Goninkan: Rules and How to Play
Goninkan is a five-player card game from Tsugaru, Japan, about 20 minutes long: two partners take on three to collect face cards. Free. In-browser. No account.
What is Goninkan? How you win
Goninkan is a five-player card game from the Tsugaru region of Aomori, Japan. The two players dealt the trump ace and the joker become partners (Kankei) against the other three (Mukankei), and the sides race to collect the 16 face cards (A, K, Q, J). In the first deal Kankei needs 9 and Mukankei 8.
Setting up Goninkan: the cards and the deal
- Five players (the computer fills empty seats on this site).
- Use 50 cards: remove the twos of clubs, diamonds and hearts and add one joker. Deal ten to each player.
- To pick the first dealer, everyone draws one card; the lowest card deals. Twos are lowest and aces highest; on equal ranks clubs beat diamonds, then hearts, then spades, so the two of spades is the lowest card.
- The deal-1 trump cycles clubs, diamonds, hearts.
How to play Goninkan: partners and playing cards
- The two players with the trump ace and the joker announce Kankei; the other three are Mukankei. If the partners sit side by side, the one on the right swaps seats with the next player.
- If one player is dealt both the trump ace and the joker (nijū-kan), the player two seats to their right becomes the partner. The holder puts the ace and joker face down; the new partner puts their ten cards face down; the Mukankei player sitting between them picks one of the ten and one of the two and swaps them (the choice is blind, so this site swaps at random).
- The partners decide who leads: "iku" (I lead) or "koi" (you lead).
- Play goes to the right (clockwise seen from above), one card each. Follow suit if you can. Otherwise play anything; a trump beats every other card (cutting).
- The joker may be played at any time and always wins (dancing). It cannot be played in trick 1 or 10, and must be played in trick 9 if still held. When you lead it, name a suit.
- When all five have played, the joker wins, else the highest trump, else the highest card of the suit led. The winner collects the face cards for their side and leads next. Aces are high.
Deals 2 and 3 in Goninkan, and choosing trumps
If Kankei wins deal 1, the same partners play deal 2, and deal 3 if they win again. In deals 2 and 3 the partners choose the trump suit (kime-yaku).
- In deal 2, whoever held the trump ace in deal 1 shows two cards face down to whoever held the joker, who then chooses trumps and leads. Deal 3 is the other way round.
- Deal 2 is won with 8 face cards for Kankei or 9 for Mukankei; deal 3 with 9 or 8.
- When Kankei loses, or after deal 3, the next round begins. The dealer moves to the right, and the deal-1 trump cycles clubs → diamonds → hearts.
Goninkan scoring and the end of the game
- The first side to reach its number of face cards (deals 1 and 3: Kankei 9, Mukankei 8; deal 2: Kankei 8, Mukankei 9) wins, and the deal stops at that trick.
- If Kankei wins, the same teams play the next deal (deal 2, then deal 3). If Mukankei wins, or after deal 3, the next round starts with a new deal and new teams.
- Normally, each player on the winning side scores +1 and each player on the losing side scores −1. If Kankei wins deal 3, each Kankei player scores an extra +1. A Kankei sukonku (winning without Mukankei taking a face card) also adds +1 for each Kankei player. Each Mukankei player loses these extra points too.
- A reverse sukonku (Mukankei wins without Kankei taking a face card) costs each Kankei −10 in deal 1; in deals 2 and 3 it cancels the round's points and costs −3. Jūroku (from a sukonku in deal 2 or 3, taking all 16 face cards) scores a further +8 if made and −16 if missed.
- After the set number of rounds (4 by default), the player with the most points wins.
Goninkan scoring (sukonku and jūroku)
Points are scored per player. Every Kankei player gains what every Mukankei player loses.
| Result | Each Kankei player |
|---|---|
| Kankei win | +1 (+1 more in deal 3) |
| Kankei loss | −1 |
| Sukonku (win without Mukankei taking a face card) | +1 more |
| Reverse sukonku (Mukankei win without Kankei taking one) | −10 in deal 1; in deals 2–3 the round's points are cancelled and −3 |
| Jūroku made (all 16 after a sukonku in deal 2 or 3) | +8 more |
| Jūroku missed | −16 |
| Reverse jūroku made / missed | Round cancelled and −16 / +32 (Kankei win) |
- Only the player who took the sukonku trick in deal 2 or 3 may call jūroku. Without the call, the deal ends there as a win.
