Basic rules
Yaku: No Yaku, No Win
A riichi mahjong hand cannot win without a yaku. Learn the five easiest ones, then look up the full list.
Why you need a yaku
A yaku is a condition that lets a hand win, such as "only tiles 2 to 8" or "a triplet of dragons". The rule in riichi mahjong is: a hand with the winning shape also needs at least one yaku before it can win.
Dora, red fives and ura dora add han but are not yaku. When the game shows No yaku, it is warning you that your hand cannot win right now.
Each yaku is worth some han. More han means more points, and a hand can have several yaku whose han add up. Scoring is covered in Scoring.
Start with these five
Riichi (1 han, closed only): declared when your closed hand is in tenpai. The most universal yaku: as long as you have not called and you are in tenpai, you always have a yaku.
Tanyao, all simples (1 han): the whole hand uses only numbered tiles 2 to 8, no 1s, 9s or honors. It also counts with calls under the default rules (kuitan).
Yakuhai, value tiles (1 han per set): a triplet of White, Green or Red dragons, of your own seat wind, or of the round wind. A dealer who pons East in the East round gets both seat and round wind: 2 han.
Menzen tsumo, closed self-draw (1 han, closed only): you have not called and you win by tsumo.
Pinfu (1 han, closed only): all four sets are runs, the pair is not a value tile, and the wait is two-sided. It often comes along with riichi.
Combinations that work
- Closed hand: declare riichi as soon as you are in tenpai, and add menzen tsumo if you draw the winner. Steady and the best choice for beginners.
- If you want to call: first make sure you have a value-tile triplet, or that the whole hand is 2 to 8 (tanyao).
- Lots of one suit: aim for half flush (one suit plus honors) or full flush (one suit only). Both are worth many han.
Full yaku list
Han values are shown as "closed / open"; "—" means the yaku requires a closed hand. You can also check it any time in game with the "Yaku" button.
| Closed / Open | |
|---|---|
| RiichiDeclare with a closed ready hand and put up 1,000 points. | 1 / — |
| Menzen tsumoWin on your own draw with a closed hand. | 1 / — |
| PinfuFour runs, a non-value pair and a two-sided wait, closed. | 1 / — |
| TanyaoOnly tiles 2 to 8, no terminals or honors. | 1 / 1 |
| YakuhaiA triplet of dragons, your seat wind or the round wind. | 1 / 1 |
| IipeikouTwo identical runs in the same suit, closed. | 1 / — |
| IppatsuWin within one go-around after riichi, with no calls in between. | 1 / — |
| Rinshan kaihouWin on the replacement tile after a kan. | 1 / 1 |
| ChankanRon on the tile another player adds to a pon to make a kan. | 1 / 1 |
| Haitei raoyueWin by Tsumo on the last tile of the wall. | 1 / 1 |
| Houtei raoyuiWin by Ron on the last discard of the hand. | 1 / 1 |
| Double riichiRiichi on your very first discard, before any call. | 2 / — |
| ChiitoitsuSeven different pairs. | 2 / — |
| Sanshoku doujunThe same run in all three suits. | 2 / 1 |
| Ittsu1-2-3, 4-5-6 and 7-8-9 in one suit. | 2 / 1 |
| ToitoiFour triplets (or kans) and a pair. | 2 / 2 |
| ChantaEvery set and the pair contain a terminal or honor. | 2 / 1 |
| SanankouThree concealed triplets. | 2 / 2 |
| Sanshoku doukouThe same triplet in all three suits. | 2 / 2 |
| SankantsuThree kans. | 2 / 2 |
| HonroutouOnly terminals and honors. | 2 / 2 |
| ShousangenTwo dragon triplets and a dragon pair. | 2 / 2 |
| HonitsuOne suit plus honors. | 3 / 2 |
| JunchanEvery set and the pair contain a terminal; no honors. | 3 / 2 |
| RyanpeikouTwo different pairs of identical runs, closed. | 3 / — |
| ChinitsuOnly one suit. | 6 / 5 |
| Yakuman | |
| Kokushi musouOne of each terminal and honor, plus one more of any of them. | Yakuman |
| SuuankouFour concealed triplets. | Yakuman |
| DaisangenTriplets of all three dragons. | Yakuman |
| ShousuushiiThree wind triplets and a wind pair. | Yakuman |
| DaisuushiiTriplets of all four winds. | Yakuman |
| TsuuiisouOnly honor tiles. | Yakuman |
| ChinroutouOnly terminals (1 and 9). | Yakuman |
| RyuuiisouOnly green tiles: 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 of bamboo and the green dragon. | Yakuman |
| Chuuren poutou1-1-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-9-9 of one suit plus any tile of that suit, closed. | Yakuman |
| SuukantsuFour kans. | Yakuman |
| TenhouThe dealer wins with the starting hand. | Yakuman |
| ChiihouA non-dealer wins on the first draw, before any call. | Yakuman |