Riichi is the defining mechanic of riichi mahjong and your most important strategic tool as a beginner. This chapter covers when to declare it, when to hold back, and how to maximize its value.

What is Riichi?

Riichi (立直, リーチ) is a declaration you make when you’re in tenpai (one tile away from winning) with a closed hand. It’s simultaneously a bet, a commitment, and a power-up.

What Happens When You Declare Riichi:

Bet 1,000 points: You place a stick worth 1,000 points on the table
Turn a tile sideways: Your discard that turn is placed horizontally (marking the riichi declaration)
Freeze your hand: You can no longer change your wait—you must auto-discard every tile you draw
Unlock bonuses:
- Riichi yaku (1 han)
- Ippatsu possibility (win within 1 turn cycle, +1 han)
- Ura-dora reveal (bonus dora indicators flipped after you win)
Signal danger: Opponents know you’re in tenpai and play more defensively

The Benefits of Riichi

1. Guaranteed Yaku (1 Han)

The most important benefit: riichi gives you a yaku, making your hand valid to win. Without riichi, you’d need tanyao, yakuhai, or another pattern.

2. Ura-Dora (Variable Han)

When you win after declaring riichi, the tile(s) underneath the dora indicator are flipped to reveal ura-dora. Each ura-dora adds +1 han.

Example:

Dora indicator: 3m → Dora is 4m
You have one 4m in your hand → +1 han
You declare riichi and win
Ura-dora indicator: 6p → Ura-dora is 7p
You have two 7p in your hand → +2 han
Total dora value: +3 han just from dora and ura-dora!

Ura-dora frequently boosts riichi hands into mangan (8,000+ points).

3. Ippatsu (1 Han)

Ippatsu (一発) is a bonus yaku worth 1 han if you win within one turn cycle after declaring riichi, before anyone makes a call (chi, pon, kan).

Conditions:

You declared riichi
You win before your next discard
No one called a tile between your riichi and your win

Example sequence:

You declare riichi, discard 3s
South discards 6m
West discards 7p (your winning tile!)
You call “Ron!” → Ippatsu applies (+1 han)

If anyone calls chi, pon, or kan after your riichi, ippatsu is no longer possible (even if you win later in that turn cycle).

4. Psychological Pressure

When you declare riichi, opponents know:

You’re in tenpai (one tile away)
You’re betting 1,000 points (you’re confident)
Your hand is likely strong (or desperate)

This causes opponents to play more defensively, discarding safer tiles (honors they’ve seen, tiles already discarded in pairs). This makes it harder for them to complete their hands, buying you time.

The Costs and Risks of Riichi

1. The 1,000-Point Bet

If someone else wins before you do, you lose the 1,000-point stick. If the hand ends in a draw, the stick stays on the table for the next hand.

2. Frozen Hand (No Flexibility)

Once you declare riichi, you cannot change your hand. You must auto-discard every tile you draw, even if:

You draw a tile that would give you a better wait
You draw a tile that would complete a higher-scoring yaku
You realize you’re in furiten

Example of riichi lock-in:

Waiting for 7s or 9s (edge wait)

You declare riichi waiting on 9s to complete 789s.

On your next draw, you get 6s. If you hadn’t declared riichi, you could discard 8s and wait on 6s (better wait), but now you’re locked in—you must discard 6s and keep waiting on 9s.

3. Furiten Trap

If you declare riichi and pass on a winning tile (maybe you didn’t notice it, or you were hoping for ippatsu on a different tile), you enter permanent furiten for the rest of the hand. You can only win by tsumo.

4. Revealed Information

Your riichi tells opponents:

You’re in tenpai (they know to defend)
The tile you discarded when declaring riichi is safe (you don’t need it)
You likely have a decent wait (otherwise why riichi?)

This makes it harder to ron—opponents will avoid your likely waiting tiles.

When to Declare Riichi

The Default Rule: Almost Always

As a beginner, declare riichi in 90% of tenpai situations if your hand is closed. Here’s why:

+1 han guaranteed (riichi yaku)
+1-3 han likely (ura-dora)
+1 han possible (ippatsu)
Simplifies decision-making (auto-discard)

A hand that would score 1,000 points (1 han) without riichi becomes 2,000-3,900 points with riichi, and potentially 8,000+ with ura-dora.

