# Japanese mahjong yaku

In Japanese mahjong, yaku (Japanese: 役) is a condition that determines the value of the player's hand. It is essential to know the yaku for game strategy, since a player must have a minimum of one yaku in their hand in order to legally win a hand. Each yaku has a specific han value. Yaku conditions may be combined to produce hands of greater value. The game also features dora, that allow a hand to add han value, but they do not count as yaku. Altogether, a hand's points value increases exponentially with every han.

## Overview

Yaku are somewhat similar to poker hands. They fit certain patterns based on the numbers or types of tiles included, as well as the relative value of the tiles. Unlike poker, however, multiple yaku may be combined to produce hands of greater value. The same applies to limit hands or yakuman, which separate from yaku and dora.
All hands start closed. A hand becomes open as soon as the player "calls" a tile discarded by an opponent, in order to complete a group from their own hand. This is called "melding." For example, if a player has in their hand, and an opponent discards a , the first player may call the discard, and thus create a melded triplet. This process can also create melded sequences (e.g. 2-3-4 of the same suit), and open quads. The calling player must display the completed group by placing the tiles face-up on the table. This makes the hand "open".
Because no open hand can become closed, certain yaku combinations either reduce its value by one if the hand is open ("Eat and decrease", a literal translation of kuisagari, 喰い下がり), or deemed impossible to complete due to the yaku requiring its hand to be closed (menzen-nomi, 門前のみ).
The only time a player can call an opponent's discard and still have their hand remain closed is when they are calling the winning tile. For scoring purposes, the melded group is considered open, but the overall hand stays closed (menzenchin 門前清 or menzen 門前).
The basic concept of a yaku is that it fits into one of three basic criteria:
* It contains a pattern of some kind
* It can consistently be formed during a game, although it does not necessarily need to be common
* It is based on specific game situations, such as discards or actions taken by other players
Finally, when it comes to points scoring, the total number of han in the hand is counted. When the han value is 4 or less, fu is also counted. The combination of the han value and fu value corresponds to a points table.

## List of yaku

The following is a list of all the yaku, their names in English and Japanese, their han values, and any special conditions related to them. They are listed here in groups according to the underlying patterns that define the yaku. Example hands are given, but often, many other arrangements are possible for each yaku. All yaku can be divided into seven basic categories, depending on the dominant feature. The features are as follows: patterns based on sequences, patterns based on triplets/quads, patterns based on terminals/honors, patterns based on suits, maximum-value hands (yakuman), lucky circumstances, and special criteria.

