Mahjong yaku list: a beginner's guide from 1 han to yakuman and open-hand yaku

1-han yaku: the essential starting points

One-han yaku are the most common in play. Learn both their shapes and whether they require a closed hand.

Ippatsu accompanies riichi; it is not a standalone yaku. Even within the first turn cycle after riichi, a completed chii, pon or kan cancels ippatsu. A concealed kan also cancels it.

Yakuhai conditions can overlap. For example, an East-seat player in the East round with three East tiles has both seat-wind and round-wind yakuhai. Check the table's rules for the han value of double winds.

2-han yaku: more ways to build a hand

Two-han yaku include special shapes such as seven pairs, triplet hands such as toitoi, and sequence patterns such as sanshoku dōjun and ittsū.

Sanankō depends on having three concealed triplets, not on the entire hand being closed. The fourth set can therefore be a called sequence. Conversely, ron on a double-pair wait treats the completed triplet as open, which may prevent sanankō. If completed by tsumo, that triplet is concealed.

Chanta requires every block to contain a terminal or honor, with at least one sequence and one honor. If there are no sequences and the whole hand consists of terminals and honors, check honrōtō instead. A hand with a terminal in every block and no honors is junchan.

Yaku worth 3 han or more: aiming for higher scores

There are relatively few individual yaku worth 3 han or more. Honitsu, junchan and chinitsu can be open but lose 1 han.

Honitsu uses both one numbered suit and honors; chinitsu uses one numbered suit without honors. Both lose 1 han when open, and calls make the intended suit easier for opponents to recognize. Unlike chanta, junchan allows no honors and requires a terminal in every set and the pair.

M.League's official yaku list has no individual 4-han or 5-han yaku. A hand can still total 4 or 5 han by combining yaku and dora. WRC treats renhō as a 5-han yaku; see “Yaku that depend on the ruleset” below for details.

Yakuman: the highest-value yaku

Yakuman is the highest scoring category, handled separately from ordinary han calculations. These hands are rare, so beginners only need to recognize their names and general shapes and look up the details when relevant.

Whether thirteen-sided kokushi, suuankō tanki, pure nine gates and big four winds count as double yakuman, whether yakuman can stack, and whether liability payments apply all depend on the rules.

Tile examples of important beginner yaku

If a written description is hard to follow, divide the completed 14 tiles into sets. The diagrams below show typical completed hands.

A completed riichi hand

The completed hands are shown with tiles grouped into blocks. First identify the part that satisfies the yaku. The final han depends on closed or open status, ron or tsumo, round and seat winds, and dora.

A completed tanyao hand

A completed yakuhai hand

A completed pinfu hand

A completed seven-pairs hand

A completed toitoi hand

A completed sanshoku dōjun hand

A completed ittsū hand

A completed honitsu hand

A completed chinitsu hand

A completed kokushi musō hand

A completed daisangen hand

Learn similar yaku together

Comparing related yaku makes their conditions easier to remember.

An order for checking which yaku your hand has

1. Check whether the hand is open
2. Look for 1s, 9s and honors
3. Count sequences and triplets
4. Look for repeated numbers or a concentration in one suit
5. Check for special shapes such as seven pairs or thirteen orphans
6. Check round wind, seat wind and dragons
7. Check ron or tsumo
8. List every qualifying yaku
9. Count dora last

You are less likely to miss a yaku if you narrow the possibilities from tile types and set patterns instead of trying to recall yaku names at random.

Common beginner hands with no yaku

• Trying to win just because the hand has dora
• Trying to declare riichi after chii or pon
• Opening a planned pinfu hand without retaining another yaku
• Calling East when it is neither your seat wind nor the round wind
• Keeping a 1, 9 or honor in a planned tanyao hand
• Mismatched sequence numbers for sanshoku dōjun or mixed suits for ittsū
• Using two numbered suits in a planned honitsu hand

Many no-yaku mistakes can be avoided by checking the intended yaku before calling and knowing your seat wind and the round wind.

Combining yaku can raise the score substantially

Look for conditions that qualify together, rather than considering each yaku alone. Familiar combinations let you increase value without forcing the hand.

Add dora to these totals at the end. Prefer naturally compatible yaku over chasing a pattern that greatly reduces useful draws.

After yaku, learn scoring

Once you know the yaku, total their han and usually combine that with fu to calculate the score. Payments also depend on dealer status and ron or tsumo. Five han is mangan, 6–7 is haneman, 8–10 is baiman and 11–12 is sanbaiman.

For the full procedure, see Mahjong scoring: han, fu, dealer status, ron and tsumo for beginners.

Do yaku differ between M.League, Mahjong Soul and Tenhou?

Basic yaku such as riichi, tanyao, yakuhai and pinfu are shared by many rulesets. Their detailed treatment is not always identical.

• Open tanyao: whether tanyao is allowed after calling
• Counted yakuman: whether 13+ han scores yakuman or is capped at sanbaiman
• Double yakuman: whether hands such as suuankō tanki or thirteen-sided kokushi score double
• Renhō: whether it is adopted and its han or point value
• Nagashi mangan: whether it is treated as a yaku or a special mangan payment
• Liability payments (pao): which yaku qualify and how payment is divided
• Double winds: how fu for the pair is counted

M.League, WRC, online games and mahjong venues have different rules, which may also be revised. Check the current rules for your service or tournament instead of assuming a common convention always applies.

What are local yaku?

Local yaku are adopted only in particular regions, venues, groups or games. Examples include renhō, daisharin, suurenkō and pārenchan, but their requirements and scores are not standardized.

Confusing local yaku with widely used ones can lead to an invalid declaration at another table. Before playing, agree on each local yaku's requirements, han or yakuman value, and whether it can be open.