REFERENCE · RULE DETAILS
Rule details: the calls that trip everyone up
This page is a reference — not a lesson to read from start to finish, but something to come back to when a specific situation comes up.
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Rules baseline
This page assumes Japanese riichi, Kanto rules (ippatsu on / ura dora on / three red fives / double-wind 4 fu / open tanyao allowed / standard mangan: 3 han 70 fu, 4 han 40 fu).
Rules vary by region and platform — when they differ, follow the house you actually play at. Differences are covered in lesson 2 of the offline play guide.
Rules vary by region and platform — when they differ, follow the house you actually play at. Differences are covered in lesson 2 of the offline play guide.
Lesson 1 · Draws and calls
| Rule | What it means |
|---|---|
| Draw and discard | Draw one, discard one; your hand stays at 13 tiles (the dealer starts with 14) |
| Chi | You may only call the tile discarded by the player to your left to complete a run. Calling breaks your closed hand |
| Pon | Call any player's discard to match two identical tiles in hand. Also breaks your closed hand |
| Kan | Four identical tiles. Open kan = calling the fourth tile; closed kan = drawing all four yourself. After a kan you draw from the dead wall |
| Robbing a kan | When someone adds the fourth tile to a called triplet, you may win on that tile if you were waiting for it (closed kans are usually safe, except kokushi, depending on rules) |
The most confusing part: how many tiles after a call?
Key: recount your hand after every call.
- Pon / chi: you use one tile (the discard) + two from hand = a set of three, then discard one. After discarding you are back to 13 tiles.
- Kan: a set of four, then draw from the dead wall to replace the tile, and discard one.
The classic beginner mistake: forgetting to count after a call — too many or too few tiles means a dead hand (you cannot win that round).
Make it a habit to count silently after every call. See your first game.
Lesson 2 · Winning
| Rule | What it means |
|---|---|
| At least one yaku | You need at least one yaku to win (yakuman always qualify). No yaku, no win |
| Tsumo | Winning on a tile you drew yourself. All three opponents pay |
| Ron | Winning on someone's discard. Only the discarder pays |
| Furiten | If you pass on a winning tile, you may only win by tsumo for the rest of the hand. Variants: discard furiten, same-turn furiten, riichi furiten |
| Head bump | When several players can win on the same tile, the player closest to the discarder in turn order wins |
| Multiple winners | Several players winning on one tile (double/triple ron). Whether it is allowed, and how head bump applies, depends on the platform |
Furiten is the rule beginners forget most: once you are tenpai, if you pass on a tile you could have won on, you can only win by tsumo for the rest of the hand. So "should I call?" and "should I take this win?" are real decisions — see push/fold.
Lesson 3 · Riichi
| Rule | What it means |
|---|---|
| Requirements | Closed hand + tenpai. Place a 1,000-point stick in the pot |
| After riichi | You cannot change your hand (except a closed kan); you may only discard what you draw |
| Double riichi | Declaring on your first turn before any call. Worth 2 han (riichi + 1) |
| Collecting the pot | The winner takes all riichi sticks on the table. On an exhaustive draw they carry over |
| Riichi furiten | Passing on a win after riichi means tsumo-only for the rest of the hand |
Lesson 4 · Han and fu (quick reference)
Full tables: yaku encyclopedia and scoring. The most-looked-up items:
| Item | What it means |
|---|---|
| 1-han yaku (partial) | Riichi / ippatsu / menzen tsumo / pinfu / tanyao / iipeikou / yakuhai / haitei / houtei / rinshan / chankan |
| 2-han yaku (partial) | Sanshoku / ittsu / chanta / chiitoitsu / toitoi / sanankou / sankantsu / double riichi / honroutou / shousangen |
| Base fu | 20 fu (every winning hand) |
| Rounding fu | Round up to the next ten (36 fu → 40 fu) |
| Seven pairs | Fixed 25 fu + 2 han |
Lesson 5 · Exhaustive draws and penalties
| Rule | What it means |
|---|---|
| Exhaustive draw | The wall runs out with no winner (or an abortive draw). Players not in tenpai pay those who are |
| Noten penalty | At an exhaustive draw each noten player pays 1,000 to each tenpai player — about 3,000 if one player is noten (see endgame) |
| Abortive draws | Four riichi, four winds discarded, nine terminals and honours, etc. (dealer repeat and honba handling vary by rules) |
The noten penalty matters most at the end of a game and is the rule beginners know least. Paying 3,000 is real money, so "can I reach tenpai?" is not just pride. See lesson 5 of endgame strategy.