Riichi Mahjong Glossary

Characters

The suit depicted with Chinese numerals for 10,000. One of three numbered suits with tiles 1-9.

Circles/Dots

The suit showing circular coin designs. One of three numbered suits with tiles 1-9.

Bamboos

The suit depicting bamboo sticks. The 1-sou (bird) is unique. One of three numbered suits with tiles 1-9.

Honor Tiles

The seven honor tiles: four winds and three dragons. Cannot form sequences, only triplets.

Wind Tiles

The four wind tiles: East, South, West, North. Worth 1 han when matching seat or round wind.

Dragon Tiles

White (haku), Green (hatsu), and Red (chun) dragons. A triplet of any is worth 1 han.

East

East wind tile. The starting dealer position and first round wind.

South

South wind tile. The second round wind in a full game.

West

West wind tile. Third seat position counter-clockwise from East.

North

North wind tile. Fourth seat position in the rotation.

White Dragon

The white dragon, shown as a blank or framed tile. Also called 'blank' ('shiro') or 'soap'.

Green Dragon

The green dragon, displaying the character for 'development' or 'prosperity'. Also called 'Ao' or 'green dragon'.

Red Dragon

The red dragon, showing the character for 'center' or 'China'. Often worth 1 han as yakuhai.

Terminal Tiles

The 1 and 9 of each numbered suit. Key to yaku like junchan and chinroutou.

Simple Tiles

Numbered tiles 2-8 in any suit. A tanyao hand contains only simples.

Terminals and Honors

Collective term for 1s, 9s, and all honor tiles. Central to many yaku.

Sequence

A set of three consecutive numbered tiles in the same suit (e.g., 2-3-4 man).

Triplet

A set of three identical tiles. Can be formed with any tile type.

Quad/Kong

A set of four identical tiles. Requires declaring kan to form.

Pair

Two identical tiles. Every standard winning hand needs exactly one pair (the head).

Head/Pair

Another word for the pair in a winning hand. Determines some fu points.

Meld/Set

A group of tiles forming a valid set: sequence, triplet, or quad.

Bonus Tile

Bonus tiles adding 1 han each. The dora indicator shows the tile before the dora.

Hidden Dora

Extra dora revealed under the indicator after winning with riichi. Adds more han potential.

Red Dora

Red-colored 5s worth 1 han each. Standard sets include at least one red 5 per suit.

Kan Dora

Additional dora indicator revealed when someone declares kan.

Ready Declaration

Declare when one tile away from winning with a closed hand. Costs 1000 points.

Self-Draw

Win by drawing your own winning tile with a closed hand.

All Simples

Hand contains only tiles 2-8, no terminals or honors.

All Sequences

Closed hand with four sequences, valueless pair, and open-ended wait.

Pure Double Sequence

Two identical sequences in the same suit. Requires closed hand.

Value Tiles

Triplet/quad of dragons, seat wind, or round wind.

Three Colored Runs

Same sequence in all three suits.

Pure Straight

Sequences 123, 456, 789 in the same suit.

Mixed Outside Hand

Every set and the pair includes a terminal or honor.

Seven Pairs

Seven different pairs. No duplicate pairs allowed. 25 fu regardless of contents.

All Triplets

Four triplets/quads and a pair. No sequences allowed.

Three Concealed Triplets

Three triplets formed without calling. The fourth set can be open.

Three Color Triplets

Triplets of the same number in all three suits.

Three Kans

Three quads (kan) in one hand. Rare and difficult.

All Terminals and Honors

Only terminals and honors, no simples.

Little Three Dragons

Two dragon triplets and a dragon pair. Comes with 2 yakuhai.

Half Flush

One suit plus honors only.

Pure Outside Hand

Every set and pair includes a terminal. No honors.

Twice Pure Double Sequence

Two sets of iipeikou. Requires closed hand. Cannot combine with chiitoitsu.

