Riichi mahjong
Riichi mahjong scoring calculator and yaku list.
Riichi scores a hand in two steps. Yaku and dora give you han, the doublers. The hand's shape, wait and how it was won give you fu, the small points. Together they set the payment.
Use the calculator to get the payment straight away, or read on to learn how every part is counted. The conventions here are the standard international ones used in EMA and WRC style play, and where groups commonly differ it says so.
Calculator
Riichi points calculator
Enter the han and fu from your hand. For 5 han and above the fu is ignored, because the limits take over.
Result
2,000 points
The player who discarded pays 2,000.
- Base points
- 480
- Honba bonus
- 0
Riichi sticks on the table go to the winner on top of this amount. They are not included above.
The formula
How points are worked out
Start with base points: fu x 2^(2 + han). Then multiply and round up to the next 100.
| Win | Who pays | Payment |
|---|---|---|
| Non-dealer, ron | The discarder | 4 x base |
| Dealer, ron | The discarder | 6 x base |
| Non-dealer, tsumo | Dealer pays 2 x base, the other two pay 1 x base each | Each rounded up to 100 |
| Dealer, tsumo | Each of the three pays 2 x base | Rounded up to 100 |
Worked example: 3 han 30 fu, non-dealer, ron. Base is 30 x 2^5 = 960. Four times that is 3,840, rounded up to 3,900.
Base points stop growing at 2,000 (mangan). So 4 han 30 fu is 1,920 base. As a ron that is 7,700. Many groups play with kiriage mangan, which rounds 1,920 up to 2,000 and pays 8,000, and the calculator has a switch for it.
Quick reference: ron payments
Non-dealer ron, by han and 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 | 8,000 |
| 4 han | 7,700 | 8,000 | 8,000 | 8,000 | 8,000 |
Dealer ron, by han and fu:
| 30 fu | 40 fu | 50 fu | 60 fu | 70 fu | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 han | 1,500 | 2,000 | 2,400 | 2,900 | 3,400 |
| 2 han | 2,900 | 3,900 | 4,800 | 5,800 | 6,800 |
| 3 han | 5,800 | 7,700 | 9,600 | 11,600 | 12,000 |
| 4 han | 11,600 | 12,000 | 12,000 | 12,000 | 12,000 |
Any cell above 2,000 base is already a mangan, so the grid runs into the limits. Values assume no kiriage and no honba.
Limits
Mangan, haneman, baiman and yakuman
At higher han the payment stops depending on fu and jumps in fixed steps.
| Name | Han | Non-dealer ron | Dealer ron | Non-dealer tsumo | Dealer tsumo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mangan | 5, or 4 with 40+ fu, or 3 with 70+ fu | 8,000 | 12,000 | 2,000 / 4,000 | 4,000 all |
| Haneman | 6 to 7 | 12,000 | 18,000 | 3,000 / 6,000 | 6,000 all |
| Baiman | 8 to 10 | 16,000 | 24,000 | 4,000 / 8,000 | 8,000 all |
| Sanbaiman | 11 to 12 | 24,000 | 36,000 | 6,000 / 12,000 | 12,000 all |
| Yakuman | 13+ (counted) or a yakuman hand | 32,000 | 48,000 | 8,000 / 16,000 | 16,000 all |
In the tsumo columns, the first number is paid by each non-dealer and the second by the dealer. Whether 13 han or more from ordinary yaku counts as yakuman (called kazoe yakuman) depends on the group. The calculator treats it as one.
Fu
How fu is counted
Add up fu from the sources below and round the total up to the next 10. The exceptions are Seven Pairs, which is always 25 fu, and the Pinfu tsumo, which is always 20 fu.
| Source | Fu |
|---|---|
| Base for any complete hand | 20 |
| Closed hand won by ron | +10 |
| Tsumo (except Pinfu) | +2 |
| Pair of dragons, your seat wind or the prevailing wind | +2 (+4 if the wind is both, in most rules) |
| Kanchan (middle), penchan (edge) or tanki (pair) wait | +2 |
| Open pung of simples | +2 |
| Concealed pung of simples | +4 |
| Open pung of terminals or honours | +4 |
| Concealed pung of terminals or honours | +8 |
| Open kong of simples | +8 |
| Concealed kong of simples | +16 |
| Open kong of terminals or honours | +16 |
| Concealed kong of terminals or honours | +32 |
A pung completed by ron counts as open, even in a closed hand. A pung you complete by drawing it yourself stays concealed.