### Special criteria

| Name | Japanese | Han value | Remarks |
| Riichi / Ready | rīchi – 立直, リーチ ("ready") | 1 | Closed hands only |
| When a player's hand needs only one tile to win (tenpai) while the hand is closed (i.e. the player has not called any opponent's discards to make melds), the player can opt to declare riichi. This yaku is often called "reach" because its Japanese name is phonetically similar to the English word. Conditions after declaration To make a declaration, the player calls out “riichi”, discards their tile by placing it sideways, and places a 1,000-point stick on the table, as a deposit. From then on, any tile they draw must be automatically discarded if it does not give them a winning hand. In this way, they cannot change the content of their hand in any way (except declaring certain closed quads). In some rulesets, a player can declare riichi only when there are four or more tiles remaining in the wall. That is, if they cannot draw another tile, they cannot declare riichi. The player is not penalized if drawing another tile is prevented due to opponents making open melds or closed quads after the declaration. If all four players have declared riichi, a hand ends as an abortive draw. Players show their hands to confirm they are tenpai, or they are penalized with chombo. Ura dora ("underneath dora") When a player wins, any underneath dora indicator tiles are revealed. These are just like regular dora, but the indicator lies beneath the dora tile in the dead wall. The number of ura dora tiles to be revealed is based on how many dora tiles are open via kan calls. Riichi deposits The winner of a hand receives all 1,000-point riichi sticks that are present. In the case of multiple winners, the player closest to the discarding player (moving forward) receives all riichi deposits. If a hand ends in a draw, any riichi deposits carry over to the next game and are placed near the counters. The next winner receives those riichi deposits. In most cases, if a draw results in ending the game (such as exhaustive draws in the final round with the last dealer not ready to win, or exhaustive draws causing one or more players to reach a negative score), the game immediately ends while all riichi deposits are forfeited. Claiming a riichi discard When a player declares riichi and discards a tile (sideways), an opponent may call that tile for a meld. The riichi player, on their next turn, places their next discard sideways. Additionally, if a riichi discard tile is called by another player to win, then the would-be riichi declaration is considered incomplete and therefore no forfeiture of riichi deposit. Declaring closed quads A player declaring riichi may allowed to call a closed quad (kan). This can only happen when they have a triplet in their hand and they draw the fourth tile. Even though the hand remains closed, the quad is still displayed on the table. While in riichi, a quad call must not otherwise change the composition of the hand or its waits. For example, when a player has , they can declare a closed quad when drawing the fourth . However, when they have waiting for , or , they cannot declare a quad when drawing , because and would no longer be winning tiles. ||||
| Seven Pairs | chītoitsu – 七対子, or chītoi – 七対 | 2 | Closed hands only |
| A hand completely composed of pairs. As because the hand contains neither a four-meld-and-a-pair combination, the hand is one of the two exceptions to the rule requiring winning hands to have four groups and a pair, the other being Thirteen Orphans. This hand also has its own special rules for scoring, where it has fixed fu value of 25. Because of the scoring, Seven Pairs hand separates from Single Identical Sequences. Due to the nature of the hand being sequences, this hand is also separare from Double Identical Sequences. In general Japanese rules, all seven pairs must be unique, meaning that the same four tiles may not be split into two pairs. Some rules, such as in the Kansai region, may accept four of the same tile, but they are not considered a quad. ||||
| Nagashi mangan | nagashi mangan – 流し満貫 | mangan | Open or closed |
| This hand is based on discarded tiles instead. A player's discards must be all terminals (1s and 9s) and honors (dragons/winds), and the hand must end in a draw (not including abortive draws). In most rules, the yaku only applies if no opponent called a discard from the player's discard pile. Certain rules allow the player to make open melds. In most cases, the value of this hand is mangan. When determining points, the hand is regarded as winning by self-draw. The rule of nō-ten bappu is usually not applied to this case, as it is no longer regarded as a draw. This hand cannot be combined with other hands. ||||

### Yaku based on luck

| Name | Japanese | Han value | Closed/Open |
| Tsumo / Self-pick | menzenchin tsumohō – 門前清自摸和, or shortly tsumo – 自摸, ツモ | 1 | Closed hand only |
| When a player has a closed hand and draws a winning tile from the wall or the dead wall, one han is added, regardless of the hand value. ||||
| Ippatsu / One-shot | ippatsu – 一発 | 1 | Requires riichi (or double riichi) |
| After declaring ready hand, one han is added if the player wins within one go-around of play. They may win by calling an opponent's discard, or by a self-drawn tile. One-shot do not count if the go-around is interrupted by another player calling a meld, including the player declaring closed quads. ||||
| Last Tile Draw / Under the Sea | haitei raoyue – 海底撈月, or haitei – 海底 | 1 | Open or Closed |
| A player wins when they draw the very last tile (not including the dead wall). The term haitei raoyue translates as "scooping up the reflection of the moon from the bottom of the sea." ||||
| Last Tile Claim / Under the River | hōtei raoyui – 河底撈魚, or houtei – 河底 | 1 | Open or Closed |
| A player wins when they call the very last tile, discarded by an opponent. Houtei raoyui is a pun on haitei raoyue (see previous yaku explanation). It means "catching fish from the bottom of the river." ||||
| Dead Wall Draw / After a Quad / After a Kan | rinshan kaihō – 嶺上開花, or rinshan – 嶺上 | 1 | Open or Closed |
| A player wins by drawing a supplemental tile from the dead wall, which is done after declaring a quad. Rinshan kaihō means "a flower blooms on a ridge". Sometimes the pao (包) rule is applied to this hand. If a player claims a discard to make an open quad and then completes their hand with a tile drawn from the dead wall, the hand is considered as a discard instead of self-drawn. ||||
| Robbing a Quad / Robbing a kan | chankan – 搶槓, 槍槓 | 1 | Open or Closed |
| A player wins when they call a tile that an opponent just used to declare a quad. Under sacred discards rule or furiten, any previously discarded tiles by that player used in that quad are not allowed to be robbed. Robbing a closed quad In most rulesets, a player cannot rob a closed quad, only an open one (i.e. after their opponent has "upgraded" an open triplet to a quad). Some rulesets have an exception: robbing a closed quad is allowed if it's used to complete Thirteen Orphans (in this situation, a limit would be awarded instead of the hand). ||||
| Double Riichi / Double-ready | daburu rīchi – ダブルリーチ, or daburii – ダブリー | 2 | Closed hand only |
| A player declares ready on their first turn. All other conditions apply. ||||

