Riichi Mahjong for Beginners | Rules, Yaku and the Flow of Play

34 tile types: first recognize four groups

Before learning the names, sort tiles by their appearance: Chinese numerals with 萬, circles, bamboo patterns, and the honors 東, 南, 西, 北, 白, 發 and 中.

The first three groups are suited tiles (shuupai); the last group consists of honors (jihai). Characters (manzu) use numerals and 萬, circles (pinzu) use round patterns, and bamboo (souzu) use bamboo-like patterns. The 1-bamboo tile is usually illustrated with a bird.

Honors have no numerical sequence, so East, South and West cannot form a sequence.

Mahjong has 34 tile types, with 136 tiles in a standard four-player set. There are 9 ranks in each of 3 suits and 7 honors: 9 × 3 + 7 = 34. Normally there are 4 copies of each, giving 34 × 4 = 136 tiles.

Arrange your hand in these four groups. Sort suited tiles from 1 to 9 and place identical honors together to make sequences and matching groups easier to see.

Figure 1 | The 34 tile types

Terminals, honors and simples

When learning yaku, distinguish 1s, 9s and honors from suited tiles numbered 2 through 8. The first group is called terminals and honors (yaochuuhai); the second is simples (chuuchanpai). For your first hand, recognizing these two groups matters more than memorizing the terminology.

Dora increase your score but do not count as a yaku

Dora add to the value of a winning hand. Ordinary dora are determined by a face-up dora indicator, while red fives are red dora. Dora alone do not let you win: you still need a yaku such as riichi. The indicator itself is not the dora, so check the game display or ask at the table.

White, Green (發) and Red (中) are the three Dragon tiles. Red dora and ura-dora increase the score just as ordinary dora do; they are not yaku.

Three-tile sets: sequences and triplets

Three consecutive numbers in one suit form a sequence (shuntsu); three identical tiles form a triplet (koutsu). Four identical tiles, declared using the proper procedure, form a quad (kantsu), which still counts as one set.

For example, 2-3-4 manzu and 6-7-8 pinzu are sequences. Mixing suits, wrapping 8-9-1 around the end, or arranging East–South–West does not make a sequence. Two identical tiles can serve as the pair or become a triplet if you acquire a third.

Figure 4 | Basic set terminology

Sequence

Triplet

Quad

Pair

Two tiles that need one more to form a sequence

A two-tile combination one tile short of a sequence is called a taatsu. A 4-5 manzu combination accepts 3-man or 6-man; 4-6 needs 5-man; 1-2 needs 3-man. Combinations accepting more tiles are easier to complete, but visible tiles, yaku, dora and safety also affect which to keep.

A pair can become a triplet or remain the head of your hand. Organize your tiles into completed sets, taatsu, pairs and isolated tiles. See An Introduction to Tile Efficiency for a detailed explanation of shanten and ukeire.

The standard winning shape: four sets and a pair

The standard shape is four sets of three tiles and one pair of identical tiles. You normally hold 13 tiles and aim to complete this shape when a draw brings you to 14.

The sets are called melds (mentsu), and the final pair is the head (jantou): four melds and one pair. If you have exposed sets using opponents’ discards, those sets and the tiles still in your hand together make the same overall shape.

Identify the completed sets one at a time. If four sets leave exactly two identical tiles, the standard shape is complete. Any tiles that do not fit a set or the pair mean the hand is still incomplete.

The next diagram shows four separated three-tile sets, followed by a pair of East tiles on the right.

Figure 2 | Four sets and one pair

Tenpai, riichi, tsumo and ron

A hand needing one more tile to complete it is in tenpai. A hand with no exposed chi, pon, open kan or added kan is closed (menzen); a concealed kan does not open it. Riichi, which you can declare from closed tenpai, is itself a yaku.

When you can declare riichi

To declare riichi, you normally turn your discard sideways and place a 1,000-point stick on the table. Afterward, you generally cannot change your hand: if a drawn tile does not complete it, you discard it. Before declaring, check your waits and whether you have discarded any of them yourself.

Rules vary on declaring riichi with fewer than 1,000 points, declaring near the end of the wall, and making a kan after riichi. Until you are familiar with them, follow the rules of your table or app.

Tsumo: winning on your own draw

Declare “tsumo” when a tile drawn from the wall completes your winning hand. A closed hand receives the yaku menzen tsumo (menzen chin tsumo hou). An open hand can also win by tsumo if it has another yaku, such as yakuhai or tanyao.

Ron: winning on an opponent’s discard

Declare “ron” when an opponent’s discard completes your winning hand. For ron, that player pays the full hand value. For tsumo, the other three players normally share the payment according to their seats. Both require at least one yaku as well as a complete shape.