Full Flush

Entire hand is one numbered suit only.

Thirteen Orphans

One of each terminal and honor, plus one duplicate as head.

Four Concealed Triplets

Four triplets all formed without borrowing tiles (i.e. must win by tsumo unless tanki wait).

Big Three Dragons

Triplets/quads of all three dragons.

Little Four Winds

Three wind triplets and a wind pair.

Big Four Winds

Triplets/quads of all four winds.

All Honors

Entire hand consists of honor tiles only.

All Terminals

Entire hand consists of terminal tiles (1s and 9s) only.

All Green

Hand uses only green tiles: 23468s and hatsu (only green tiles).

Nine Gates

1112345678999 in one suit plus any tile of that suit. Closed only.

Four Kans

Four quads in one hand. Possibly the rarest standard yakuman.

Heavenly Hand

Dealer wins on their initial 14-tile draw. Extremely rare.

Earthly Hand

Non-dealer wins on their first draw before any calls.

Hand of Man

Non-dealer wins on a discard before their first turn. Value varies by ruleset.

Double Riichi

Declare riichi on your first turn before any calls. Worth extra han.

One-Shot

Win within one turn cycle after declaring riichi, with no calls interrupting.

Last Tile from Wall

Win by self-draw on the last drawable tile from the live wall.

Last Discard

Win by calling ron on the final discarded tile of the hand before an exhaustive draw.

After a Kan

Win by self-draw immediately on the replacement tile after declaring kan.

Robbing the Kan

Win by calling ron on a tile used to upgrade an open pon to an open kan.

Mangan at Draw

House rule. Mangan payment. All your discards are terminals/honors, and none were called (rules may require you to be menzen as well).

Draw

The act of drawing a tile from the wall. Also the call when winning by self-draw.

Discard

The act of discarding a tile after drawing. Must be placed in the discard pond in order.

Draw and Discard

The act of drawing and discarding (any) tiles; the most common action in the game.

Win by Discard

Calling a winning tile from another player's discard. Discarder pays full value. Ron takes priority over all other calls or actions (including penalties in some cases), unless the ron call was maliciously delayed or invalid.

Win

A winning hand as well as the act of winning it. Achieved by completing a valid hand with at least one yaku.

Call Sequence

Take a discarded tile to complete a sequence. Only from the player to your left.

Call Triplet

Take a discarded tile to complete a triplet. Can call from any player. Pon takes priority over chi, unless the pon call was maliciously delayed.

Declare Quad

Declare four of a kind. Reveals a new dora. Three types: ankan (closed), minkan (open), kakan (upgraded). Kan takes priority over chi, unless the kan call was maliciously delayed.

Concealed Kan

Declare kan with four tiles you drew yourself. Still counts as a menzen (closed) group.

Open Kan

Declare kan by calling a discarded tile when holding three. Opens the hand.

Added Kan

Upgrade an existing pon to a kan by adding the fourth tile. Can be robbed (chankan).

Call/Meld

General term for calling tiles (chii, pon, kan). Opens the hand.

Closed Hand

A hand with no called tiles. Enables riichi and keeps some yaku at full value.

Sacred Discard

Cannot ron if any of your waiting tiles is in your own discard pile. Must tsumo instead.

Ready

One tile away from completing a winning hand. Required to declare riichi.

Not Ready

Not in tenpai when a hand ends in a draw. Must pay to those in tenpai.

Wait

The tile(s) that would complete your hand. Different wait patterns have different names.

Two-Sided Wait

Waiting on either end of a sequence (e.g., 34 waiting on 2 or 5). Best wait type.

Middle Wait

Waiting for the middle tile of a sequence (e.g., 35 waiting on 4). One out.

Edge Wait

Waiting on 3 for 12 or 7 for 89. One out, considered a bad wait.

Pair Wait

Waiting on either of two pairs to become a triplet. Four total outs.

Single Wait

Waiting for one tile to complete the pair. Three outs maximum.