### Yaku based on sequences

| Name | Japanese | Han value | Closed/Open |
| Pinfu / No-points hand | pinfu – 平和 | 1 | Closed hand only |
| A hand that earns no fu points (which are calculated separately from han). While there are certain melds or a set that awards fu, the hand must be entirely in sequence and its pair is neither a dragon tile, or winds tiles corresponding to the round or seating itself; any triplets, quads, or pairs of such award fu. Its hand must also be waiting for multiple winning tiles that does not form a pair. For example, such as having and thus waiting for or . All single-tile "waits" earn fu, namely an "inside wait" (e.g. waiting for a ); an "edge wait" (e.g. waiting for a ); or waiting to complete any pair. Combination of no-point hand and self-draw When the winning hand is a no-point hand, those 2 fu from a self-draw are normally waived. Such a hand allows both of these to be stacked. Some (uncommon) rulesets say that a no-points hand disallow self-drawing. In this case, 2 fu are awarded, and only 1 han. The rule is called "pinfu–tsumo nashi" (平和自摸無し or 平和ツモなし, pinfu–tsumo invalid), sometimes contracted to "pinzumo nashi" (ピンヅモなし). The opposite rule is called "pinfu–tsumo ari" (平和自摸有り or 平和ツモあり, pinfu–tsumo valid). ||||
| Single Identical Sequences | īpeikō – 一盃口 | 1 | Closed hands only |
| Two sequences consisting of the same numbers, in the same suit. For example, the above hand has two copies of . ||||
| (Three) Mixed Sequences / Three Color Straight | sanshoku doujun – 三色同順, or sanshoku – 三色 | 2 (1 if open) | Open or Closed |
| A hand containing a sequence in each of the three suits. For example, the above hand has 2-3-4 in all three suits. ||||
| Full Straight | ikkitsuukan – 一気通貫, or ittsuu – 一通 | 2 (1 if open) | Open or Closed |
| A hand containing three single-suited sequences of 1-2-3, 4-5-6, and 7-8-9 (thus creating a full run from 1 to 9). ||||
| Double Identical Sequences | ryanpeikō – 二盃口 | 3 | Closed hand only |
| Two independent sets of identical sequences. For example, the above hand has two copies of and two copies of . Some rules may not allow the two sets to be the same, i.e. four identical sequences. ||||