Figure 5 | From closed tenpai to riichi

A complete shape is not enough: learn yaku

You can start playing without knowing every yaku. With a closed hand, consider riichi or menzen tsumo. A triplet of White, Green or Red Dragons, the round wind, or your seat wind gives yakuhai. A hand using only suited tiles 2 through 8 can make tanyao; one with many sequences may be suitable for pinfu.

Choose one yaku to aim for and check its conditions in the table below. Learn the finer exceptions after becoming familiar with these five yaku.

Riichi supplies a yaku, but you generally cannot change your hand afterward. Yakuhai can be made with pon. Tanyao uses no 1s, 9s or honors; check whether your table allows open tanyao (kuitan). Pinfu has several conditions, so learn sequences and two-sided waits before tackling it.

Once these five are familiar, explore the Riichi Mahjong Yaku List. It explains each yaku’s value and whether it works in an open hand.

Two common obstacles: no yaku and furiten

Furiten prevents ron, but you can still win by tsumo

While in furiten, you cannot win on another player’s discard. You can still win by tsumo if you draw the tile you need yourself.

Start with furiten caused by your own discards. If you have discarded any tile that completes your hand, you cannot call ron on any of your waits. For example, if you wait on 3-man and 6-man but have discarded 3-man, you cannot ron on 6-man either. Compare all your waits with your own discard row before declaring ron.

Passing an opponent’s winning discard also temporarily prevents ron until your next draw or call. If you pass after declaring riichi, you cannot ron for the rest of that hand. Learn discard-based furiten first, then these two passing rules. For defensive use of discards, see genbutsu and safe tiles.

Having no yaku is a separate reason you cannot win

Even with a complete shape, you cannot declare ron or tsumo without a yaku. Calling removes the possibility of riichi and menzen tsumo, so before chi or pon, check that a yaku such as yakuhai or tanyao remains available.

Dora increase a hand’s value but are not yaku. However many dora you have, you still need at least one yaku. Being unable to ron because of furiten and being unable to win because you lack a yaku are different problems; check them separately.

Seats, winds and the layout of the table

For now, think of the other players as left, right and opposite. In Japanese terminology, they are kamicha, shimocha and toimen, respectively. You can call chi only on a discard from the player to your left.

Each hand has one dealer (oya), who acts first, and three non-dealers (ko). The dealer’s seat is East, followed counterclockwise by South, West and North. When the dealer changes, the seat winds change too.

The round wind (bakaze) is shared by everyone: East in the East round and South in the South round. Your seat wind (jikaze) depends on your current seat. A triplet of either the round wind or your seat wind gives yakuhai.

A tile in the dead wall is turned face up as the dora indicator. A 3-man indicator makes 4-man dora. The sequence wraps from 9-man to 1-man, North to East, and Red Dragon to White Dragon. Kan reveals another indicator; follow the game display or an experienced player’s guidance.

Calling tiles: chi, pon and kan

Using an opponent’s discard to form a set is called calling. It can speed up your hand because you do not have to draw the tile yourself.

Chi, pon and kan using an opponent’s discard (daiminkan) open your hand, making riichi and menzen tsumo unavailable. Before calling, always check that you will still be able to make a yaku.

Chi takes a discard from your left to complete a sequence. Pon takes any opponent’s discard to complete a triplet. Kan declares four identical tiles as one set and comes in these three forms.

You may pon wind tiles when they form a triplet. However, a wind that is neither your seat wind nor the round wind does not give a yaku on its own. Before calling, identify your yaku: a Dragon, a value wind, or another valid pattern.

• Concealed kan (ankan): declare four identical tiles already in your hand. This alone does not open your hand.
• Open kan from a discard (daiminkan): add an opponent’s discard to three identical tiles in your hand. This exposes the set and opens your hand.
• Added kan (kakan): add a fourth tile you drew to a triplet already exposed by pon. Your hand remains open.

Figure 6 | Check which yaku remain before calling

Chi

Pon for yakuhai

How to take an opponent’s discard

For chi, pon or daiminkan, follow these steps.

1. Immediately after the tile is discarded, clearly say “chi,” “pon” or “kan” (here, kan means daiminkan).
2. Show the tiles from your hand that complete the set and take the discard.
3. Place the set to your right, orienting the called tile to show which player supplied it.
4. After chi or pon, discard one tile from your hand. After daiminkan, take a replacement draw before discarding; follow the app or the person running the game.

Concealed kan and added kan are declared on your own turn. They do not claim the latest discard, so you do not orient a new tile to identify a discarder.

If several players call on the same discard, wait for the app or the person running the game to resolve it. Clearly announcing your call before touching tiles helps prevent mistakes and disputes.

You do not need to memorize scoring immediately

First count han from yaku and dora, then determine fu from the sets and winning shape. At first, use a scoring table or calculator, or ask an experienced player, rather than trying to calculate all the fu unaided.

