Hanafuda Koi-Koi
Hanafuda Koi-Koi is a traditional Japanese card game for two players that takes about 15 minutes. Match cards by month and collect sets to score. Free. In-browser. No account.
Hanafuda Koi-Koi in 30 seconds
- Set upShuffle the 48 cards, lay 8 on the table and deal 8 to each player.
- Take turnsPlay a card to capture a matching month, then flip one from the deck and do the same.
- Make a combinationBrights, animals, ribbons and plains form combinations that score points.
- Stop or Koi-KoiWhen you score, stop the round and bank the points, or call Koi-Koi and keep going.
At a glance
| Item | This game |
|---|---|
| Players | 2 players |
| Play time | About 15 min |
| Type | Hanafuda |
| Ranked play | Yes |
| Practice against the CPU | Yes |
| Price | Free (no account needed) |
| Rights holder | A public-domain classic game |
| Last updated | 2026-09-13 |
How to play Hanafuda Koi-Koi online with friends
- Tap "Play with friends"A party is created with a 6-character code. No account is needed.
- Send a link or QR codeShare it on LINE, or just read the code aloud.
- Everyone opens it in a browserOnce 2 players have joined, the host taps "Start".
Rule highlights
Setup, play, winning, and house rules
Setup
- Two players and a 48-card hanafuda deck: twelve months with four cards each. Each month is shown by a plant, from pine in January and cherry blossom in March to maple in October and paulownia in December.
- The cards come in four kinds: 5 brights (hikari), 9 animals (tane), 10 ribbons (tanzaku) and 24 plains (kasu, also called chaff).
- Deal eight cards to each player and lay eight face up on the table. The remaining 24 form the draw pile.
- The first dealer is chosen at random, and the dealer plays first. After that, whoever won the previous round deals.
How to play
- On your turn, play one card from your hand. If a table card of the same month is there, capture both. If not, your card stays on the table.
- Then turn over the top card of the draw pile and do the same with it.
- If two table cards match, you choose which one to take. If three match, the fourth card of that month takes all of them.
- Your captured cards are laid out in front of you, sorted into brights, animals, ribbons and plains.
- As soon as your captures form a new yaku, choose: stop and end the round, or call koi-koi and keep playing. If the other player then scores and stops, their points are doubled.
- If both hands run out, a player who called koi-koi scores what they hold at that point (if both called, the last to call does). If nobody made a yaku, the round scores nothing and the same player deals again.
Winning
- Brights: Five Brights (Goko) 10; Four Brights without the rain card (Shiko) 8; Rainy Four Brights, including the willow "rain man" (Ame-Shiko) 7; Three Brights without the rain card (Sanko) 5. Only the highest of these counts.
- Flower Viewing (cherry curtain + sake cup) 5; Moon Viewing (moon + sake cup) 5; Boar–Deer–Butterfly (Inoshikacho) 5; Red Poetry Ribbons (Akatan) 5; Blue Ribbons (Aotan) 5.
- Five animals, five ribbons or ten plains score 1, plus 1 for each extra card. The sake cup counts as an animal and as a plain.
- Four cards of one month, or four pairs, in the dealt hand score 6 at once and end the round.
- A round worth 7 points or more is doubled. After twelve rounds (a full year of months), the higher total wins.
House rules
| Name | Description | Default | Changeable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rounds | How many rounds decide the overall winner. | 12 rounds | Yes |
| Flower and Moon ViewingFlower and Moon ViewingFlower Viewing is the cherry curtain plus the sake cup; Moon Viewing is the pampas moon plus the sake cup. Each needs only those two cards and is worth 5. Since the sake cup is in both, they make big scores easy. Turn them off for a slower game of collecting brights, animals and ribbons. | Flower Viewing and Moon Viewing count as combinations. | On | Yes |
| Double from sevenDouble from sevenIf the winner's combinations add up to 7 points or more, the round's score is doubled (7 becomes 14). Together with Koi-Koi doubles it becomes 4x. Holding out for big combinations pays more, and scores spread further apart. | A round worth seven points or more is doubled. | On | Yes |
| Koi-Koi doublesKoi-Koi doublesCalling Koi-Koi means you keep playing after making a combination, hoping to score more. With this on, if you called Koi-Koi and your opponent then scores first, their points are doubled. Koi-Koi becomes a real risk, so deciding whether to continue or stop matters more. | If the other player scores after your Koi-Koi, their points are doubled. | On | Yes |
| Sake cup counts as a plainSake cup counts as a plainThe sake cup is an animal card, but with this on it also counts as one plain. Plains score from 10 cards, so the plains combination comes one card sooner. Turn it off to count the sake cup only as an animal. | The ninth-month animal card also counts towards the plains. | On | Yes |
| Four of a month / four pairsFour of a month / four pairsFour of a month means your dealt hand of 8 holds all four cards of one month. Four pairs means it is four pairs of the same month. Either scores 6 at once and the round ends without any play. They depend purely on the deal, so turn them off for a game of skill. | Combinations decided by the dealt hand. They score six and end the round. | On | Yes |
Related features: Hanafuda Games: Compare the Ways to Play
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FAQ
How many players?
Two. Send the invite link and the other player just opens it in a browser.
How many rounds does a game last?
Twelve by default. A party can choose 3, 6 or 12.
Do I need a hanafuda deck?
No. The cards are drawn on screen.
Can I practise alone?
Yes. Press Play vs CPU to play against the computer.
Can the other player see my hand?
No. They only see how many cards you hold; the cards themselves are only ever sent to your own screen, and the deck is sent to nobody.
Can I play at school or work (unblocked)?
Yes. Hanafuda Koi-Koi runs entirely in your browser, with nothing to download or install, so it works on most school and work networks that block app stores or game downloads. If your network blocks the whole site, ask an administrator to allow boardgamejoin.com.
Is there a 2 player mode?
Yes — Hanafuda Koi-Koi is played by exactly 2 people.
Can I play against the computer?
Yes. Press “Play vs CPU” on the Hanafuda Koi-Koi page to start right away against a computer opponent — no waiting for other players.
Can I play on a phone?
Yes. No app is needed — just open it in a browser. You can join the same party as people on a PC or tablet.
Can I play online with friends far away?
Yes. Start a party and send its invite link. Friends can join in their browsers without signing up.
Is there an app?
This is a free app that runs in your browser. No installation is needed.
Rights holder and physical edition
This is a public-domain classic game. The rules follow the standard reference rules.
Card art: Louie Mantia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Related games
Same type (Hanafuda)
Same player count
Last updated 2026-09-13 · Run by Qdan, Inc.