Extended Single

A 4-tile tanki wait (e.g., 2345 waiting on 2 or 5 for the pair).

Starting Hand

The initial tiles dealt to each player. Dealer gets 14, others get 13.

Tiles Away

Number of tile changes needed to reach tenpai. 0-shanten means tenpai.

One Away

One tile away from tenpai. One more useful tile will make you ready.

Exhaustive Draw

A hand ends with no winner and the wall is exhausted. Tenpai payments occur.

Intentional Deal-In

Deliberately discarding a winning tile to another player for strategic reasons.

Full Defense

Abandoning your hand to avoid dealing in. Discard only safe tiles.

Fold

To give up on winning the current hand and play defensively.

Hand Discard

Discarding a tile from your hand rather than the one just drawn.

Draw-Discard

Immediately discarding the tile you just drew. Indicates a fixed hand.

Wall

The tile walls built at the start of each hand. Players draw from the wall.

Dead Wall

Also 'King's Tiles'. The 14-tile section containing dora indicators and kan replacement tiles.

Replacement Tile

The tile drawn from the dead wall after declaring kan.

Discarded Tile

Any tile that has been discarded. Forms the discard pond.

Discard Pond

The area where each player places their discards in order.

100% Safe Tile

A tile already in a riichi player's discard pond. Guaranteed safe against them.

Octaves (Furiten Logic)

Tiles 3 apart that share waits (1-4, 2-5, 3-6, etc.). Used for defense.

Wall/Block

When all 4 of a tile are visible, blocking certain waits. Used for defense.

Reverse Suji

Tiles that are dangerous because of early discards. Opposite of suji logic.

Early Cut

Discarding an otherwise useful tile earlier than expected, usually before it becomes dangerous later. (E.g. 5 from 556)

Doubles

Also 'fan'. The main multiplier for hand value. Each yaku and dora adds han.

Minipoints

Base points from hand composition. Added for triplets, waits, and winning method.

Limit Hand

5 han (or 4 han/40fu, 3 han/70fu). 8000 points for non-dealer, 12000 for dealer.

1.5x Limit

6-7 han. 12000 points for non-dealer, 18000 for dealer.

Double Limit

8-10 han. 16000 points for non-dealer, 24000 for dealer.

Triple Limit

11-12 han. 24000 points for non-dealer, 36000 for dealer.

Limit Hand

13+ han or special hands. 32000 points for non-dealer, 48000 for dealer.

Dealer

The East seat player. Pays and receives 1.5x. Stays dealer if they win or tenpai in an exhaustive draw.

Non-Dealer

Any player who is not the dealer. South, West, and North seats.

Repeat Counter

Bonus of 300 points per honba. Increases when dealer repeats or draws occur.

Deposits (Riichi Sticks)

Uncollected 1000-point riichi sticks. Winner takes all from the table.

No-Ten Penalty

3000 points split among players in tenpai when a hand ends in a draw.

No Limit

A rule variant with no scoring caps. Hands can be worth millions of points.

Placement Bonus

End-game bonus/penalty. Common is 10-20: 1st/2nd gain, 3rd/4th lose points.

Table Fee

Points above 25000 collected from all players. Goes to first place.

Foul/Penalty

A rule violation resulting usually in a mangan-level payment to all opponents.

Structural/Fake Tenpai

Tenpai in shape but with no valid yaku if you win. Usually still counts for noten payments.

Dealer Repeat

When the dealer stays dealer for another hand. Occurs on dealer win or tenpai.

Bust / Bankrupt

When a player drops below 0 points. Usually ends the game immediately.

Let's have a good game

Said at the start of a game. Polite way to begin, meaning 'please treat me well.'

Thank You for the Game

Said at the end of a game. Thanks everyone for playing, acknowledges shared effort.

Etiquette

Proper manners at the table regarding attitude. Includes speech, manners, sportsmanship.