Next check whether the winner is the dealer and whether the win is ron or tsumo. Look up the score for the hand’s han and fu. Ron is paid by the discarder; tsumo is paid by the other three players. At the same han and fu, a dealer’s win is worth more than a non-dealer’s.

Even a 2-han hand such as riichi plus one dora has different scores depending on fu, dealer status and ron or tsumo. Learn these four payment cases first. Honba additions and collecting riichi sticks can come afterward.

For your first games, enter han, fu, dealer status and win type into a scoring table or calculator in that order. The mahjong scoring guide explains fu and common scores step by step.

Distinguish hand scores from final game results

Some rules adjust final results by placement after the whole game ends. Your group may also record chips or participation fees separately. Calculate each hand first, then the overall result. See How to Calculate Mahjong Net Results for details.

When an opponent wins by ron on your discard, you have dealt in (houjuu). You pay the points to the winner.

Rules to check before you start

Mahjong has many house rules that vary between tables and venues. You do not need to memorize them all: ask an experienced player in person or open the rules screen online.

Ask about these six points before the tiles are dealt

Use these six checks to understand the rules at your table.

Game length

Check whether you are playing an East-only game (tonpuusen) or an East–South game (tonnansen).

Starting points and final results

Confirm the starting score and how final placements are decided.

Yaku and dora

Check whether open tanyao is allowed and whether red fives count as dora.

Dealer repeats and drawn hands

Check when the dealer repeats (renchan) and how points are paid after a draw.

When the game ends

Check what happens when someone runs out of points or the dealer wins the final hand.

Simultaneous calls

When ron or other calls overlap on one discard, follow the app or the person running the game.

Record whether each game was three- or four-player and East-only or East–South. Keeping different formats separate lets you compare like with like.

Also agree on the bankruptcy rule (tobi) and whether the final dealer may end the game after winning (agari-yame).

Are three-player rules the same?

The basic winning shapes and many yaku are shared, but the tiles used, treatment of North, permission to call chi and tsumo payments differ. Before playing sanma, read Three-Player Mahjong Rules.

What to do in your first hand

Your first goal is to follow the procedure, rather than find the perfect discard. On each turn, work through this checklist. At first, simply counting your sets and identifying a target yaku is enough.

1. Do I have the right number of tiles? Without kan, you should have 14 just after drawing and 13 after discarding.
2. How many sets are complete? Look for sequences and triplets first.
3. Which yaku am I aiming for? Consider riichi if you have not called, or yakuhai if you hold two identical Dragons.
4. Which draws complete more sets? For each two-tile group, identify the connecting or matching tile that would complete it.
5. What should I discard? Consider isolated tiles that do not contribute to a completed set or your target yaku.
6. Has an opponent declared riichi? Consider defending with tiles that player has already discarded (genbutsu), rather than always attacking.
7. Can I call ron? Check that you have at least one yaku and have not discarded any of your waits, which would make you furiten.

After each hand, note one thing to check next time, such as forgetting your yaku after calling or overlooking a wait. As you gain experience, also compare ukeire, hand value and defensive options.

Common beginner mistakes

After a mistake, write one specific sentence: “I treated South as yakuhai even though it was neither my seat wind nor the round wind,” or “I missed that I had discarded 6-man.” Record something you can check next time, rather than simply “I played badly.”

Review uncertain defensive decisions using only information available during the hand, such as visible discards. Defense and Push–Fold Decisions explains how discards and visible tile patterns help you assess safety.

Etiquette at the table and online

Announce your call before moving tiles

• Clearly announce tsumo, ron, riichi, chi, pon or kan before moving tiles.
• Keep your drawn tile separate from your other 13 tiles until you have checked it.
• Place discards in order in your own row; do not change your choice after releasing the tile.
• Do not criticize other players’ choices or give them answers while the hand is still in progress.
• If you are unsure of the score, ask for a check and confirm the yaku and dealer status together.
• Follow the venue’s rules on food, drinks, phones and other matters.

Venues and tournaments handle mistaken declarations differently. Say that you are a beginner before starting, and when unsure, ask before moving tiles. Giving everyone time to confirm the situation helps prevent misunderstandings.

Online: check the timer and automatic actions

Online systems handle score transfers and many procedures automatically. Before playing, check the turn timer, automatic tsumo and call-confirmation settings. If you choose three-player mahjong, check how its rules differ from four-player play.

If chat is available, avoid hurtful language and deliberately delaying the game.

Whether playing in person or online, review the information you could see at the time and the tiles you chose.

A seven-day practice plan for beginners

The goal for these seven days is understanding what to do on your turn, rather than winning. Once you can ask specific questions about confusing situations, move on to yaku, scoring, tile efficiency and defense.