Every tile in the hand is a 1, a 9, a wind or a dragon. No 2 through 8 appears anywhere.
It is the same ordinary shape as any other winning hand, four sets and a pair, with the whole middle of the three suits thrown away. That restriction sounds severe, and the hand looks impressive on the table, but it pays very little.
What it scores
All three styles score it, and all three pay far less for it than for the same hand without the honors.
| Style | Value |
|---|---|
| Hong Kong | 1 faan |
| Chinese Official | 32 points |
| Japanese riichi | 2 han |
One faan is the smallest unit Hong Kong scoring has, and not every table awards even that, as the last section explains. In practice the hand collects more than its name is worth, because a hand of this shape is also all triplets, which scores separately. Chinese Official puts it at 32 of a possible 88, in the middle of its table of 81 patterns. Japanese riichi gives 2 han, which is a useful hand rather than a great one.
Why it pays so little
Take the honors out and the same shape pays far more.
All Terminals pays the maximum in Hong Kong play, 64 points in Chinese Official, and a yakuman in riichi, which is the ceiling. The only difference between the two hands is whether winds and dragons are allowed in. Letting them in adds seven more kinds of tile to draw from, and the value drops sharply.
That is the useful thing to know at the table. If your hand is running to ones and nines, claiming a wind or a dragon into it is what turns one of the great hands into a cheap one, so decide which you are building before you call.
The name, and the confusion around it
Wikipedia's article on Hong Kong scoring calls this hand Mixed Orphans, and the word "orphans" means different hands in different lists.
That name comes from the Chinese 花幺九, and the list it appears in uses plain Orphans for the terminals-only hand above. Everyone else calls this one All Terminals and Honors, and reserves the word "orphans" for Thirteen Orphans, which is a different hand entirely and worth the limit.
So "orphans" can mean three separate things depending on whose list you are reading. We use All Terminals and Honors as the title here because every other source we read uses it. Japanese sources call it honroutou.
Where the sources disagree
Two points are unsettled, and the page leaves them open rather than picking a side.
- Whether pairs count. Wikipedia's Japanese list says the hand may be seven pairs instead of four sets and a pair. Sloper's list and the Hong Kong sources describe sets only.
- Whether Hong Kong scores it at all. Sloper's list and Wikipedia's give it 1 faan, though Sloper notes that some players give nothing for it, and Mahjong Time's list leaves it off entirely.
Questions about this hand
What is Mixed Orphans in mahjong?
Another name for All Terminals and Honors, used in Wikipedia's article on Hong Kong scoring: a hand made only of ones, nines, winds and dragons, with no numbered tile between 2 and 8 anywhere in it. In Hong Kong play it is worth 1 faan, though Sloper notes that some players give nothing for it.
Is Mixed Orphans the same as Thirteen Orphans?
No, and the shared word causes a lot of confusion. Thirteen Orphans is one of each terminal, wind and dragon plus a duplicate, and it is a limit hand. All Terminals and Honors is ordinary sets of those tiles, and it is one of the cheapest named hands there is.
Why is it worth so little?
Our sources give the values, not the reasons. A hand of ones and nines alone pays the limit in Hong Kong and riichi play, and 64 points in Chinese Official. Let winds and dragons in and the hand draws on thirteen kinds of tile instead of six, and the value drops to 2 han in riichi and 32 points of a possible 88 in Chinese Official.
Where this comes from
Checked against Tom Sloper's Hong Kong FAQ and his yaku list, Wikipedia on Hong Kong scoring and Japanese yaku, Mahjong Time's Chinese Official and riichi pages, and Yellow Mountain Imports. The full list of named hands is on our mahjong hands page, and Japanese Mahjong explains what a han is worth.