Hong Kong Mahjong with my Mother-in-Law: Part 6: High-Scoring Winning Hands (first part)

Hi there!
It's been a very long time since I've uploaded a how-to-play Hong Kong mahjong video, so I thought it was time to up my game and post a video about high-scoring winning hands and also the three-point hand.
In this video, you'll learn the following seven winning hands:
1) Sahp sāam yīu (13 orphans)
2) Yīu gāu (orphans)
3) Daaih sāam yùhn (great dragons) / Síu sāam yùhn (small dragons)
4) Gáu jí lìhn wàahn (nine gates)
5) Chīng yāt sīk (all one suit)
6) Wahn yāt sīk (mixed suit)
7) Sāam fāan hand (3-point hand)
As mentioned in the video, I'll do a second part that will include more of the high-winning hands and also lower-scoring hands (under 3 fāan).
I'm also wanting to do a scoring video, but I'll wait until I get back to Hong Kong and can record again with my mother-in-law. :)
Until then, I hope you're staying safe and healthy during these times of COVID-19 and I hope you may have some extra time when you can learn/play mahjong and learn/practice Cantonese.
If you'd like to learn more Cantonese, check out my "Let's Talk Cantonese" playlist. If you're wanting more structured classes in learning Traditional Characters in Cantonese Pronunciation, join me over at www.cantolingo.com.
As always, please do like the video and subscribe, and also follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ cantonesecorner. I appreciate all your support!
Happy learning!
Sue Marguerite
PS. Did you like the out-take at the end? :D Let me know in the comments!
PPS. Remember to follow me on IG and FB: @cantonesecorner
PPPS. And yes! Learn more Cantonese with me and open new windows into Cantonese culture by taking my Traditional Characters in Cantonese Pronunciation courses over at www.cantolingo.com.
Learn traditional Standard Written Chinese characters, their Cantonese equivalent (if any), the radicals, proper stroke order, and much more! Classes are on-going and combine online self-study with Zoom sessions. This is a university-level course based on materials from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and is effective and fun!

[@CantoneseCorner]

Hi everyone! I've started including outtakes and bloopers at the end of my videos ... just putting it out there in case you stop watching before the end ... just a bit of fun and I hope you like them! Like this comment and I'll keep doing it (I have MANY outtakes and bloopers haha)

[@serenityann778]

Thank you for educational video! When I watch Chinese dramas from TVB, I always hear “13 you” and I learned to play the more simpler mahjong (3 suits and a pair). Now, I finally know what a “13 you” is.

[@gossipqueen2101]

Sue, you can do both: teach English speaking people speak Cantonese, and teach Hong Kong people how to speak English. Wow, you have nice voice and are a very good speaker. Great teacher.. teach English to hong kong people or vice versa

[@CantoneseCorner]

Thank you so much!! I know there are some who watch to learn English which makes me really happy. 😊

[@superhappyfunjoy]

Thank you! You’re so clear at explaining - looking forward to part 2 soon! Stay safe and come back to HK when you can.

[@CantoneseCorner]

Thank YOU! Yes, I need to do Part 2 😅 I have such good intentions and so little time. But I'm back in Hong Kong now, so I will have to get on the stick and do it! :)

[@greys7734]

Hi, thanks for making these videos, it's so good to relearn this game. I look forward to more Mahjong videos, your Mahjong playlist has been so helpfu!

[@CantoneseCorner]

Hi Grey! I'm soooo glad to hear it!! Sorry it took awhile to reply - and I hope you like my latest video which I'm premiering shortly on my channel. Thanks again, and glad to hear you're relearning the game. Happy playing!! :)

[@michellen582]

It's been a while since I played Mahjong and I'm a relative newbie so this video was super useful to learn more winning hands! Can't wait for part 2! 😊

[@CantoneseCorner]

I'm so glad! Knowing these special high-scoring hands really opens the game up, and it's such a sense of accomplishment when it all goes right and you actually can win with one of them. :) Happy playing!

