Count while you build, and not just at the end.
Quiz
Loading the Scoring Quiz…