Two worked examples
Closed hand, ron, riichi and tanyao. The hand has three chows, a pair of 2 Dots and a concealed pung of 7 Dots, and you won on a kanchan wait. Fu: 20 base + 10 (closed ron) + 4 (concealed simple pung) + 2 (kanchan) = 36, rounded up to 40. With 2 han that is 40 x 2^4 = 640 base, so a non-dealer ron pays 2,560 rounded up to 2,600.
Open hand, tsumo, White Dragon pung. Three chows, a pair, and an open pung of White Dragons (+4). Fu: 20 + 2 (tsumo) + 4 = 26, rounded up to 30. The dragon pung is 1 han, so base is 30 x 2^3 = 240. A non-dealer tsumo costs the dealer 500 and each other player 300, so the winner gets 1,100 in total.
Yaku
The yaku you will see most
You need at least one yaku to win. Han values are shown for a closed hand, then an open hand (one with a claimed set). A dash means the yaku is not allowed with an open hand.
One han
| Yaku | Closed / open | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Riichi | 1 / not allowed | Declare a ready, fully closed hand and pay a 1,000-point deposit. After that your hand is locked. |
| Ippatsu | 1 / not allowed | Win within one full go-around after declaring riichi, with no claims in between. |
| Menzen tsumo | 1 / not allowed | Win by self-draw with a fully closed hand. |
| Pinfu | 1 / not allowed | Four chows, a pair with no value, and a two-sided wait. Scores 20 fu on tsumo, 30 on ron. |
| Tanyao (all simples) | 1 / 1 | Every tile is a 2 through 8. Open tanyao is allowed in most rules. |
| Iipeikou | 1 / not allowed | Two identical chows in the same suit, in a closed hand. |
| Yakuhai | 1 per pung | A pung or kong of a dragon, your seat wind or the prevailing wind. A wind that is both counts twice. |
| Haitei | 1 / 1 | Win by tsumo on the last tile of the live wall. |
| Houtei | 1 / 1 | Win by ron on the last discard of the hand. |
| Rinshan kaihou | 1 / 1 | Win on the replacement tile you draw after a kong. |
| Chankan | 1 / 1 | Win by ron on a tile another player adds to a pung to make a kong. |
Two han
| Yaku | Closed / open | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Double riichi | 2 / not allowed | Declare riichi on your first discard, before anyone has claimed a tile. |
| Chiitoitsu (seven pairs) | 2 / not allowed | Seven different pairs. Always 25 fu. |
| Sanshoku doujun | 2 / 1 | The same chow in all three suits, such as 456 in each. |
| Ittsu (pure straight) | 2 / 1 | 123, 456 and 789 in one suit. |
| Chanta | 2 / 1 | Every set and the pair contains a terminal or honour, with at least one chow. |
| Toitoi (all pungs) | 2 / 2 | Four pungs or kongs and a pair. |
| Sanankou | 2 / 2 | Three concealed pungs. |
Three han and up
| Yaku | Closed / open | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Honitsu (half flush) | 3 / 2 | One suit plus honour tiles. |
| Chinitsu (full flush) | 6 / 5 | All tiles from one suit, no honours. |
Less common
Rarer yaku and yakuman
| Yaku | Han (closed / open) | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Sanshoku doukou | 2 / 2 | The same pung in all three suits. |
| Sankantsu | 2 / 2 | Three kongs. |
| Honroutou | 2 / 2 | Only terminals and honours (a pung hand). |
| Shousangen | 2 / 2 | Two dragon pungs and a pair of the third dragon. |
| Junchan | 3 / 2 | Every set and the pair contains a terminal, no honours, with a chow. |
| Ryanpeikou | 3 / not allowed | Two sets of identical chows, closed. Counts instead of Iipeikou. |
| Nagashi mangan | Mangan | At an exhaustive draw, every discard you made was a terminal or honour and none was claimed. |
Yakuman
A yakuman is worth the full limit regardless of fu or other han: 32,000 for a non-dealer and 48,000 for the dealer.
| Yakuman | Summary |
|---|---|
| Kokushi musou | Thirteen orphans: one of each terminal and honour, plus one duplicate. |
| Suuankou | Four concealed pungs. |
| Daisangen | Pungs of all three dragons. |
| Shousuushii | Three wind pungs and a pair of the fourth wind. |
| Daisuushii | Pungs of all four winds. |
| Tsuuiisou | All honours. |
| Chinroutou | All terminals. |
| Ryuuiisou | All green: only 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 Bamboo and the Green Dragon. |
| Chuuren poutou | Nine gates: 1112345678999 in one suit plus any tile of that suit. |
| Suukantsu | Four kongs. |
| Tenhou | The dealer wins on the opening deal. |
| Chiihou | A non-dealer wins on their first self-draw, with no claims made. |
Some groups pay double for particular yakuman such as Kokushi on a thirteen-way wait, Suuankou on a pair wait, Daisuushii and the pure Nine Gates. Others do not, and there is no universal answer. The calculator lets you pick double and triple yakuman.
