Riichi Mahjong Yaku Guide | 1 Han to Yakuman and Open-Hand Rules

Yaku, han, and dora serve different purposes

A yaku is a defined condition that must be met to win. For riichi, the condition is “declare it while in tenpai without calling any tiles”; for tanyao, it is “use only numbered tiles from 2 through 8.”

Each yaku has a set han value. Add the han from all completed yaku, then combine the total with the fu to determine the score. The Riichi Mahjong Score Calculation Guide explains the calculation order.

Dora are tiles that increase the value of a hand containing a yaku. They include visible dora, red dora, and kan dora, as well as ura dora and kan ura dora, which count only after winning with riichi. Each generally adds 1 han, but dora are not themselves yaku. A hand with three White Dragons can win because it has the yakuhai yaku. Without a group of White Dragons or any other yaku, you cannot win even if you have dora.

The main list in this guide is based on the M.LEAGUE official match rules. Differences from other competitive rules, such as WRC (World Riichi Championship), are summarized later. Which yaku are recognized and how scores are handled vary among mahjong parlors, competitive organizations, households, and games, so always follow the rules of the table you are playing at.

5 yaku that beginners should learn first

Start by learning five yaku that are easy to use as hand-building goals. Read each entry in the order “requirements,” “after calling,” and “common mistakes” to determine whether the yaku remains valid.

1. Riichi (1 han, menzen only): Declare it after reaching tenpai with a menzen hand and placing a 1000-point stick. You cannot declare riichi after calling or before reaching tenpai, and after declaring it you generally cannot change the tiles in your hand.
2. Menzen tsumo (1 han, menzen only): Complete a menzen hand with a tile you draw yourself. It is invalid after calling. Even without declaring riichi, winning by tsumo while still menzen gives you this yaku.
3. Tanyao (1 han): Use only numbered tiles from 2 through 8. Open tanyao, known as kuitan, is generally allowed, though some tables prohibit it. If even one 1, 9, or honor tile remains in the hand, it is not tanyao.
4. Yakuhai (1 han): Collect three White, Green, or Red Dragons, or three tiles matching the prevailing wind or your seat wind. The yaku remains valid after pon. Three East or South tiles do not form a yaku unless they match the prevailing wind or your seat wind.
5. Pinfu (1 han, closed hand only): All 4 sets must be sequences, the pair must not be a value tile, and the hand must be completed with a two-sided wait. It does not qualify if you call. Even with only sequences, it is not pinfu if the pair consists of value tiles or the wait is not two-sided.

Before calling, check whether you can name a yaku that will remain afterward, such as “value tiles” or “open tanyao.” If you cannot name one, you can keep the hand closed and aim for riichi.

Five checks to make before winning

1. Check the completed hand shape: Check whether it is a standard four-group-and-one-pair hand, seven pairs, or thirteen orphans.
2. Confirm at least 1 yaku: Check for a yaku other than dora, such as riichi, tanyao, or value tiles.
3. Check the restrictions caused by calling: Check whether any closed-hand-only yaku has been lost or any yaku is worth fewer han when open.
4. Add up the han from all yaku: Identify the yaku based on the types of tiles, how the sets are formed, the prevailing wind and seat wind, ron or tsumo, and other conditions.
5. Add dora last: After confirming that the hand has a yaku, count regular dora, red dora, and kan dora. Only a hand won after declaring riichi may also count ura dora and kan ura dora.

If you cannot remember the name of a yaku, first describe “the number of sequences and triplets,” “whether the hand contains 1, 9, or honor tiles,” and “which suits are used.” For example, if a closed hand has 4 sequences, uses only numbered tiles from 2 through 8, and has a two-sided wait, you can check for tanyao and pinfu in that order.

List of 1-han yaku

Ippatsu is valid only with riichi and is not a yaku on its own. Even within one turn after declaring riichi, ippatsu is canceled if anyone successfully calls chii, pon, or kan; a concealed kan also interrupts it.

Yakuhai conditions can overlap. For example, if the dealer in the East hand collects three East tiles, they count as both the prevailing wind and the seat wind. Check the table rules to see how many han a double wind is worth.

List of 2-han yaku

Sanankou depends on having three concealed triplets, not on the entire hand being closed. You may therefore call the remaining group and still keep sanankou. However, if ron completes the third triplet of a shanpon wait, that triplet is treated as open and may not count toward sanankou; completing it by tsumo keeps it concealed.

Chanta requires every block to contain a 1, 9, or honor tile, with at least one sequence and one honor tile. If there are no sequences and the entire hand consists only of 1s, 9s, and honor tiles, check the conditions for honroutou. A hand with no honor tiles and a 1 or 9 in every block is junchan.

