Mahjong Yaku List for Beginners: Essential Guide

Learning riichi mahjong can feel overwhelming when you first encounter yaku—the scoring patterns you need to declare a winning hand. This mahjong yaku list for beginners breaks down the essential patterns you’ll actually use in your first games, with clear examples and practical tips for spotting them at the table.

Unlike American mahjong where you follow a printed card, riichi mahjong requires you to memorize yaku patterns. But here’s the good news: you only need to know 5-6 basic yaku to start playing competently. We’ll cover those first, then introduce the intermediate patterns you’ll naturally learn as you gain experience.

What Are Yaku and Why Do They Matter?

Yaku are scoring patterns in riichi mahjong—specific combinations or conditions that make your hand valid for winning. Without at least one yaku, you cannot declare ron (winning off someone’s discard) or tsumo (winning by self-draw).

Think of yaku as the “proof” that your hand is worth something. You might have four sets and a pair (the basic winning structure), but unless those tiles form a recognized pattern, your hand has no value.

The han value of your yaku determines your score. Each yaku is worth 1-6 han, and multiple yaku stack together. A 1-han hand might score 1,000 points, while a 3-han hand could be worth 5,800 points or more.

The 5 Essential Beginner Yaku

These five yaku will account for roughly 70% of your winning hands as a beginner. Master these before worrying about anything else.

Riichi (1 Han)

Riichi is your bread-and-butter yaku. When your hand is one tile away from winning (tenpai), you can declare riichi by saying “riichi,” rotating your next discard sideways, and placing a 1,000-point stick on the table as a deposit.

Requirements:

Closed hand (no called chi, pon, or kan)
In tenpai (waiting for one tile to complete)
At least 1,000 points to pay the deposit

Why it matters: Riichi gives you a guaranteed yaku, meaning any complete hand structure becomes valid. It also opens the door to ippatsu and ura dora bonuses.

Example: You have 234m 567p 88s 345s and draw 6s. You’re waiting for 7s or 9s to complete. Declare riichi and you have a valid yaku.

Tanyao (1 Han)

Tanyao means “all simples”—your entire hand contains only 2-8 tiles with no terminals (1s or 9s) or honor tiles (winds or dragons).

Requirements:

All tiles must be 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8
No 1s, 9s, winds, or dragons
Can be open or closed (rules vary by location)

Why it matters: Tanyao is the easiest yaku to spot and build toward. Simple tiles are safer to call and more flexible for building sets.

Example: 234m 567m 88p 345s 678s is a valid tanyao hand—every tile is between 2 and 8.

Yakuhai (1 Han)

Yakuhai means “value tiles”—a pon (three of a kind) of dragons (white, green, red) or your seat wind or the round wind.

Requirements:

A pon or kan of dragons (always valid)
A pon or kan of your seat wind
A pon or kan of the round wind (prevailing wind)

Why it matters: Yakuhai is the easiest yaku to force. See two dragons in your starting hand? Call the third and you’re guaranteed a yaku.

Example: You’re the South player in an East round. A pon of white dragons, red dragons, East wind, or South wind would all give you yakuhai.

Pinfu (1 Han)

Pinfu means “no points”—a fully closed hand with four sequences (no triplets) and a two-sided wait on a non-value pair.

Requirements:

Closed hand (no calls)
Four sequences (chi sets like 234, 567)
Pair of non-value tiles (not your wind, not round wind, not dragons)
Two-sided wait (ryanmen) like waiting for 4 or 7 when you have 56

Why it matters: Pinfu is extremely common and teaches you to build efficient sequences. It’s worth 30 fu instead of 40, which affects scoring.

Example: 234m 456m 678p 23s 567s waiting on 1s or 4s, with a pair of 8p (non-value). This is pinfu.

Iipeikou (1 Han)

Iipeikou means “pure double sequence”—two identical sequences in the same suit.

Requirements:

Closed hand only
Two sequences that are exactly the same (like 234m and 234m)

Why it matters: This often happens naturally when you’re building toward pinfu. It’s easy to spot once you know what to look for.

Example: 234m 234m 567p 88s 345s—notice the two identical 234m sequences.

Intermediate Yaku Worth Learning Next

Once you’re comfortable with the five essential yaku, add these to your repertoire. You’ll see them frequently enough to justify learning them.

Toitoi (2 Han)

All four sets are triplets (pon) instead of sequences. Your hand looks like: pon-pon-pon-pon-pair.