Manners

Proper manners at the table regarding actions. Includes speed of play, handling tiles, and game progression.

Assured Yaku

Having your yaku minimum already guaranteed within your own hand and not depending on discards. Some rules require this.

Conditional Yaku

Opposite of Sakizuke. Having a potential yaku that may not be valid yet, and depends on discarded tiles. Some rules forbid this.

Swap Calling

Calling a tile then discarding the same tile or opposite end of the same sequence tile. Usually prohibited.

Flow

The perceived momentum or luck flow in a game. A superstitious but common concept.

Tile Shuffling

How tiles are mixed and dealt. Proper rotation is part of good manners.

Seat Placement

The process of determining starting seats. Usually done by drawing wind tiles.

First Day

A new player's (shinki) first day at a club or parlor. Regulars often treat newcomers nicely.

Side Bet

Private side bet between two players. Separate from the main game scoring.

Three-Player Mahjong

Variant played with 3 players. Usually removes the 2-8 of one suit.

Washizu Mahjong

A manga-style variant with transparent tiles. Most tiles are visible to all.

Silent Ready

Being in tenpai without declaring riichi. Sacrifices uradora for flexibility.

Dark Ready

Same as damaten. Hiding your ready state from opponents.

Foolish Hon Itsu

A hon itsu with no other yaku (difficult and cheap).

Empty Wait Tenpai

A wait where all copies of the winning tile are already visible. 0 outs.

Splash/Bust

Going below 0 points and busting out of the game. Ends the match.

Hell Wait

A wait with only 1 out remaining. Waiting on a tile with 3 already visible.

For Now

Phrase used when making a temporary choice. 'For now, I'll discard this.'

Only

Suffix meaning 'only.' Riichi nomi = riichi-only hand with no other yaku.

Chasing

Chasing riichi. Declaring riichi after another player already has. Also 'Okkake.'

All In

Top or bust strategy across the whole hand, pushing everything.

It Came Out

Exclaimed when a key tile appears, especially a winning tile. Bad manners to replace ron with this.

Smells Dangerous

When a discard seems risky or suspicious. 'That tile smells dangerous.'

Flavor/Potential

A tile or situation with hidden potential. Borrowed from Go terminology.

First Place

First place. 'Going for top' means aiming to win the game.

Last Place

Fourth place. Short for 'last.' Avoiding las is key strategy.

Passing Last

Strategy to pass 4th place to another player through deal-ins or clever play.

Read

Reading opponents' hands and intentions from their discards and actions.

Strategy

Overall game strategy. Long-term thinking about placement and points.

Tactics

Short-term tactical decisions. What to discard, when to call, etc.

Red

Short for akadora. 'I have aka' means holding a red five.

Go Go

Aggressive playstyle. Pushing forward without regard for defense.

Full Fold

Completely abandoning offense for safety.

Fast

A quick hand reaching tenpai early. 'Their hand is fast' = be careful.

Slow

A slow developing hand. Takes many turns to reach tenpai.

Face Hit

A direct hit. Dealing in right after a riichi declaration.

Response

Responding to opponents' actions. Reading and reacting to riichi or calls.

Trap

A riichi wait designed to trap opponents using suji logic against them.

Bamboo Game

When many bamboo tiles appear early. Field is rich in souzu.

Dots Game

When many circle tiles appear early. Field is rich in pinzu.

Characters Game

When many character tiles appear early. Field is rich in manzu.

Player to Right

The player sitting to your right. They discard before you.

Player Across

The player sitting directly across from you.

Player to Left

The player sitting to your left. You can call chii from them only.

Seat Wind

Your current seat wind. Changes as the deal passes.

Round Wind

The current round's wind. East round or South round.

Double Riichi

Slang for double riichi. Declaring on your first turn.

4-Gap Read

Defense theory about tiles 4 apart from early discards being dangerous.

Squeeze

Holding tiles another player needs to slow their hand development.