[@miltonincsw]

This is such a wholesome video :) I've learned Mahjong since I was 16 but I still suck at tallying up hands/ scores; this series has undoubtedly helped me! Thank you so much Sue! Love your interview with 果籽, I came over to subscribe as soon as I finished the video! :D

[@CantoneseCorner]

Thanks, Milton! I'm sorry it took awhile to reply - I'm only just now catching up on comments and am posting another video as a premiere in about 15 minutes, so I hope you enjoy that one, too. I'm so glad this series with my mother-in-law is helping and thank you so much for subscribing!! Keep on playing!! 🀄️🇭🇰🍎

[@Noneofurbeeswax585]

I am just learning and anxiously awaiting part 2 of this video 😄 thank you for explaining so well!!

[@CantoneseCorner]

Hi there and thank you!! Yes, I need to post part 2 😅 It's been WAY too long ... back in HK now. Maybe I could get my mother-in-law to join me!

[@fernlow4235]

Thank you for this video, as a Chinese in the UK, both cantonese and english is perfect for me. This is a revision for me, as I have not played for 20 years. But I got a game this saturday.

[@markmh835]

I wish I had learned Mahjong when I was young(er). I started getting interested only when I watched the Mahjong scene in "Crazy Rich Asians"-- over and over again to see what the ladies were doing.

[@CantoneseCorner]

That scene is one of my absolute favorites because it is amazing how much symbolism and information is included in that one scene. I am in awe of the screenwriter and director ... and the actors, of course! Can't wait for the CRA sequel!

[@CantoneseCorner]

And I have to add of course: It's never too late to learn! :)

[@starbeing1187uk]

me too i seen it on crazy rich Asian's

[@jordanjennings1375]

Great video! Still learning the scoring method for Honk Kong Mahjong, so this was helpful.

[@CantoneseCorner]

Sorry for only seeing this now - a YEAR later! 😱 I'm so glad it's helped you! Still hope to get a scoring video up. Now that I'm back in HK, it'll be easier to get help from my mother-in-law. Don't feel confident doing a scoring video on my own :)

[@diva3713]

thank yet again for another amazing video！i learned so much！and the bloopers were really cute and funny 😊

[@CantoneseCorner]

Hi there! I'm so glad you liked it and the bloopers, too :) Hope all has been well with you!

[@lourdesbrown7283]

Thanks for your tips. I have been playing mahjong since I was a kid. I really like your mahjong set, it's brown and shinny.

[@CantoneseCorner]

Thanks!! I love it too. A very good friend gave it to me. :)

[@368chen]

This was so informative. I love playing mahjong and I have only won the 13 yiu only once in all my years of playing.

[@ChasingForever]

I just learned this version of Mahjong. It is so much fun! Love it.

[@CantoneseCorner]

Me too! (obviously :) 😍

[@richardlam8919]

Thank you👍😁

[@CantoneseCorner]

You're welcome! :)

[@AT-uf5uw]

I love that you speak Cantonese 👏👏👏

[@MystiqWisdom]

Waiting for part 7!

[@sianke1991]

So this is how the scoring elements are called in Hong Kong. 十三幺, 大三元...

[@snowdenchan8882]

I'm here to learn how to play mahjong (as a Cantonese speaker) haha~ Thanks a lot for making this video. :)

[@CantoneseCorner]

I'm so glad!! Mahjong is great! I see it's been six months since you commented .... so sorry for my late reply and I'm wondering how's your mahjong going? :)

[@tinhchung3543]

Like this video, cuz now I know some kinds of winning hand in this game which I've seen in the movie. Thank you, a friend from Vietnam!

[@judybatchelor1650]

Hopefully we will get to this stage

[@4amfilms]

Brilliant! I didn't know any of this lingo...

[@CantoneseCorner]

Hi Liam! Hope you and the family have been well. So happy I can help! :)

[@kennyg-888]

Thanks for translating the meaning of each winning hand. As a bbc (British Born Chinese) I knew what they were called but didn’t know what they meant!

[@CantoneseCorner]

You're welcome!! Sorry I'm just seeing your comment now. Hope you've been playing lots of mahjong this past year!

