Riichi Mahjong

Last updated: 2025-02-22

Overview

Riichi Mahjong (リーチ麻雀) is one of the most popular competitive mahjong variants today, known for its "riichi" declaration and precise yaku and scoring system. With rigorous rules, deep strategic depth, and emphasis on closed hands and offense-defense balance, it is widely used in both online and offline competitive tournaments.

Key Features of Riichi Mahjong

Uses 136 tiles (no flower tiles)
Must have at least one han (yaku) to win
Unique "riichi" declaration mechanic
Dora (ドラ) system adds randomness and strategy
Precise han-fu scoring system
Furiten rule restricts winning by ron

Basic Setup

Tiles Used

Riichi Mahjong uses 136 tiles, with no flower tiles:

Characters (m): 1–9 Man, 4 of each, 36 total
Dots (p): 1–9 Pin, 4 of each, 36 total
Bamboos (s): 1–9 Sou, 4 of each, 36 total
Wind tiles (z1–z4): East, South, West, North, 4 of each, 16 total
Dragon tiles (z5–z7): Chun, Hatsu, Haku, 4 of each, 12 total

Complete Numbered Tiles

Characters 1–9, Dots 1–9, Bamboos 1–9

Complete Honor Tiles

East (z1), South (z2), West (z3), North (z4), Chun (z5), Hatsu (z6), Haku (z7)

Red Dora

Some rulesets use red dora (赤ドラ), replacing one five from each suit with a red-colored five. Holding one counts as 1 extra han:

Red five of Characters (Red 5m) ×1
Red five of Dots (Red 5p) ×1
Red five of Bamboos (Red 5s) ×1

Round Wind & Seating

| Concept | Description | |---------|-------------| | East-only game | Only East round (East 1–4), 4 hands (may extend with dealer repeats) | | Half game (Hanchan) | East + South rounds (East 1–4, South 1–4), 8 hands | | Dealer (Oya) | Winning score ×1.5; honba count increases on dealer repeat | | Non-dealer (Ko) | The three non-dealer players | | Starting points | 25,000 points each |

Game Flow

Hand Progression

Deal: Dealer gets 14 tiles, non-dealers get 13 each
Dealer starts: Dealer discards one tile
Counter-clockwise turns: Next player draws → discards (or calls)
Win or draw: Someone wins and the hand ends; or the wall is exhausted (draw)
Next hand: Dealer rotates or repeats based on the outcome

Dealer Repeat (Renchan)

When the dealer wins or is tenpai at an exhaustive draw, they repeat as dealer and the honba count increases by 1. Each honba adds 300 points (tsumo: +100 per player, ron: +300).

Melding (Naki / Furo)

Melding means using tiles discarded by other players to form sets. After melding, you lose your closed hand status, and some yaku are reduced or invalidated.

Chi (チー)

Take one tile from the player to your left to form a sequence with two tiles from your hand.

Example: Chi

With 4m and 5m in hand, you can chi when the left player discards 3m or 6m to form m345 or m456.

Pon (ポン)

Take one tile from any player to form a triplet with two identical tiles from your hand. Pon takes priority over chi.

Example: Pon

With two Chun (z5), you can pon when any player discards Chun to form a triplet.

Open Kan (Daiminkan)

Take one tile from any player to form a quad with three identical tiles from your hand. After declaring kan, draw a replacement tile from the dead wall and flip a new kan dora indicator.

Example: Open Kan

With three 9p, you can declare open kan when someone discards 9p.

Closed Kan (Ankan)

When you have four identical tiles in hand, you can declare a closed kan. Closed kan preserves your closed hand status.

Example: Closed Kan

With four 1s, you can declare closed kan without affecting your closed hand status.

Added Kan (Shouminkan)

When you've already called pon on a triplet and draw the fourth tile, you can upgrade it to a kan. Note: other players may declare "robbing the kan" (chankan) to win.

⚠️ Melding Notes

After melding, your hand size decreases and melded sets are exposed
Melding opens your hand (except closed kan)
Some yaku (riichi, iipeiko, pinfu, etc.) require a closed hand and are invalidated by melding
Some yaku (sanshoku, ittsu, etc.) lose one han when the hand is open

Riichi (リーチ)

Riichi is the signature rule of Riichi Mahjong and the most commonly used 1-han yaku.

