Three concealed triplets 三暗刻 · san ankou
Three triplets you completed yourself, without pon — the rest of the hand can be open.
| Value | 2 han, open or closed |
|---|---|
| How often | uncommon |
The opportunity usually shows up as pairs. When your draws keep doubling up instead of linking into sequences, and two of those pairs grow into concealed triplets, called ankou 暗刻, you're in sanankou territory. The fourth set is free: you can call pon or chii for it without harm, since only the three triplets themselves have to stay concealed.
The wait decides everything. If the third triplet is still a pair at tenpai and you're on a shanpon シャンポン (two-pair) wait, a ron completes that triplet with a claimed tile, so it counts as open and sanankou is gone. The same tile by self-draw counts. Given the choice, finish all three triplets first and shape the wait around the pair or a sequence, so that ron and tsumo both score.
Stacked with toitoi it reaches 4 han before dora, and concealed triplets carry heavy fu, so these hands pay better than their han count suggests. The reflex to unlearn is calling pon on the third triplet — one call quietly downgrades the hand. And if a fourth concealed triplet is live, you're a step from suuankou.
Key points
- The three triplets must be concealed: drawn, not claimed by pon
- A triplet completed by ron does NOT count as concealed — a classic scoring trap
- One concealed triplet away from suuankou, a yakuman
Related yaku
- All triplets 対々和 — A hand of four triplets (or kans) and a pair — no sequences at all.
- Four concealed triplets 四暗刻 — Four triplets, all formed without calling.
- Three kans 三槓子 — Declare three kans in one hand — open, closed, or added, in any mix.
← All yaku · New here? Learn why every hand needs a yaku or check what this hand pays with the score calculator.