[@tukying4217]

it's very complicated, not all Chinese likes it or knows how to play. Taiwan mahjong is the most interesting type of mahjong as I heard from friends. thanks for your sharing and surprised to hear your very native Cantonese! all the best : )

[@CantoneseCorner]

Thanks so much!! Hmmm... I'll have to learn Taiwan mahjong. I really only have ever played in Hong Kong, so will have to find someone to teach me. :)

[@circiter2411]

Hey there, Cantonese Corner! Thanks a lot for continuing to advance your MJ video series, even when stuck in the US lockdown. I have enjoyed every video in your MJ with My Mother in Law series. I noticed that (probably because you are in the US) you are using a new set of tiles. Do you mind commenting on it? Where did you get it. (Is it available in the US?) What are the characters on the back of the tiles? It looks like a Taiwanese set to me, but what do I know! But wait... is that the New York Yankees logo on your pusher ruler??

[@CantoneseCorner]

I'm so sorry to have missed your comment!! I'm back in HK now and getting ready to do more videos and sure! I'd love to do one about my brown set, but now that I'm in HK and it isn't, it will be hard to do! Yes, you're right!! It IS a NY Yankee set from when they won the world series. My friend hand carried it back from Taiwan (it's HEAVY!) and I love it. The tiles are a bit smaller than my green set (is that typical of Taiwan sets?) but otherwise, I love it. Thanks for commenting and liking the other videos. More to come!! :)

[@circiter2411]

@@CantoneseCorner Oh, thanks so much for responding to my comment. I could tell it was a Taiwanese set mainly because of the design and fonts. But, yes! Tiles in Taiwan run between 3.2 and 3.7 cm long (funnily enough, many are made in Guangdong). Sets made for the Mainland market, instead, hover between 3.7 and 4.2 cm long. (Japanese tiles stay between 2.6 and 3.2 cm in average--even smaller than those from Taiwan--which creates a trend among island nations towards smaller sets.) I hope you found your friends and Mother in Law in good health, after all this past, crazy, crazy year... and that all is well. Here's looking forward to many more MJ videos. I have started also watching your Cantonese videos... you make it much less intimidating than it used to be for me!

[@jech6928]

Thanks for your videos. I’m looking forward to the next lesson as it’s another person’s video for your part 7. p.s. I have the same set in pink you played with you mom-in-law (old tin box has disappeared)

[@CantoneseCorner]

Ahhhh!!! I'm sorry I didn't catch your comment earlier and can't believe it's been a year since I posted this video! 🤯 I'm curious to know which video comes up as part 7 ... and I think I need to change my title as I don't think I labelled it as part 7. I love that you have the same set but in pink -- how pretty!! 💖 I bought a sea-green set to teach people on right before I left HK last month and I love it! I mean, I love my traditional green set and old tin box but the non-traditional colours are so pretty.

[@tszwahyeung1410]

Win is good. Mahjong is also one of the best way for chatting 是非(juicy news) :)

[@CantoneseCorner]

Hi there, Tszwah! I've heard playing mahjong is so good for keeping the mind active as one gets older, and I'm sure the sih fēi (是非) has a lot to do with that! LOL Take care and happy playing (and gossiping! :)

[@kjlvirgo]

I am checking you out too.😉

[@fernlow4235]

13 orphans, I won on this method once in 20 years ago.

[@ac9669]

Stay healthy n safe

[@CantoneseCorner]

Thank you so much and sorry for such a late reply! I'm back in HK now and all is safe and well. Same to you! Hope all has been well.

[@ac9669]

@@CantoneseCorner welcome back

[@i800253]

Really enjoyed watching your Mahjong videos. Your mahjong set in this video is very nice. We bought a set from SF Chinatown and also searched online but don’t see a set this beautiful. Wondering if this set is online? Second question is regarding a specific hand our family always argue over. It is a hand of chows with mixed suites and a ping of wind tiles that is not the good wind of the position nor round. Is this consider still scored like all chows hand or a chicken hand? Thank you in advance and keep up the great work.