Riichi Conditions

Closed hand: No chi, pon, or open kan (closed kan is allowed)
Tenpai: Your hand is in tenpai (waiting) state
Points: You must have at least 1,000 points
Wall remaining: At least 4 drawable tiles remain in the wall

Riichi Procedure

Declare "Riichi"
Place the discarded tile sideways (indicating the riichi declaration tile)
Pay a 1,000-point riichi deposit (riichi stick)
You cannot change your hand afterward; drawn tiles must be discarded as-is (with special exceptions for closed kan)

Example: Riichi Hand

Closed tenpai hand, ready to declare riichi. Waiting on 4p or 7p.

Winning after riichi lets you flip ura-dora, significantly increasing han count.

Ippatsu

Winning within one turn cycle after declaring riichi (before any player's next discard completes a full round) earns ippatsu, an extra +1 han. If any player calls (chi/pon/kan) during this period, ippatsu is cancelled.

Double Riichi (ダブルリーチ)

Declaring riichi on your very first draw (before any calls have been made) counts as double riichi, worth 2 han.

Winning Conditions

Ways to Win

Tsumo (ツモ): Self-draw — you draw the winning tile from the wall
Ron (ロン): Winning off another player's discard

Must Have Yaku

In Riichi Mahjong, you must have at least 1 han of yaku to win. Without yaku, you cannot declare a win (called "no yaku").

Furiten Rules

Furiten (フリテン) is a unique and important rule in Riichi Mahjong that restricts winning by ron:

Three Types of Furiten

Discard furiten: If any of your waiting tiles appears in your own discard pile, you cannot ron any tile (but you can still tsumo)
Temporary furiten: If someone discards your waiting tile during the current turn cycle but you don't win, you cannot ron until your next turn (resets on your draw)
Riichi furiten: After declaring riichi, if someone discards your waiting tile and you don't win (or can't win), you can only win by tsumo for the rest of the hand

Yaku Details

1-Han Yaku

Riichi (リーチ)

Declare riichi when tenpai with a closed hand.

Closed hand, win after declaring riichi. Winning on z1 (East). 1 han.

Ippatsu (イッパツ)

Win within one turn cycle after declaring riichi. Combined with riichi.

Menzen Tsumo (ツモ)

Win by self-draw with a closed hand.

Closed hand, self-draw win. 1 han.

Tanyao (タンヤオ)

No terminals (1, 9) or honor tiles — all tiles are numbered 2–8.

All tiles are 2–8 numbered tiles. Tanyao. 1 han.

Pinfu (ピンフ)

Closed hand, four sequences, non-yakuhai pair, two-sided wait.

Four sequences + non-yakuhai pair. Pinfu. 1 han.

Iipeiko (イーペーコー)

Closed hand with two identical sequences in the same suit.

m123 appears twice. Iipeiko. 1 han. Closed hand only.

Yakuhai - Seat Wind (ヤクハイ)

A triplet or quad of your own seat wind tile. For example, East player holding a triplet of East.

East player with a triplet of East (z1). Yakuhai 1 han.

Yakuhai - Round Wind (ヤクハイ)

A triplet or quad of the current round wind tile. For example, a triplet of East during East round.

Yakuhai - Dragons (ヤクハイ)

A triplet or quad of Chun (z5), Hatsu (z6), or Haku (z7). Each is worth 1 han.

Triplet of Chun (z5). Yakuhai 1 han.

Triplet of Hatsu (z6). Yakuhai 1 han.

Triplet of Haku (z7). Yakuhai 1 han.

Chankan (チャンカン)

Win by robbing another player's added kan — the tile they use to upgrade a pon to a kan is your winning tile. 1 han.

Rinshan Kaihou (リンシャンカイホウ)

Win by self-drawing the replacement tile after declaring kan. 1 han.

Haitei (ハイテイ)

Win by self-drawing the very last tile from the wall. 1 han.

Houtei (ホウテイ)

Win by ron on the very last discarded tile after the wall is exhausted. 1 han.

2-Han Yaku

Double Riichi (ダブルリーチ)

Declare riichi on your first draw (before any calls). 2 han.

Sanshoku Doujun (サンショクドウジュン)

The same numbered sequence in all three suits. Reduced to 1 han when open.

123 sequence in all three suits. Sanshoku. Closed 2 han, open 1 han.

Ittsu (イッツー)

123 + 456 + 789 sequences in the same suit. Reduced to 1 han when open.

Characters 123, 456, 789 — Ittsu. Closed 2 han, open 1 han.

Chanta (チャンタ)

Every set and the pair contains a terminal (1, 9) or honor tile. Reduced to 1 han when open.

Every set contains terminals or honors. Chanta. Closed 2 han.