Defaults on this site
| Item | Default on this site |
|---|---|
| Players | 5 players (set automatically by the party size) |
| Turn time limit | None by default (the host can set 30 or 60 seconds) |
| If someone drops mid-game | Reopening on the same device returns you to your seat. If you do not return, the CPU plays in your place. |
| Draws | In ranked play, a draw counts as halfway between a win and a loss for your rating. |
| Source of the rules | Based on the standard reference rules |
Rules supervised by Qdan, Inc. (based on the standard reference rules)
Goninkan house rules (settings on this site)
Defaults follow the standard reference rules. The party can change these.
| Name | Description | Default | Changeable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rounds | How many rounds to play. Each round is one to three deals. | 4 | Yes |
| Tome-suppeTome-suppeNormally the first deal's trump suit cycles clubs, diamonds, hearts. With this on, the first deal of the last round uses spades as trumps instead, so the closing deal is played with an unusual suit. Trumps for deals 2 and 3 are still chosen as usual. | The last round's first deal uses spades as trumps. A regional variant (described by Gamefarm and KleosSoft; not in the official Goshogawara rules). | Off | Yes |
| Nijū-kanNijū-kanNijū-kan is when one player is dealt both the trump ace and the joker. With the swap option, the player two seats to the right becomes the partner (Kankei) and one card is swapped face down (at random on this site). With Redeal, the cards are dealt again, so no one starts holding both key cards. | When one player is dealt both the trump ace and the joker. | Swap | Yes |
| Cards shown before choosing trumpsCards shown before choosing trumpsIn deals 2 and 3, one Kankei player chooses the trump suit. Before that, their partner shows them, and only them, cards chosen from their hand. The more cards shown, the better the chooser knows the partner's hand, so Kankei can pick a better trump. | How many cards the partner shows the trump chooser in deals 2 and 3. | 2 | Yes |
| Deal-1 targetDeal-1 targetThere are 16 face cards (A, K, Q, J). In deal 1 the two Kankei and the three Mukankei race to their target, and the first team to reach it wins. With 8, Kankei needs one card fewer, which helps the smaller team. | Face cards Kankei needs to win deal 1 (Mukankei wins with the rest). | 9 | Yes |
| Missed jūrokuMissed jūrokuJūroku is a call made after winning deal 2 or 3 by skunk (the other team took no face cards): you then try to take all 16 face cards. This sets what each Kankei player scores if they fail (a missed jūroku). Under the Gamefarm version, the −1 for the loss is added, for −17 in total. | What each Kankei player scores after calling jūroku and failing to take all 16. | −16 (official) | Yes |
Goninkan terms
- Kankei
- The two partners dealt the trump ace and the joker.
- Mukankei
- The other three players, who play together.
- Yaku
- The trump suit. In deal 1 it cycles clubs, diamonds, hearts.
- Kenri
- Winning a trick: you take its face cards and lead next.
- Dancing (odoru)
- Playing the joker. If you still hold it in trick 9 you must play it.
- Tsukeru
- Throwing a face card into a trick your partner will win.
- Cutting
- Playing a trump when you have none of the suit led.
- Sukonku
- Winning without the other side taking a single face card.
- Jūroku
- After a sukonku in deal 2 or 3, calling to take all 16 face cards.
- Suppe, Graph, Baba
- Tsugaru names for spades, clubs and the joker.
Goninkan rules FAQ
How is it different from Napoleon?
In Napoleon the highest bidder names a partner by a card. In Goninkan there is no bidding: the partners are whoever is dealt the trump ace and the joker. In deals 2 and 3 the partners choose trumps.
When can the joker be played?
At any time, even if you can follow suit, except in tricks 1 and 10. If you still hold it in trick 9 you must play it.
What happens once a side has enough?
The deal ends at that trick. After a sukonku in deal 2 or 3, the trick winner may call jūroku and play on for all sixteen.
How is it scored?
Normally, each player on the winning side gains 1 and each player on the losing side loses 1. A Kankei win in deal 3 gives each Kankei player +2 and each Mukankei player −2. A normal Mukankei win in deal 3 gives each Mukankei player +1. See the scoring table for sukonku, jūroku and other special scores.
Play now with these rules
Last updated 2026-09-26 · Run by Qdan, Inc.