What is Riichi Mahjong? The complete beginner's guide

Quick answer. Riichi mahjong is the Japanese variant of mahjong — a strict four-player ruleset, declared "Riichi" bets, an intricate yaku (scoring-hand) system, and a deep strategic culture. It is the mahjong of anime like Akagi and Saki, and the version surging in popularity outside Japan.

1. The origin: from mahjong to Riichi

Mahjong started in 19th-century China and spread through East Asia over the following century. When it reached Japan in the 1920s, players gradually reshaped it: they simplified the wall-building, codified the scoring, and — most importantly — added a single rule that defines the modern Japanese game, the Riichi declaration (立直 / riichi).

By the post-war era the Japanese variant had crystallised into what we now call Riichi mahjong — also known as Japanese mahjong or Reach mahjong. It became a fixture of cafés, family gatherings and university clubs, and in recent years broadcast play has turned it into a spectator sport at home and abroad.

Today Riichi has an active competitive scene in Japan, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Austria, China, Singapore and beyond, with clubs and events bringing new players to the game every year.

2. What makes Riichi different

Many newcomers assume "mahjong" is one game. It isn't — there are at least four major branches, and the tiles look similar while the games underneath are not.

What sets Riichi apart:

• A strict 136-tile set — no jokers, no flowers in the standard ruleset.
• The Riichi declaration itself (covered below) — no other variant uses this exact mechanic.
• A complex yaku system of around 38 standard yaku plus 13+ yakuman, the most prestigious wins.
• Closed-hand emphasis: many yaku are only available if you don't call (claim) tiles from opponents — a strategic layer absent from most Chinese-style games.
• Hand-limit hierarchies — mangan, haneman, baiman, sanbaiman, yakuman — that cap and shape risk-taking.

If you've played another version, expect to relearn the strategy almost completely.

3. The tiles, the wall, and the setup

A Riichi set contains 136 tiles:

• Numbered suits (108 tiles) — three suits: man (萬子 / man-zu), pin (筒子 / pin-zu), sou (索子 / sou-zu). Each suit runs 1 to 9, four copies of each — 36 tiles per suit.
• Honor tiles (28 tiles) — four winds (East, South, West, North) and three dragons (White, Green, Red), four copies of each.

In modern home and tournament play, red fives (aka dora, 赤ドラ) are commonly added — one each in the man, pin and sou suits, replacing a standard five. They act as bonus dora and define the "aka-ari" rules.

The wall. At the start of each round all 136 tiles are shuffled and built into a square wall. Players draw from it, discarding tiles they don't want, until someone declares a win. On an automatic table the wall is built mechanically — which is exactly the rhythm ALBAN's tables are designed around.

4. The goal: winning a hand

Each player starts with 13 tiles. On your turn you draw one, giving you 14 — then discard one, back to 13. You're racing to complete a winning 14-tile configuration before your opponents do.

A winning hand, in its simplest form, is:

Four sets + one pair.

A "set" is one of:

• A sequence (chi / shuntsu, 順子) — three consecutive tiles in one suit, e.g. 3-4-5 of man.
• A triplet (pon / koutsu, 刻子) — three identical tiles, e.g. three red dragons.
• A kan (quad / kantsu, 槓子) — four identical tiles, with special wall-replacement rules.

A "pair" (toitsu, 対子) is two identical tiles. But completing this structure isn't enough to win in Riichi: you also need at least one yaku. That single rule is what makes the game strategically deep.

5. Yaku — the scoring hands (and why Riichi has 38+)

A yaku (役) is a scoring pattern that gives your hand value. Without a yaku you cannot win — even with a structurally complete hand. There are roughly 38 standard yaku plus another 13+ yakuman (the highest-value, rarest hands). Each yaku carries a han value — think of han as a multiplier on your base score.

A few that beginners meet first:

Then come the yakuman — the rarest, most prestigious hands. Kokushi Musou (Thirteen Orphans, 国士無双), Suuankou (Four Concealed Triplets, 四暗刻) and Daisangen (Big Three Dragons, 大三元) are the kind of hands that earn applause at a live tournament table.

For the full reference, see our forthcoming Yaku Encyclopedia, or use the free ALBANote companion — it includes a complete yaku reference and a customisable score table.

6. The "Riichi" declaration: the game's signature move

Here is the move that gives the game its name.

When you're one tile away from a complete hand — a state called tenpai (聴牌) — and your hand is closed (you haven't claimed tiles from opponents), you can declare:

"Riichi!"