Chiitoitsu (チートイツ)

Seven different pairs. Fixed at 2 han, 25 fu.

Seven pairs. Chiitoitsu. 2 han.

Toitoi (トイトイ)

Four triplets (or quads) + one pair. 2 han.

Four triplets + pair. Toitoi. 2 han.

San Ankou (サンアンコウ)

Three concealed triplets in hand. 2 han.

Three concealed triplets (m111, p444, s777). San Ankou. 2 han.

San Kantsu (サンカンツ)

Three kan declarations. 2 han.

Honroutou (ホンロウトウ)

Hand consists entirely of terminals (1, 9) and honor tiles. Always combined with toitoi or chiitoitsu. 2 han.

All terminals and honors. Honroutou + Toitoi.

Shousangen (ショウサンゲン)

Two dragon triplets + one dragon pair. 2 han (plus 2 han from the two dragon yakuhai, so at least 4 han in practice).

Chun triplet + Hatsu triplet + Haku pair = Shousangen (2 han) + Yakuhai ×2 (2 han) = at least 4 han.

Sanshoku Doukou (サンショクドウコウ)

The same numbered triplet in all three suits. 2 han.

555 triplets in all three suits. Sanshoku Doukou. 2 han.

3-Han Yaku

Ryanpeikou (リャンペーコー)

Closed hand with two sets of identical sequences (four sequences total forming two iipeiko). 3 han.

m123×2 + p789×2. Ryanpeikou. 3 han. Closed hand only.

Junchan (ジュンチャン)

Every set and the pair contains a terminal (1 or 9), with no honor tiles. Reduced to 2 han when open.

Every set contains 1 or 9, no honors. Junchan. Closed 3 han.

Honitsu (ホンイツ)

Hand consists entirely of one suit plus honor tiles. Reduced to 2 han when open.

All Characters + honor tiles. Honitsu. Closed 3 han.

6-Han Yaku

Chinitsu (チンイツ)

Hand consists entirely of one suit, no honor tiles. Reduced to 5 han when open.

All Dots. Chinitsu. Closed 6 han.

Yakuman (ヤクマン)

Yakuman are the highest-tier yaku, typically worth 32,000 points (non-dealer) or 48,000 points (dealer).

Tenhou (テンホウ)

Dealer wins with their initial 14-tile deal. Yakuman.

Chiihou (チーホウ)

Non-dealer wins by self-draw on their very first turn (before any calls). Yakuman.

Kokushi Musou (コクシムソウ)

One of each of the 13 terminal and honor tiles + one duplicate as the pair. Yakuman.

One of each terminal/honor + Haku (z7) pair. Kokushi Musou. Yakuman.

Suu Ankou (スーアンコウ)

Closed hand with four concealed triplets + pair. Yakuman.

Four concealed triplets + pair. Suu Ankou. Yakuman.

Daisangen (ダイサンゲン)

Triplets or quads of all three dragon tiles (Chun, Hatsu, Haku). Yakuman.

Triplets of all three dragons. Daisangen. Yakuman.

Tsuuiisou (ツーイーソー)

Hand consists entirely of honor tiles. Yakuman.

All honor tiles. Tsuuiisou. Yakuman.

Ryuuiisou (リューイーソー)

Hand consists entirely of 2s, 3s, 4s, 6s, 8s of Bamboos and Hatsu (z6). Yakuman.

All green tiles (s2, s3, s4, s8, z6). Ryuuiisou. Yakuman.

Chinroutou (チンロウトウ)

Hand consists entirely of 1s and 9s (no honors). Always combined with toitoi. Yakuman.

All 1s and 9s. Chinroutou. Yakuman.

Chuuren Poutou (チューレンポウトウ)

1112345678999 of a single suit + any tile of the same suit. Closed hand only. Yakuman.

Chuuren Poutou in Characters, winning on 9m. Yakuman.

Suu Kantsu (スーカンツ)

Four kan declarations (open or closed). Yakuman.

Shousuushii (ショウスーシー)

Three wind triplets + one wind pair. Yakuman.

East, South, West triplets + North pair. Shousuushii. Yakuman.

Double Yakuman

The highest-tier yaku recognized in some rulesets:

Kokushi Musou 13-Sided Wait

One of each terminal/honor tile, waiting on all 13 kinds. Double Yakuman.

One of each terminal/honor + Haku (z7) pair. 13-sided wait Kokushi. Double Yakuman.

Suu Ankou Tanki

Four concealed triplets already complete, waiting on a single tile for the pair. Double Yakuman.