[@CantoneseCorner]

Hi and thank you!! This was a set my friend bought for me in Taiwan. I think you can find it online -- it was a special New York Yankees World Series winning set -- and I've seen some on ebay if you're a Yankees fan! :) Regarding the scoring of the hand .... I consulted my mother-in-law and my husband and they say it is a chicken hand and you cannot win with it UNLESS of course you are playing 1 fāan to win and you pick the winning tile from the wall yourself and/or have your own flower(s). But if you're playing 3 fāan to win then no way can you win with this hand I suppose unless you have 2 winning flowers AND you pick the winning tile yourself from the wall, so a total of 3 points. But wow, that would be unusual to have all of that go in your favour. Might as well ditch the east wind and try for another meld of chows! :) I hope that helps and apologies for not getting back to you sooner! Happy playing!! :)

[@aaronlduff]

just commenting to help with the algorithim! gaa yau

[@CantoneseCorner]

Thank you!! 🙏 I appreciate it! :)

[@aaronlduff]

@@CantoneseCorner you're welcome! the pool of cantonese creators/teachers online isn't that big, so i hope your channel grows :)

[@Vanilla2903]

Thank you! I only knew of the command hand, chicken hand, mixed and pure one suit and all triplets before your video. For thirteen orphans, can you win if you have two of a tile and one of 11 tiles? (Say you have two green dragons, one of everything else but a red dragon. Can you win on a red dragon self-draw/discard?)

[@CantoneseCorner]

Hi there! You're welcome and sorry for my late reply! I'm glad the video can help. The wikipedia page is brilliant when you need to refer to the hands, but sometimes it's hard to know how it all works just from the picture. And yes! You must have a pair of any one of the tiles, so definitely if you have two green dragons and one of everything else except the red dragon, you would have a total of 13 tiles in your hand ready to win (i.e. one of each of the 4 winds, 3 pairs of 1s and 9s (total 6) 2 green dragons, 1 white dragon) and the fourteenth winning tile would be your self-draw or discarded red dragon. That's usually how it goes ... you almost always get a pair in your hand first and then your winning tile is the missing one tile that you need. :) I hope that helps! Happy playing!

[@bw2082]

What about kong all honors and east wind (while you are east) and a pair of any other wind?

[@416swd]

哈哈😄👍👍👍💪💪💪💪

[@jimmysell359]

我用你嘅channel反向学英文！哈哈～很喜欢听你讲英文！

[@CantoneseCorner]

That's so cool! Glad to know my videos are being used to help you learn English. :)

[@nabhatthurakitseree3729]

I really your mahjong!!!! Where did you buy it?

[@CantoneseCorner]

Hi there! I was given this New York Yankees set by a good friend who brought it back from Taiwan. I've seen it on eBay -- if you google New York Yankees mahjong you should be able to find it! I love it, too! The only thing I wish were different were that it were in Yankee blue instead of brown, but other than that, it's a lot of fun to play with! :)

[@spiderpp7808]

Do you have part two?

[@liverpix]

I noticed you had 5,7,6 bamboo at 14:01. Was that a blooper/outtake ?

[@eatham2261]

When I play mahjong with my family we normally don’t care what order the tiles are in, just as long as we have the right tiles to win, but it definitely would make it easier to remember what you are trying to do when they are in order.

[@circiter2411]

The order of the tiles is irrelevant. If you have the 3 tiles that can be ordered in succession, you do not need to order them to win. Advanced players do not order their tiles to prevent others from concluding what tiles they might have in their hands.

[@CantoneseCorner]

I agree wholeheartedly with what @eatham and @circiter say, HOWEVER ... in my case it WAS an outtake/blooper because I usually always keep mine in order LOL My father-in-law plays very much like a pro with his tiles all mixed up until he lays them out an then rearranges them for all to see. It's frustrating to watch him play (If I'm observing) because I can't see the suits/runs/etc. when the tiles are all mixed up, but of course he can. I'll have to play a LOT more mahjong before I can get to that level! :)

[@Bevis888]

I am a Hong Konger, but I don't know that also😅

[@CantoneseCorner]

Glad I could help shed some light! :) Happy playing! :)

[@carnagevenom9947]

How to keep score in mahjong?