### Yaku based on triplets and/or quads

When the following hands involve triplets, quads are also acceptable. But if they require quads, triplets do not count. Each hand is worth 2 han, regardless of whether the hand is closed or open.
| Name | Japanese | Han value | Closed/Open |
| All Triplets | toitoihō – 対々和, or toitoi – 対々 | 2 | Open or Closed |
| The hand consists entirely of triplets (or quads) and no sequences. The hand can also be closed but only via a discarded tile. ||||
| Three Concealed Triplets | san'ankō – 三暗刻 | 2 | Open or Closed |
| A hand with at least three sets of triplets (or quads) formed via drawing without melding any. The fourth group can either be melded (i.e. formed by calling an opponent's discard), a sequence or open triplet. A closed quad can qualify as a concealed triplets/quad, despite being visible to the opponents. ||||
| (Three) Mixed Triplets | sanshoku doukō – 三色同刻 | 2 | Open or Closed |
| A hand containing three similarly numbered triplets in each of the three suits. For example, the above hand shows 3-3-3 in all three suits. ||||
| Three Quads / Three Kan | sankantsu – 三槓子 | 2 | Open or Closed |
| called: + ||||
| A hand consist of three quads (kan), either closed or open. ||||

### Yaku based on terminal or honor tiles

These hands involve terminals and/or honors, or lack thereof (such as tan'yao and yakuhai, due to their simplicity).
| Name | Japanese | Han value | Closed/Open |
| All Simples | tan'yaochū – 断么九, or tan'yao – 断么 | 1 | Open or Closed |
| A hand with no honor tiles (dragons/winds) nor terminal tiles (1s and 9s). The hand may only contain numbered tiles from 2 through 8. If the hand is open, it is called "kuitan" (喰い断), which means tan'yao made by "eating" discards. In some rulesets, this hand can be closed only. The rule that does not allow kuitan is called "kuitan nashi" (喰い断無し; no kuitan, or kuitan invalid). ||||
| Honor Tiles | yakuhai – 役牌, or huanpai/fanpai – 飜牌 | 1 (per triplet) | Open or Closed |
| Any triplet (or quad) consisting of dragons, the seat wind, or the round wind. A triplet matching both the Seat and Round Wind stacks together (such the East player in an East round with ). ||||
| Common Ends | honchantai yaochū – 混全帯么九, or chanta – チャンタ | 2 (1 if open) | Open or Closed |
| A hand where its set and a pair include at least one terminal or honor tile. This hand must contain at least one sequence (1-2-3 or 7-8-9) and any honor tiles. ||||
| Perfect Ends | junchantai yaochū – 純全帯么九, or junchan – 純チャン | 3 (2 if open) | Open or Closed |
| Similar to Common Ends where a hand requires at least one terminal title with at least a sequence of 1-2-3 or 7-8-9, but without honor tiles. ||||
| Common Terminals/All Terminals and Honors | honrōtō – 混老頭, or honrō – 混老 | 2 | Open or Closed |
| (All triplets) ||||
| (Seven pairs) ||||
| The hand consists entirely of terminals (1s & 9s) and honors (dragons & winds). This hand stacks with either All Triplets or Seven Pairs (examples shown above). ||||
| Little Three Dragons | shōsangen – 小三元 | 2 | Open or Closed |
| Two triplets (or quads) of dragons, plus a pair of the third dragon. This hand stacks with two Honor tile triplets. ||||

### Yaku based on suits

The following two hands are related to a single suit. Both hands lose one han when they are open, and can be stacked with Seven Pairs.
| Name | Japanese | Han value | Closed/Open |
| Half Flush / Common Flush | hon'īsō – 混一色, or hon'itsu – 混一 | 3 (2 if open) | Open or Closed |
| A hand containing tiles from only one suit, plus honors of any kind. ||||
| Full Flush / Perfect Flush | chin'īsō – 清一色, or chin'itsu – 清一 | 6 (5 if open) | Open or Closed |
| A hand containing tiles from only one suit. ||||

