Riichi yaku, made visible.

Find the pattern that makes your hand a winner. Start with the examples, then keep the reference beside you while you play.

Before you call a tile

A complete hand needs at least one yaku. Dora and red fives add value only after that requirement is met.

Calling chi, pon or an exposed kan opens your hand. A concealed kan keeps it closed. Ron does not itself open a hand, although a triplet completed by ron is not concealed for triplet scoring.

Start with riichi, closed self-draw, all simples and value honors. You can learn the rarer patterns as you meet them.

This guide uses Mahjong Planet's four-player Riichi rules. Open all simples is allowed. Furiten can still prevent ron even when your hand has a yaku.

Your next step

Your first yaku

Computer practice

Riichi rules

Understanding furiten

Learn the patterns with real tiles

These are complete closed hands. The separate tile shows the winning tile, already included in the hand above it. Examples illustrate individual yaku, not the total score; compatible yaku may combine.

Riichi

Closed han: 1
Open han: —

Declare a closed ready hand with a 1,000-point deposit.

Declare riichi while closed and ready, then win on one of your waits. The declaration gives the yaku; this tile pattern alone does not.

Ron

Closed self-draw

Menzen tsumo

Closed han: 1
Open han: —

Win by drawing with a closed hand.

Draw the winning tile yourself with a closed hand. Winning by ron does not give this yaku.

Tsumo

All simples (tanyao)

Tanyao

Closed han: 1
Open han: 1

Only suited ranks 2–8. Open all simples is allowed.

Every tile is between 2 and 8. Mahjong Planet allows this yaku with an open hand too.

Ron

Value honors (yakuhai)

Yakuhai

Closed han: 1 each
Open han: 1 each

A dragon, seat-wind or prevailing-wind triplet/kong. Double wind earns both.

The red-dragon triplet provides a yaku. A pair of dragons would not. A seat-wind or round-wind triplet also qualifies.

Ron

Pinfu

Closed han: 1
Open han: —

Four sequences, a non-value pair and a two-sided sequence wait.

Win on 6 circles to complete 4-5 circles: 3 circles would also complete that sequence. Four sequences alone are not enough; the pair and the two-sided wait matter.

Ron

Identical sequences (iipeikou)

Iipeikou

Closed han: 1
Open han: —

Two identical sequences in one suit.

The two 2-3-4 character sequences are identical. Keep the whole hand closed, including the other groups.

Ron

Seven pairs

Chiitoitsu

Closed han: 2
Open han: —

Seven distinct pairs; a quad does not count as two pairs.

Seven different pairs form a complete hand. Four identical tiles cannot stand in for two pairs.

Ron

All triplets (toitoi)

Toitoi

Closed han: 2
Open han: 2

Four triplets/kongs and a pair.

Four triplets and a pair, with no sequences. For this example, ron completes the character triplet.

Ron

Three concealed triplets

Sanankou

Closed han: 2
Open han: 2

Three concealed triplets/kongs. A triplet completed by ron is open for this count.

Keep all three triplets concealed. Here ron completes the sequence; a triplet completed by ron would not count as concealed.

Ron

Mixed triple sequence

Sanshoku doujun

Closed han: 2
Open han: 1

The same sequence in all three suits.

The same 2-3-4 sequence appears in characters, circles and bamboo. Opening the hand reduces this yaku by one han.

Ron

Pure straight

Ittsuu

Closed han: 2
Open han: 1

123, 456 and 789 in one suit.

The character suit contains the three separate sequences 1-2-3, 4-5-6 and 7-8-9.

Ron

Half flush

Honitsu

Closed han: 3
Open han: 2

One suit together with honors.

Circles are the only numbered suit, alongside honors. The dragon triplet also earns its own yaku.

Ron

Pure outside hand

Junchan

Closed han: 3
Open han: 2

Every group and pair contains a terminal, with at least one sequence and no honors.

Every group and the pair contains a 1 or 9. At least one group must be a sequence, and there are no honors.

Ron

Full flush

Chinitsu

Closed han: 6
Open han: 5

All tiles in one suit, without honors.

Every tile belongs to the character suit. Honors would turn this into a half flush instead.

