Riichi Mahjong
Also known as: Japanese Mahjong / Mahjong
Riichi Mahjong is a tile game for four players. Draw and discard to complete sets and win points. Scoring is automatic. Free in your browser.
Play with friendsJust send the invite link. No sign-up for them either
Find an opponent onlineComing soon (October)
Riichi Mahjong in 30 seconds
- Set upFour players play. Deal 13 tiles to everyone once a dealer is set.
- Take turnsDraw one tile to hold 14, then discard one. Discards can be called for pon, chi or kan.
- Win a handComplete a hand such as four sets and a pair with at least one yaku, and the score is worked out for you.
- FinishAfter the chosen length (half-game by default), the highest total score wins.
At a glance
| Item | This game |
|---|---|
| Players | 4 players |
| Play time | About 25 min |
| Type | Mahjong |
| Ranked play | Yes |
| Practice against the CPU | Yes |
| Price | Free (no account needed) |
| Rights holder | A public-domain classic game |
| Last updated | 2026-10-29 |
How to play Riichi Mahjong 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 4 players have joined, the host taps "Start".
Rule highlights
Setup, play, winning, and house rules
Setup
- Four players use 136 tiles: three suits (characters/man, circles/pin, bamboo/sou) numbered 1 to 9, four winds and three dragons, four of each. Three of the fives are red by default, and each is worth an extra han.
- Fourteen tiles form the dead wall. It supplies replacement draws after a kan and holds the dora indicators; one indicator is turned face up at the start.
- One player is the dealer (East) and the others get their seat winds. Everyone takes 13 tiles and starts with 25,000 points by default; 30,000 is also available.
- The default length is a half game (hanchan): an East round and a South round. An East-only game and a single hand are also options.
How to play
- Starting with the dealer and going counter-clockwise, each player draws a tile and then discards one face up in front of them.
- Calls: chii takes the previous player's discard to complete a run; pon takes anyone's discard to make three of a kind; kan makes four of a kind. Pon and kan beat chii, and play continues from the caller. Calling opens your hand, and some yaku, including riichi and pinfu, need a closed hand.
- Riichi: with a closed hand one tile from winning (tenpai), at least 1,000 points and at least one more draw to come, you may declare riichi and put up a 1,000-point stick. From then on your hand is fixed and you discard each drawn tile unless it wins. Riichi is worth one han and adds the chance of ippatsu and ura-dora.
- Furiten: if one of your winning tiles is among your own discards, or you let a winning discard go by, you cannot win by ron until it clears — though you can still win on your own draw. The screen marks furiten and shows your waits.
Winning
- A complete hand is four sets and a pair (or seven pairs, or thirteen orphans) with at least one yaku. Winning on your own draw is tsumo and all three others pay; winning on a discard is ron and the discarder pays. More than one player can ron the same tile.
- A hand's value comes from han (yaku plus dora) and fu (points for sets, waits and how you won). Big hands are capped at fixed limits from mangan up to yakuman; the dealer is paid 1.5 times as much.
- If the wall runs out, tenpai players collect 3,000 points in total from those who are not. The dealer keeps the seat after winning or being tenpai at a draw, and a honba counter adds 300 points to the next win. Riichi sticks on the table go to the next winner.
- The game ends early if anyone drops below zero. If nobody reaches the starting score + 5,000 after South 4, play continues into the West round until someone does (through West at most). The default uma is +15/+5/−5/−15 pt.
- At a 25,000 start the winner receives +20 pt oka; at 30,000 oka is zero. Final points are (score − 30,000) / 1,000 + uma + oka + chips. Tied first place is resolved by initial dealer order. The extension and dealer-stop target remains starting points + 5,000.