## Yakuman hands

Certain hands had stringent requirements to complete, with a scoring that automatically award maximum points if completed. This value, along with the hands themselves, are called limit hands, or yakuman (役満, or yaku-mangan 役満貫). Limit hands are separate from han values, and can stack with other limit hands, but many rulesets do not award more points for this. On the other hand, some rulesets will allow doubling of its points, which is also called daburu yakuman (ダブル役満).
A limit is always valued at 13 han; any non-limit hands and dora that add up to at least 13 han becomes kazoe-yakuman (数え役満) ("counted yakuman"), so long the hand does not contain any limit hands.
The hands known as Thirteen Orphans, Four Concealed Triplets, and Big Three Dragons are considered relatively easy to complete among limit hands, and are collectively called "the three big families of yakuman" (Japanese: 役満御三家).
Some limit hands may have different names in some regions. The names used here come from the World Riichi Championship ruleset, which is also used by the American Riichi Mahjong League.
| Name | Japanese | Value | Closed/Open |
| Thirteen Orphans | kokushi musō / kokushi musō jūsanmen machi – 国士無双 / 国士無双13面待ち (13 wait) | Limit / Double limit (13 wait) | Closed hand only |
| (Single-tile wait) ||||
| (13-way wait) ||||
| Along with Seven Pairs, this is the only other hand that contradicts the requirement for a hand to have four melds and a pair. This hand consist of one of each terminal ) and honor tile, and a duplicate of any of the 13 aforementioned tiles. In certain common rulesets, a 13-tile wait (which is when the player acquired all 13 tiles without a duplicate) will double its points. The Japanese name of this hand, kokushi musō, means "a peerless distinguished person in a country." Other names for this yaku are shīsan yaochū (十三么九) which means "thirteen of smallest numbers and 9's [and honors]," or its abbreviation shīsan yao (十三么). ||||
| Four Concealed Triplets | sūankō – 四暗刻 / sūankō tankimachi - 四暗刻単騎待ち (single wait) | Limit / Double limit (single wait) | Closed hand only |
| (Double wait) ||||
| (Single wait) ||||
| A hand with four closed triplets/quads. A hand waiting for two waits could only be won via self-draw; a single-waiting tile require to complete the hand (which usually awards double points) can be won either through a discard or self-draw. ||||
| Big Three Dragons / Big Dragons | daisangen – 大三元 | Limit | Open or Closed |
| A triplet (or quad) of each type of dragon tile. ||||
| Little Four Winds / Little Winds | shōsūshī – 小四喜 | Limit | Open or Closed |
| A hand consisting of three triplets/quads of winds, and a pair of the fourth wind. This hand is also called a four winds hand (sūshīhō - 四喜和). ||||
| Big Four Winds / Big Winds | daisūshī – 大四喜 | Double limit (when allowed) | Open or Closed |
| A variant of Little Four Winds hand, where it consist of four triplets/quads of winds. Some rulesets may double its value if allowed. ||||
| All Honors | tsūīsō – 字一色 | Limit | Open or Closed |
| A hand composed exclusively of wind and dragon tiles. ||||
| All Terminals | chinrōtō – 清老頭 | Limit | Open or Closed |
| A hand containing only terminals (1s & 9s). ||||
| All Green | ryūīsō – 緑一色 | Limit | Open or Closed |
| A hand containing only pure-green tiles. This is exclusively the bamboo tiles of 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8, as well as the green dragon tiles. Many of the Japanese tile-sets color these specific tiles with just green, while all other tiles use another color (including the bamboo tiles of 1, 5, 7, and 9, which have red on them). Regardless of the scheme, only the aforementioned bamboo tiles are still required for this hand to fulfill. A hand can also be a Full Flush, meaning that the green dragon tiles are not generally required. ||||
| Nine Gates | chūren pōtō – 九蓮宝燈 / junsei chūren pōtō - 純正九蓮宝燈 (nine wait) | Limit / Double limit (9-wait) | Closed hand only |
| (Normal wait) ||||
| (9-way wait) ||||
| A hand composed of 1-1-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-9-9 of one suit, with a duplicate of any one of the aforementioned tiles. In most rules, the points are doubled for a nine-tile waiting (when the hand is a 1-1-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-9-9). Regardless of the value of the extra tile, this is always a standard mahjong hand of four melds and a pair, as shown in the animation below: ||||
| Four Quads / Four Kan | sūkantsu – 四槓子 | Limit | Open or Closed |
| called: + + ||||
| A hand consisting of four quads, either open or closed. The abortive draw of calling four quads (by multiple players) do not apply under normal rules and play would resume otherwise until a winner is decided or a fifth quad is called. ||||