Good Riichi Situations

Strong wait (ryanmen, sanmenchan, multiple waits):

Waiting for 2s or 5s

You have a two-sided wait (2s or 5s). Eight tiles in the wall can complete your hand (four 2s, four 5s). Declare riichi.

Already have a yaku, but want ura-dora:

Tanyao, waiting for 3s, 6s, or 9s

This hand already has tanyao (1 han), but riichi adds +1 han and unlocks ura-dora. If you’re not worried about others winning first, declare riichi to maximize score.

Early in the hand (lots of tiles left): If you reach tenpai on turn 5-6 and there are 50+ tiles left in the wall, the chance of drawing your winning tile is high. Declare riichi.

When to Skip Riichi (Damaten)

Damaten (ダマテン) means staying in tenpai without declaring riichi—a concealed ready hand. This is advanced strategy, but here are beginner-friendly cases:

1. Already Have High-Scoring Yaku

Toitoi + Yakuhai, waiting for 8p

This hand already has:

Toitoi (all triplets, 2 han)
Yakuhai (red dragon triplet, 1 han)
Total: 3 han minimum

If you riichi, you gain +1 han but risk the 1,000-point bet. If you think someone else is close to winning, you might skip riichi to avoid the risk. If they discard 8p, you ron for 5,200 points without having bet anything.

2. Bad Wait (Single Tile, Edge Wait)

Waiting for 3m only (edge wait)

You’re waiting on 3m only—a weak single-sided wait. If three of the four 3m tiles are already discarded or visible, you have very few outs. Consider damaten to:

Change your wait if you draw a helpful tile
Avoid betting 1,000 on a low-chance win

3. Late in the Hand (Few Tiles Left)

If it’s turn 15 and only 10 tiles remain in the wall, the chance of drawing your tile is low. Other players may be in tenpai too. Damaten avoids the 1,000-point bet while keeping your hand flexible.

4. You’re Winning by a Lot

If you’re +30,000 points ahead and just need to avoid dealing into others, damaten lets you fold safely (discard safe tiles) if someone else declares riichi.

How to Declare Riichi (Digital Platforms)

On Mahjong Soul, Tenhou, and similar platforms:

Reach tenpai with a closed hand
A “Riichi” button appears on your turn
Click “Riichi” or press the keyboard shortcut (often ‘Z’ or spacebar)
Select your discard (the tile you want to discard with your riichi declaration)
Confirm the declaration

The platform automatically:

Deducts 1,000 points from your score
Marks your discard sideways
Enables auto-discard for future draws
Tracks ippatsu timing

Riichi Etiquette and Rules

Physical Mahjong:

Say “Riichi!” clearly when declaring
Place the 1,000-point stick in the center of the table
Turn your discarded tile sideways (horizontal)
Discard automatically on future turns (no peeking at tiles)

Important Rules:

You must have 1,000+ points to declare riichi (if you have less, you cannot declare)
You cannot declare riichi with fewer than 4 tiles left in the wall (in some rulesets)
You can declare riichi while in furiten (legal but usually unwise)
Your riichi tile must be a legal discard (not a tile that completes your hand)

Advanced: Double Riichi

If you declare riichi on your very first discard (turn 1 as dealer, or your first turn as non-dealer), it’s called daburu riichi (double riichi), worth 2 han instead of 1.

Requirements:

No one has called a tile (chi, pon, kan) before your first discard
You’re in tenpai on your starting hand (very rare)

This is uncommon but worth +1 extra han when it happens.

Example Decision: Riichi or Damaten?

Your hand (non-dealer, East 2, you’re +5,000 points ahead):

Tanyao + Pinfu, waiting for 3m, 6m, 4p, 7p

Analysis:

Yaku: Tanyao (1 han) + Pinfu (1 han) = 2 han
Wait: Four different tiles (3m, 6m, 4p, 7p) = strong wait
Turn: 7 (early)
Game state: Ahead, but not winning by a huge margin

Decision: Declare riichi

+1 han (riichi) → 3 han total
Ura-dora potential → could hit 4-5 han (7,700-8,000 points)
Strong wait (12 tiles in the wall can complete your hand)
Early enough that drawing is likely

If you were +25,000 points ahead (massive lead): You might damaten to avoid risking 1,000 and to stay flexible (defensive play).

Next: Your First Game

You’ve now learned all the core concepts: tiles, melds, gameplay flow, yaku, scoring, and riichi strategy. In the final chapter, we’ll put it all together and guide you through your first game on a digital platform.

Ready to play? Click “Next”!