List of 3-han and 6-han yaku

Honitsu uses both one suit of number tiles and honor tiles, while chinitsu uses only one suit of number tiles with no honor tiles. Both lose 1 han when open, and calling tiles also makes your aim easier for opponents to identify. Unlike chanta, junchan cannot use honor tiles and requires every group to contain a 1 or 9.

The official M.LEAGUE yaku list has no distinct 4-han or 5-han yaku. However, a hand can total 4 or 5 han by combining multiple yaku and dora. WRC recognizes renhou as a 5-han yaku; see the rule differences section for details.

Common yaku shown as completed hands

Completed hands are shown with spaces between tile groups. In each example, first identify only the tiles that satisfy the yaku’s conditions. The actual han value depends on whether the hand is closed or open, won by ron or tsumo, the prevailing and seat winds, and the number of dora.

Tanyao: use only numbered tiles from 2 through 8

Yakuhai: Make a triplet of white dragons, green dragons, red dragons, the prevailing wind, or your seat wind

Pinfu: four sequences, a non-value pair, and a two-sided wait

Toitoi: four triplets or quads

Ittsuu: 123, 456, and 789 in the same suit

Honitsu: use one numbered suit and honor tiles

Chinitsu: use only one numbered suit

Kokushi musou: all 13 types of 1, 9, and honor tiles, plus one duplicate

Daisangen: make triplets of haku, hatsu, and chun

Yakuman list

Yakuman are the highest class of yaku and are scored separately from the normal han calculation. Beginners do not need to memorize them all at first. First learn to identify the example hands above, then use this table when checking rare patterns.

Rules vary on combining yakuman, treating specific waits as double yakuman, and responsibility payments. Local yaku such as daisharin and suurentsu are also used at some tables but not others. Renhou is a 5-han yaku under WRC rules but is not listed in the official M.LEAGUE yaku list. If a hand may qualify, check the rules of the venue where you are playing.

Five rule variations to check

Even in riichi mahjong, the details of yaku and scoring vary by table and governing body. Check the following rules before playing.

• Open tanyao (kuitan): Check whether tanyao remains valid in an open hand. It is allowed in official M.LEAGUE matches, but some tables do not allow kuitan.
• Renhou: Under WRC rules, a non-dealer’s ron before their first draw is a 5-han yaku if no chii, pon, open kan, or closed kan occurred beforehand. It cannot be combined with other yaku or dora. Renhou is not included in M.LEAGUE’s official yaku list.
• Counting yakuman: Check whether a hand totaling 13 han or more from yaku and dora is treated as equivalent to yakuman. In official M.LEAGUE matches, non-yakuman combinations are capped at sanbaiman, while WRC treats 13 han or more as quadruple mangan, worth the same as one yakuman.
• Double yakuman: Check whether Kokushi Musou with a thirteen-sided wait, Suuankou Tanki, pure Chuuren Poutou, Daisuushii, and similar hands count as double yakuman. Some rules treat each as a single yakuman.
• Responsibility payment: Check whether a player who allows the call that completes Daisangen, Daisuushii, or a similar yakuman must pay all or part of the score. Follow the rules table for the applicable yaku and how payment is split for tsumo and ron.

Rules also vary on the number of red dora, rounded-up mangan, combining yakuman, nagashi mangan, and the fu or han for double wind tiles. M.LEAGUE and WRC rules are not identical. Always follow the rules displayed where you play.

How to learn yaku through actual play

Yaku are easier to remember by contrasting similar conditions than by memorizing a table from top to bottom: “honitsu uses at least one honor tile, while chinitsu uses none”; “chanta uses at least one honor tile, while junchan uses none”; and “toitoi has four triplet groups, while sanankou has three concealed triplets.”

After a game, review just one winning hand. Record the yaku that applied, combinations you overlooked, and any han lost by opening the hand. For a hand that did not win, check which yaku would still have been possible. The goal is not merely to recite rare yaku, but to choose a realistic route from the current hand to a valid win.

As a beginner, focus on consistently identifying riichi, menzen tsumo, tanyao, yakuhai, and pinfu rather than subtle differences between yakuman. Next, learn the han values of sanshoku doujun and ittsuu when open. The Mahjong Tile Efficiency Guide explains how to combine these goals with shanten, tile acceptance, and five-block theory.

What to check when you are unsure during a game

If you are unsure whether you can win, return to the five-step checklist. To look up a yaku name, first check the “When open” column in the 1-han, 2-han, 3-han, and 6-han tables to narrow down the possibilities.