House rules
| Name | Description | Default | Changeable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game lengthGame lengthAn east-only game is the four east-round hands (the dealer goes around once); a half-game is eight hands over the east and south rounds (twice around). A half-game is the usual length, about 40–60 minutes. East-only is about half that, and a single hand is for practice. When the dealer wins or is ready at a draw, the same dealer continues, so there can be more hands. | Choose a single hand, an east-only game, or a full half-game. | Half-game | Yes |
| Time limitTime limitCounts during discards and call/ron decisions. Standard time resets for each decision; reserve resets at the start of each hand, with no recovery for quick play. At zero, the drawn tile is discarded or the call is passed. Disconnected and CPU seats are not timed. | Seconds of standard time + reserve. Reserve resets to the chosen value at the start of each hand. | 5＋20 seconds | Can be changed |
| Red fivesRed fivesWith three red fives, one five in each suit is red. Each red five in a winning hand adds one han. Red fives are bonuses, so a separate yaku is still required to win. | Use one red five in each suit, or none. | 3 | Yes |
| Open tanyaoOpen tanyaoCalling means taking another player’s discard to make a pon or chi. All simples (tanyao) is a hand with no terminals (1s and 9s) and no honor tiles. When on, you can win with all simples even after calling, which makes quick wins easier. When off, all simples only counts when your hand is fully concealed. | Allow winning on an all-simples hand even after calling. | On | Yes |
| Starting pointsStarting pointsAt a 25,000 start the winner receives +20 pt oka; at 30,000 oka is zero. Final points are (score − 30,000) / 1,000 + uma + oka + chips. Tied first place is resolved by initial dealer order. The extension and dealer-stop target remains starting points + 5,000. | Settle against 30,000. The winner receives four times the difference from the starting points as oka. The ending target is starting points + 5,000. | 25,000 | Can be changed |
| RulesRulesStandard lets you choose each setting. Tournament style fixes a half-game, three red fives, open tanyao and a one-han minimum. There are no abortive draws; only the nearest eligible player wins a simultaneous ron. Negative scores do not end play. There is no extension, dealer stop or nagashi mangan. Players start at 25,000 and settle against 30,000; placement points are +50/+10/−10/−30, including the winner’s oka. | Tournament style fixes a half-game, three red fives, open tanyao and one-han minimum, with no abortive draws, head bump, no bust, no extension or dealer stop, no nagashi mangan, and placement points +50/+10/−10/−30. | Standard | Yes |
| Minimum hanMinimum hanHan is the unit of hand value; each yaku adds a set number. Dora does not count here, so with no yaku you cannot win however many dora you have. 1 han is the usual rule: any single yaku is enough. 2 or 4 han means you need a bigger hand to win. | The fewest han (not counting dora) a hand needs to win. | 1 | Yes |
| UmaUma5-15 gives +15/+5/−5/−15 pt, in rank order. 10-20 and 10-30 follow the same pattern. Ties use initial dealer order. | Points added or deducted by rank, in addition to the score difference and oka. | 5-15 | Can be changed |
| ChipsChipsCount red fives in the winning hand and melds, ura-dora on a riichi win, and ippatsu. For each yakuman, add 10 from the discarder on ron or 5 from each other player on tsumo. Double and combined yakuman scale with their yakuman count. Ippatsu, red and ura chips also apply to yakuman. Counted yakuman adds no yakuman chips. Chips do not change the raw score. Net chips × the chosen value is added to final pt. | Value per chip (pt). Ippatsu, each ura-dora and red five: 1 chip. Each yakuman adds 10 on ron or 5 from each other player on tsumo. | None | Can be changed |
| Hands shown to spectatorsHands shown to spectatorsSeat the teacher as a spectator to reveal all hands, drawn tiles and waits. Select a player to enlarge their hand, then tap tiles to inspect the waits after each discard. Players still see only their own hand. | Spectators can see everyone’s hand | Off | Can be changed |
Related features: Board Game History: Games by Date / Chinese Board Games: Compare Xiangqi, Go, Mahjong and a Picture Race
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FAQ
How many players?
Four. Add CPU opponents for empty seats. For a three-player table, open Three-Player Mahjong.
How do I play with three players?
Choose Three-Player Mahjong for three players.
Can a beginner play?
Yes. The tutorial walks through drawing, discarding and winning a hand, and once you're playing the screen highlights the discard that keeps you tenpai and warns you about furiten, so you don't need to know every yaku to get started.
Is the scoring automatic?
Yes. You never count fu or han yourself — the screen works out the score for a win and who pays what.
How long does a game take?
About 25 minutes for the default half-game (East 1 through South 4). A party can choose an east-only or single-hand game to finish sooner.
Can I practise alone?
Yes. Press Play vs CPU to play against three computer opponents.
Can I play at school or work (unblocked)?
Yes. Mahjong 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?
No. Mahjong needs four seats, but you can play solo against the computer, which fills the other seats.
Can I play against the computer?
Yes. Press “Play vs CPU” on the Mahjong page to start right away against computer opponents — 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.
Related games
Same type (Mahjong)
Same player count
Last updated 2026-10-29 · Run by Qdan, Inc.