This usually happens when you call multiple pons early. Worth 2 han, making it valuable for quick wins.

Chanta (2 Han, 1 Han if Open)

Every set and the pair contains at least one terminal (1 or 9) or honor tile. Also called “half outside hand.”

Example: 123m 789p 111s 99s with white dragon pair—every group touches a terminal or honor.

Honitsu (3 Han, 2 Han if Open)

Your hand contains tiles from only one suit, plus honor tiles. Called “half flush” because it’s not quite a full flush.

This is powerful but requires patience. Start with a hand heavy in one suit and honors.

Chinitsu (6 Han, 5 Han if Open)

Your hand contains tiles from only one suit—no honors at all. Called “full flush.”

This is one of the highest-value common yaku. If you get a starting hand with 10+ tiles in one suit, consider going for chinitsu.

Sanshoku Doujun (2 Han, 1 Han if Open)

The same sequence appears in all three suits. For example: 234m, 234p, and 234s all in your hand.

This is harder to achieve but worth learning to spot. It rewards balanced building across suits.

Special Situation Yaku

These yaku happen due to specific game conditions rather than tile patterns.

Ippatsu (1 han): Win within your first turn after declaring riichi, before anyone calls a tile. This is a bonus that stacks with riichi.

Rinshan Kaihou (1 han): Win on the replacement tile after calling a kan. Rare but exciting.

Chankan (1 han): Rob someone’s kan by declaring ron on the tile they’re adding to an existing pon. Very rare.

Haitei/Houtei (1 han): Win on the very last tile of the wall (haitei) or the last discard (houtei). Pure luck.

How to Build Yaku Into Your Strategy

Don’t just memorize yaku—learn to recognize opportunities during play.

Start with flexibility. In your first few turns, keep tiles that work toward multiple yaku. Middle tiles (3-7) work for tanyao. Pairs of dragons can become yakuhai.

Declare riichi when stuck. If you’re in tenpai but don’t have a yaku, riichi gives you one instantly. This is especially useful when you have a pinfu-shaped hand but the wait isn’t correct.

Call strategically. Every call you make closes off pinfu, iipeikou, and riichi. Only call when you’re building toward toitoi, yakuhai, or a flush (honitsu/chinitsu).

Count your han before pushing. A 1-han hand isn’t worth much risk. If you only have tanyao, consider whether declaring riichi to add another han is worth the 1,000-point deposit.

Common Beginner Mistakes with Yaku

Mistake 1: Winning without a yaku. You cannot win with just four sets and a pair. Always verify you have at least one yaku before declaring ron or tsumo.

Mistake 2: Breaking pinfu requirements. Pinfu requires a two-sided wait. If you’re waiting on a single tile (tanki), edge (penchan), or closed wait (kanchan), you don’t have pinfu—even if everything else looks right.

Mistake 3: Forgetting seat/round winds change. Your yakuhai options change every hand. East wind is always valuable in the East round, but South wind only matters if you’re the South player or it’s the South round.

Mistake 4: Calling tiles unnecessarily. New players often call every possible tile. Remember: calling closes off riichi, pinfu, and iipeikou. Only call when you have a clear path to a different yaku.

Yaku Quick Reference Table

Yaku Name	Han Value	Open/Closed	Key Requirement
Riichi	1	Closed only	Declare when in tenpai
Tanyao	1	Both*	Only 2-8 tiles
Yakuhai	1	Both	Pon of dragons/seat wind/round wind
Pinfu	1	Closed only	Four sequences, two-sided wait
Iipeikou	1	Closed only	Two identical sequences
Toitoi	2	Both	Four triplets
Honitsu	3/2	Both	One suit + honors
Chinitsu	6/5	Both	One suit only
Sanshoku	2/1	Both	Same sequence in all suits

*Tanyao open rules vary by location—some allow it, some don’t.

Your Next Steps

Start by focusing exclusively on riichi, tanyao, and yakuhai in your first 10-20 games. These three will give you enough yaku options to win consistently while you learn the game flow.

Once you’re comfortable, add pinfu and iipeikou to your recognition toolkit. These closed-hand yaku will naturally appear as you build sequences.

Print or bookmark this mahjong yaku list for beginners and keep it nearby during your first games. Within a few sessions, the essential patterns will become second nature, and you’ll start spotting opportunities for intermediate yaku automatically.

The key is playing hands, not just reading about them. Each game gives you 4-8 chances to practice yaku recognition. Jump in, make mistakes, and learn what works.