Four concealed triplets + m9 pair. Suu Ankou Tanki. Double Yakuman.

Daisuushii (ダイスーシー)

Triplets or quads of all four wind tiles. Double Yakuman.

Triplets of East, South, West, North + 5m pair. Daisuushii. Double Yakuman.

Junsei Chuuren Poutou

1112345678999 of a single suit, waiting on all 1–9 (nine-sided wait). Double Yakuman.

Dora (ドラ) System

Dora are not yaku by themselves, but each dora tile adds +1 han.

Omote Dora (Face-up Dora)

At the start of the hand, one dora indicator tile is flipped face-up from the dead wall. The tile next in sequence after the indicator is the dora:

| Indicator | Dora | |-----------|------| | 1m | 2m | | 9m | 1m (wraps around) | | 9p | 1p (wraps around) | | East (z1) | South (z2) | | North (z4) | East (z1) (wraps around) | | Haku (z7) | Chun (z5) (wraps around) |

Ura Dora

After winning with riichi, the tile beneath the dora indicator is flipped as the ura-dora indicator, and similarly the "next tile" is the ura-dora.

Red Dora (Aka Dora)

Red 5m, red 5p, and red 5s — one of each. Holding one adds +1 han.

Kan Dora

After each kan declaration, a new dora indicator is flipped, adding another dora.

Points Calculation

Fu Calculation

Fu (符) is one of the basic units for calculating points:

| Item | Fu | |------|-----| | Base fu | 20 fu (30 fu for closed ron) | | Tsumo | +2 fu | | Single wait / closed wait / edge wait | +2 fu | | Open triplet of simples (2–8) | +2 fu | | Open triplet of terminals/honors | +4 fu | | Closed triplet of simples | +4 fu | | Closed triplet of terminals/honors | +8 fu | | Open quad of simples | +8 fu | | Open quad of terminals/honors | +16 fu | | Closed quad of simples | +16 fu | | Closed quad of terminals/honors | +32 fu | | Yakuhai pair | +2 fu |

Han-Fu Points Table

Common Points Reference (Non-dealer Ron)

| Han＼Fu | 30 fu | 40 fu | 50 fu | 60 fu | 70 fu | |---------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------| | 1 han | 1,000 | 1,300 | 1,600 | 2,000 | 2,300 | | 2 han | 2,000 | 2,600 | 3,200 | 3,900 | 4,500 | | 3 han | 3,900 | 5,200 | 6,400 | 7,700 | Mangan | | 4 han | 7,700 | Mangan | Mangan | Mangan | Mangan |

Mangan and Above

| Han | Name | Non-dealer Ron | Dealer Ron | |-----|------|----------------|------------| | 5 han (or 4 han 30+ fu) | Mangan | 8,000 | 12,000 | | 6–7 han | Haneman | 12,000 | 18,000 | | 8–10 han | Baiman | 16,000 | 24,000 | | 11–12 han | Sanbaiman | 24,000 | 36,000 | | 13+ han | Counted Yakuman | 32,000 | 48,000 | | Yakuman | Yakuman | 32,000 | 48,000 | | Double Yakuman | Double Yakuman | 64,000 | 96,000 |

Tsumo Payment Split

Non-dealer tsumo: The other two non-dealers each pay 1/4, the dealer pays 1/2
Dealer tsumo: Each of the three non-dealers pays 1/3

Draw Rules

Exhaustive Draw (Ryuukyoku)

When the wall is exhausted (14 tiles in the dead wall are not drawn), and no one has won, the hand ends in a draw. Tenpai players collect a penalty (noten bappu) from non-tenpai players (total 3,000 points).

Abortive Draws

The following situations can cause an abortive draw (typically without dealer repeat):

Nine different terminals/honors: On the first turn (before any calls), if a player holds 9 or more different terminal/honor tiles, they may declare a draw
Four wind discards: All four players discard the same wind tile on the first turn
Four kan draw: Four kan have been declared by different players
Triple/Quadruple riichi: Three or four players all declare riichi

Penalties

Chombo (チョンボ)

Falsely declaring a win (e.g., no yaku, wrong tile count). Pay mangan-level penalty points.

Noten Bappu (No-ten Penalty)

When the hand ends in an exhaustive draw, non-tenpai players pay tenpai players:

1 player tenpai: Other 3 each pay 1,000 points
2 players tenpai: The 2 non-tenpai players each pay 1,500 points
3 players tenpai: The 1 non-tenpai player pays 3,000 points