What is Shanten?
Shanten counts how far a hand is from tenpai (ready). At 0 shanten you are tenpai; at -1 the hand is complete.
Tenpai example (0 shanten)
Riichi-ready sample
123 Man
456 Pin
789 Sou
Pon
Pair
Shanten counts how far a hand is from tenpai (ready). At 0 shanten you are tenpai; at -1 the hand is complete.
Riichi-ready sample