[@CantoneseCorner]

Ah! I'll have to do a video on that after I do the part 7 second hands video :)

[@maipowdrill4733]

,!

[@ccuuttww]

All about mahjong is just 鬆章 can u explain what is 鬆章 lol And never play with women if u are a little guy they always play a game called 三娘教子 actually it is cheating

[@ritaschoch4073]

Hi, thanks for good content. Please,however, know that you are speaking to an English speaking audience and not including the English terms when referring to a hand makes it difficult to follow. To my ears, the Chinese terms are mostly indistinguishable from each other so I’m constantly needing to try to grasp meaning from context making this experience less enjoyable.

[@CantoneseCorner]

Hi Rita! Thanks so much for the feedback, I appreciate it! I admit I didn't even know the English terms when we first started doing these videos, and didn't recognise the need to include them as the mahjong videos were an extension to the Cantonese learning videos I do, so the idea was to get Cantonese learners to learn mahjong in Cantonese. But now I'm realising that the reach of the mahjong videos is much greater than the language learning videos, plus I'm teaching friends now in the US and so have learned myself to use "dragons" "winds" "bams" "cracs" and "dots/circles". (The biggest surprise to me was hearing some refer to the baahk baan as "soap" which makes sense when you look at it, but will always make me smile. :) I'll have a think at how I can modify the original earlier videos or else I'll just do videos in future just speaking English and using English names. I hope you'll catch the premiere of my latest video with my mother-in-law ... this one I know will have that problem, so I hope by being online and chatting while the video is playing I can catch the places that need more explanation. May I ask if where you are there is a big Hong Kong mahjong-playing community? I'm working on starting a community where I am, so just wondering! :)

[@ritaschoch4073]

@@CantoneseCorner Hi, thanks for the reply. I am in California, and a group of friends have started playing mahjong. I'm the one with the most experience, having learned Mahjong as a kid while living with my family in Japan. The only other person (Rachel) in our group with experience knows "Mandarin." Teaching the novices how to make hands, etc. is easy, but Rachel and I are struggling with how to handle scoring. It seems that what I learned in Japan is different than what she knows. Aagh! SO i'm just watching different videos to figure this all out. To your point about how to modify your older videos, I think simple captioning would be best. In this particular video, toward the end, I think you refer multiple times to the 13-orphan hand . So each time you say the chinese phrase, just flash "13-orphan" on the screen. Thanks!

[@CantoneseCorner]

@@ritaschoch4073 Interesting! I feel your pain as I too am struggling to figure out how to explain HK mahjong to those who may know another way or feel that the only way to play in the US is the American way with jokers and a card they need to match. Which is so weird to me!! So I decided to stick with HK mahjong ONLY and if they want to play another way, then that's fine, but I can't teach what I don't know. :) Regarding scoring .... in Hong Kong mahjong it's very easy (kind of :) The wikipedia page is actually really good at explaining it. And you can just make up your own way to score -- for example if playing the 3-point minimum to win then it would be: 3 points for the suit that you must have to win, 3 extra points if that suit is all ponged (total 6 points), 4 extra points if there are no specials (i.e. 7 points for a hand that is all one suit of mixed pong and runs), 1 extra point for a set of three specials or correct seat wind or correct round wind (so total of 4 points if your 3-point winning hand has the required suit and also three red dragons). Then any of the high-scoring hands not based on a suit are the maximum you decide to play for, usually 8 points/faan. So you don't even have to count, you just know that if you get 13 orphans, you automatically have 8 points. What gets complicated is translating how much to pay based on points. We usually keep a little chart with the numbers LOL (and you can see the chart on the wikipedia page) I hope that helps! :)

[@ritaschoch4073]

@@CantoneseCorner Hey, thanks, that helps. I think what Rachel and I were thinking to do is to have everyone throw in $10 into the kitty at start of game, then keep score, and at end of night, person with highest score get the kitty (or go home with $30 plus the $10 you started with). I was overcomplicated the counting of faans....and by taking away the pressure of what is 3-faan hand game worth, vs a 5-fann hand, it feels more manageable.