Collect one of each terminal, one of each wind and one of each dragon, then pair any of them.
That is thirteen tiles that share nothing, followed by a fourteenth that finally matches something. Nearly every other winning hand is built from sets, and this one is built by refusing to build sets, which is why it looks wrong on the rack right up until it wins.
What it scores
It pays the top of the table in all three styles.
| Style | Value |
|---|---|
| Hong Kong | a limit hand |
| Chinese Official | 88 points |
| Japanese riichi | yakuman |
We say "a limit hand" for Hong Kong rather than a number, because our sources count it in different units; the numbers are below, under Where the sources disagree. In Chinese Official it sits in the top tier of the 81 patterns at 88 points. In riichi it is a yakuman, and two of our sources double that when the hand waits on all thirteen tiles at once.
Why it has to be concealed
There is nothing in the hand to claim a discard with until the very last tile.
Claiming a discard means completing a set, and until the fourteenth tile arrives this hand has no set in it, only singles. So it is built entirely from the wall, and the sources that mention concealment all require it. The tile that finishes it may still be a discard, which is the one moment the hand touches another player's throw.
What it is confused with
The word "orphans" is attached to three different hands.
Wikipedia's article on Hong Kong scoring uses plain Orphans for a hand of ones and nines, and Mixed Orphans for All Terminals and Honors, which is worth a single faan. Neither has anything to do with this hand beyond drawing on the same tiles. Japanese sources call this one kokushi musou, and Sloper's list also gives it as Unique Wonders and Thirteen Impossible.
Where the sources disagree
Two rules around the hand vary, and we say so rather than choose.
- Robbing a concealed kong to finish it. Some rulesets allow a player to take the fourth tile out of another player's concealed kong to complete this hand. Others make it impossible, because a concealed kong sits face down. Ask before you play.
- What it pays in Hong Kong. Wikipedia's article on Hong Kong scoring gives 13 faan and notes that the Hong Kong Mahjong Association caps faan at 10; Mahjong Time's list gives 64 points. Your table's list decides.
Questions about Thirteen Orphans
What is Thirteen Orphans in mahjong?
A hand holding one of each terminal, the 1 and 9 of all three suits, one of each of the four winds, one of each of the three dragons, and a second copy of any one of those thirteen tiles. It pays the maximum in every style that recognizes it.
Does Thirteen Orphans have to be concealed?
Yes. The hand is thirteen single tiles and a pair, so there is nothing to claim a set with, and the sources that mention concealment all require it. The winning tile may still come from a discard.
Is Thirteen Orphans the same as Mixed Orphans?
No. Mixed Orphans is the name Wikipedia's article on Hong Kong scoring gives All Terminals and Honors, which is ordinary sets of ones, nines, winds and dragons and is worth very little. Thirteen Orphans is thirteen different tiles plus a duplicate, and it is a limit hand.
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 Hong Kong, Chinese Official and riichi pages, and Yellow Mountain Imports. The full list is on our mahjong hands page, and Japanese Mahjong explains what a han is worth.