### Yakuman on opening hands

The following are yakuman hands completed on the first go-around.
| Name | Japanese | Value | Closed/Open |
| Blessing of Heaven | tenhō – 天和 | Limit | Closed hand only, dealer only |
| A hand won by the dealer on the very first draw (which considered as a closed self-drawn tile), regardless of its contents. ||||
| Blessing of Earth | chīhō – 地和 | Limit | Closed hand only, non-dealer only |
| A hand won by any non-dealer on the first tile they draw (which fulfills the self-drawn tile hand), regardless of its contents, and without declaring any open-meld, including closed quads. ||||
| Blessing of Man | renhō – 人和 | Depends on ruleset | Closed only, non-dealer only |
| When a player has yet to have a turn, but they call an opponent's discard to win. It must also be the first called tile of the hand. Depending on the ruleset, this hand can be valued at either a yakuman, baiman, or mangan. In stricter rulesets, this is not considered a hand at all, and requires other hands to win. Some rulesets are laxer as the player can still achieve Blessing of Man after their first turn, if the tile they are calling was their opponent's first discard. Because of these variations, this hand is considered optional. ||||

## Ancient or local yaku

The following table details yaku and yakuman hands that are usually not recognized as valid but may appear in house rules.
| Name | Japanese | Value | Closed/Open |
| Three Chained Triplets | sanrenkō – 三連刻 | 2 | Open or Closed |
| A hand with three number triplets (or quads) in one suit with successive numbers. This hand is a local rule and not an officially recognized rule for Japanese mahjong. ||||
| Four Chained Triplets | sūrenkō – 四連刻 | Limit | Open or Closed |
| A hand with four number triplets (or quads) in one suit with successive numbers. This hand is a local rule and not an officially recognized rule for Japanese mahjong. ||||
| Chariot | Suit specific names (see below) | Limit | Closed only |
| A hand composed of 2-2-3-3-4-4-5-5-6-6-7-7-8-8 of one suit. This hand is a local rule and not an officially recognized rule for Japanese mahjong. Each of the numbered suits may also use special names for this hand: Pinzu (circles), daisharin – 大車輪 or big wheels Sōzu (bamboo), daichikurin – 大竹林 or bamboo forest Manzu (characters), daisūrin – 大数隣 or numerous neighbours ||||
| Big Seven Stars | daichisei – 大七星 | Double limit | Closed hand only |
| Seven pairs, all of which are honor tiles (dragons or winds). It is very unusual to play with rules that allow this. ||||
| Thirteen Unconnected Tiles | shīsanpūtā / shīsanbudō - 十三不塔 | Limit | Closed only |
| The hand contains thirteen tiles such that there are no groups, no pairs, and no number tiles closer than three apart from one another, plus an additional one of any of the tiles in the hand. Can only be claimed by a player on their first draw. ||||
| Fourteen Unconnected Tiles | shīsūpūtā - 十四不塔 | Limit | Closed only |
| The hand contains fourteen tiles so that there are no groups, no pairs, and no number tiles closer than three apart from one another. Can only be claimed by a player on their first draw. ||||
| Eight Consecutive Wins | pārenchan – 八連荘 | Limit | Dealer only |
| A player wins eight times consecutively. The conditions of the hand depend on rules, which can be triggered by achieving either the ninth consecutive win onwards, or per every eight wins. It has nothing to do with the number of counters because the number increases when a hand is a draw. In some rules, no other yaku is necessary in the eighth winning. Some rules require the player to be a dealer from the first time. The player is always a dealer when the hand is accomplished. The hand is often optional. ||||