Ron

Riichi yaku: quick reference

A complete hand needs a yaku. Dora add han but do not qualify a hand to win. A dash means the yaku is unavailable with an open hand. Han values below belong to each yaku, not the whole hand.

Yaku	Closed han	Open han	Requirement
Riichi	1	—	Declare a closed ready hand with a 1,000-point deposit.
Double riichi	2	—	Riichi on your first discard, before any call; replaces riichi.
Ippatsu	1	—	Win within the first uninterrupted turn cycle after declaring riichi. Calls cancel it.
Closed self-draw	1	—	Win by drawing with a closed hand.
All simples (tanyao)	1	1	Only suited ranks 2–8. Open all simples is allowed.
Pinfu	1	—	Four sequences, a non-value pair and a two-sided sequence wait.
Identical sequences (iipeikou)	1	—	Two identical sequences in one suit.
Value honors (yakuhai)	1 each	1 each	A dragon, seat-wind or prevailing-wind triplet/kong. Double wind earns both.
Last draw / last discard	1	1	Win on the last live-wall draw or its discard.
After a kan (rinshan)	1	1	Self-draw on a kan replacement tile.
Robbing a kan (chankan)	1	1	Win on a tile added to an exposed triplet.
Seven pairs	2	—	Seven distinct pairs; a quad does not count as two pairs.
All triplets (toitoi)	2	2	Four triplets/kongs and a pair.
Three concealed triplets	2	2	Three concealed triplets/kongs. A triplet completed by ron is open for this count.
Three kans	2	2	Three declared kongs.
Mixed triple triplets	2	2	The same rank in triplets/kongs of all three suits.
All terminals and honors	2	2	Only suited ones/nines and honors; combines with all triplets or seven pairs.
Little three dragons	2	2	Two dragon groups and a dragon pair; also earns the two value-honor bonuses.
Mixed triple sequence	2	1	The same sequence in all three suits.
Pure straight	2	1	123, 456 and 789 in one suit.
Mixed outside hand	2	1	Every group and pair contains a terminal or honor; includes a sequence and honors.
Two pairs of identical sequences	3	—	Four sequences arranged as two identical pairs; replaces iipeikou and seven pairs.
Half flush	3	2	One suit together with honors.
Pure outside hand	3	2	Every group and pair contains a terminal, with at least one sequence and no honors.
Full flush	6	5	All tiles in one suit, without honors.

Yakuman and limit hands

Yakuman are thirteen orphans, four concealed triplets, big three dragons, little four winds, big four winds, all honors, all terminals, all green, nine gates, four kans, heavenly hand and earthly hand. Heavenly hand is the dealer’s initial winning hand; earthly hand is a non-dealer’s first uninterrupted self-draw.

Double yakuman apply to thirteen orphans on a thirteen-sided wait, four concealed triplets on a pair wait, pure nine gates (nine-sided wait), and big four winds. Compatible yakuman stack. Counted yakuman starts at 13 han; ordinary han bonuses are not added to a yakuman hand.

Responsibility payment (pao) applies when a call completes the exposed dragon or wind groups for big three dragons or big four winds. On self-draw the responsible player pays the covered yakuman amount; on a discard win that amount is split with the discarder, unless they are the same player. Other yakuman portions are paid normally.

Yakuman	Requirement
Thirteen orphans	Closed: one of every suited 1 and 9 and all seven honors, plus a duplicate of one of those thirteen types.
Four concealed triplets	Four concealed triplets/kongs and a pair. Ron must complete the pair; a ron-completed triplet is not concealed.
Big three dragons	Triplets/kongs of all three dragons.
Little four winds	Three wind triplets/kongs and the fourth wind as the pair.
Big four winds	Triplets/kongs of all four winds; double yakuman.
All honors	Only winds and dragons.
All terminals	Only suited ones and nines, without honors.
All green	Only 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 bamboo and green dragons.
Nine gates	Closed: 1112345678999 in one suit, plus one extra tile of that suit.
Four kans	Four declared kongs and a pair.
Heavenly hand	Dealer wins on the initial draw, before any kan.
Earthly hand	Non-dealer wins on their first draw before any call or kan.