Bonus han
Dora, ura dora and red fives
Dora give extra han to a hand that already has a yaku. They are never a yaku themselves.
- Dora. A tile is turned over at the start of the hand as the dora indicator. The dora is the next tile in sequence: the indicator 4 Bamboo makes 5 Bamboo the dora, 9 loops back to 1, North goes to East, and Red Dragon goes to White. Each dora tile in your hand adds one han.
- Kan dora. Each kong reveals another indicator, and with it a new dora tile.
- Ura dora. If you won after declaring riichi, the tile under each dora indicator is revealed too and counts as an extra dora.
- Red fives. The red 5s in a Riichi set are each worth one han on top of the rest.
Riichi and furiten
Declaring riichi, and the rules that bite
To declare riichi your hand has to be ready (one tile from winning) and fully closed. You announce it, discard sideways, and place a 1,000-point stick on the table. After that you can no longer change your hand, apart from the tile you draw, which you either win with or discard. Winning rewards you with the extra han from riichi and ura dora, and the sticks on the table.
Furiten
You are furiten if any tile that would complete your hand is already in your own discard pile. In furiten you cannot win by ron, only by tsumo.
- Permanent furiten: a winning tile is in your own discards, even if you threw it before you were ready.
- Temporary furiten: you passed on a winning tile this go-around. It lasts until your next discard.
- Riichi furiten: you passed on a winning tile after declaring riichi. It lasts for the rest of the hand.
Honba, sticks and the dealer
When the dealer wins or the hand is drawn with the dealer ready, the dealer stays and a honba counter goes on the table. Each counter adds 300 points to a ron, or 100 from each player on a tsumo. Riichi sticks that nobody wins roll over to the next winner. At an exhaustive draw, the ready hands share 3,000 points from the hands that are not ready.
New to the shared rules of the game? Start with how to play and the tile guide.
Quick answers
Common questions
- How do you calculate Riichi mahjong points?
- Count han (scoring doublers from yaku and dora) and fu (small points for sets, waits and how you won). Base points are fu x 2^(2 + han). A ron from a non-dealer pays 4 x base and from a dealer 6 x base, rounded up to the next 100. From 5 han up, fu no longer matters and the limits apply.
- What is the minimum to win a hand in Riichi?
- You need at least one yaku. Dora and red fives add han, but they never count as a yaku on their own. A hand that is complete but has no yaku cannot be won.
- What counts as mangan?
- A hand worth 5 han, or 4 han with 40 fu or more, or 3 han with 70 fu or more. A mangan pays 8,000 points to a non-dealer and 12,000 to a dealer. Some groups also round 4 han 30 fu and 3 han 60 fu up to mangan, which is called kiriage.
- What is furiten?
- If a tile you are waiting on is in your own discards, you cannot win by ron on any of your waits. This is called furiten. You can still win by tsumo. You are also in temporary furiten for a turn after passing on a winning discard, and in riichi furiten for the rest of the hand if you passed on one after declaring riichi.
- What are honba and riichi sticks?
- Honba are repeat counters: each one adds 300 points to a ron, or 100 from each payer on a tsumo, and builds up when the dealer repeats or the hand is drawn. Riichi sticks are the 1,000-point deposits left on the table when someone declares riichi. The next winner collects them.
Keep going
More mahjong guides
- Mahjong styles compared
Hong Kong, Riichi and Chinese Official side by side.
- How to play mahjong
A beginner's walk through one hand: the wall, drawing, discarding, claiming and calling a win.
- Mahjong tiles guide
Every suit, honour and flower, how many of each there are, and what the tiles are called.
- Hong Kong scoring and faan
The faan list, minimums, a payout table and a calculator for working out what each hand pays.
- Chinese Official (MCR) scoring
The 8-fan minimum, all 81 fan, and how a hand is paid.
- Mahjong solitaire
The one-player tile-matching game: free tiles, pairs and layouts.