You place a 1,000-point stick on the table, flipping it sideways. It stays in the kyotaku pot until the next winner claims it. When you declare Riichi:

1. Your hand is locked. You can no longer change which tiles you keep — you must discard everything you draw, unless it completes your hand.
2. You bet 1,000 points (the riichi stick). If someone else wins they take it; if the round draws, it carries over.
3. You unlock Ura Dora — bonus dora tiles only available to riichi winners, which can dramatically boost your score.
4. You earn the Riichi yaku automatically (1 han).

It's a commitment move. You're telling the table: "I'm one away. I'm going for it." Now every other player must decide — defend against your declared hand, or push for their own. That tension is what makes Riichi strategically distinct.

7. A single round, step by step

Here's a single hanchan (half-game, eight rounds) at a casual level.

1. Seating. Players draw tiles to decide seats; the starting dealer (oya) is set.
2. Wall building. All 136 tiles are shuffled and the wall is built — mechanically on an automatic table.
3. Distribution. Each player gets 13 tiles; the dealer draws first to 14.
4. Play. Starting from the dealer, players take turns drawing and discarding.
5. Calls. Players can call Pon (claim a discard for a triplet), Chi (claim from the player to your left for a sequence) or Kan (claim for a quad). Each call opens your hand, removing access to closed-only yaku.
6. Tenpai. One tile from completion, you may declare Riichi — if your hand is still closed.
7. Winning.
   • Ron — you complete your hand on an opponent's discard; that opponent pays you.
   • Tsumo — you self-draw the winning tile; everyone pays you (the dealer pays more).
8. Scoring. Points come from yaku × han + fu + bonus dora + ura dora (if you riichi'd). Sticks change hands.
9. Next round. The dealer continues (renchan) if they won; otherwise the deal passes east.
10. End of hanchan. After eight rounds (East 1–4, South 1–4), the highest score wins.

It's a lot at first. But after a few games — especially with a scoring companion like ALBANote on your phone — it becomes second nature.

8. Broadcast play and the rise of Riichi as a spectator sport

In recent years Riichi has grown from a pastime into a televised, streamed spectator sport. Matches are broadcast in HD with live commentary and on-screen statistics, and the strategy behind the game is now analysed the way poker strategy is.

It changed how Riichi is seen at home and abroad: the game reached new audiences, strong players became public figures, and English-commentary channels grew alongside them.

The tables behind that kind of production are automatic Riichi tables. ALBAN's Slim Voice SCORE is our flagship, developed in-house with an integrated LCD score display and built-in voice guidance — the same rhythm of auto-shuffle and auto-deal, brought to the home and to players abroad.

Want to watch a match? Riichi matches are easy to find on YouTube. Most clips are in Japanese, but the gameplay is universal — and English-commentary channels now exist too.

9. How Riichi is growing outside Japan

The growth tells its own story:

• A fast-growing English-language community, with more players sitting down to Riichi each year.
• Local clubs and casual events across North America and Europe.
• Active clubs in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, Vancouver, London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney and Melbourne.
• Online platforms that let anyone play from anywhere.

If you're in North America or Europe there's likely a club within driving distance; online platforms like Tenhou and Mahjong Soul (Jantama) bridge the gap for everyone else.

10. How to start playing today

Three paths, in order of immediacy.

Path 1 — Play online (today)

• Mahjong Soul (Jantama) — free-to-play with optional cosmetics; the dominant English-language Riichi platform in 2026, with excellent tutorials.
• Tenhou — long-running, more traditional UI, and the most respected online platform in Japan.

Path 2 — Find a local club

• Search a Riichi club directory for your city; many clubs host open beginner nights where you'll borrow tiles, learn etiquette and meet players.

Path 3 — Get your own table

• An automatic Riichi table transforms the home experience: faster games, perfect walls and a permanent space for the game.
• For most beginners the Slim Voice is the best entry point — compact, foldable, voice-guided, and developed by ALBAN, a Tokyo company since 1990.
• For the home flagship experience, the Slim Voice SCORE adds an integrated LCD score display.

Whichever path you choose, ALBANote is a free companion worth keeping beside your games — no ads, no login, works offline, and your data stays yours.

11. Common beginner questions

Short answers below. Each of these is also marked up for search engines in this page's FAQ data, and you can expand the same questions in the FAQ section just under the article.

This guide is maintained by the ALBAN Editorial Team with input from professional Riichi players. Found something to correct or expand? Reach us at editorial@alban-global.com.