Yakuhai

Yakuhai

Type	Yaku
Kanji	役牌
English	Value tiles
Value	1 han per counted meld
Speed	Very fast
Difficulty	Very easy

Yakuhai is a group of yaku that focus on jihai, or honor tiles.

Along with tanyao, these yaku are one of the easiest and most frequently occurring yaku in the game.

Tile patterns

Upon attaining yakuhai, the rest of the hand may be formed as any composition: open, closed, and whatever meld that helps complete the hand.

Rules

Yakupai	Kanji	Yakupai	Kanji
East seat	自風 東	East round	場風 東
South seat	自風 南	South round	場風 南
West seat	自風 西	West round	場風 西
North seat	自風 北	Green dragon	役牌 發
Red dragon	役牌 中	White dragon	役牌 白

In the case of sangenpai (dragon tiles), any player may collect a set of either tile and attain the yaku for that tile.

With regards to kazehai (wind tiles), there are two yaku: one for forming a set of the seat winds, and one for a set of the round winds.

Players are assigned a particular "wind seat", relative to the dealer position, who is always seated East. For the seat wind yaku, players must collect their own set of wind tiles.

Furthermore, the game has an assigned round wind. Marked by the dealer indicator, the round wind is the same for all players. Collecting a set of this wind satisfies the round wind yaku. The first round is East, followed by South. Occasionally, the game moves into West round as well, where the West wind counts as the round wind.

If a wind is neither seat nor round wind, it is considered an off wind or guest wind. A set of such a wind is not worth any yaku.

Collecting all three sangenpai sets or all four wind sets leads to the yakuman daisangen or daisuushii.

Usage

Along with tanyao, yakuhai are among the easiest yaku to learn and use. It is the simple collection of particular wind tiles or any group of dragon tiles. Typically, yakuhai are open hands, as possession of the appropriately paired tiles makes it easy to complete by calling on the discarded third tile, or sometimes fourth.

Value

Each yakuhai koutsu (triplet) is a separate yaku worth 1 han. However, the value can be dramatically increased if the particular yakuhai koutsu is indicated as the dora. As dora, a hand is already guaranteed 4 han.

If a player's seat wind matches the round wind, a koutsu of this wind counts as 2 han instead, because it satisfies two different 1-han yaku. Typically, this involves the east and south winds, as games normally involve the east round (tonkyoku) and south round (nankyoku) rounds. Of course, this may apply to the west round (shaakyoku).

Compatability

Main article: Yaku compatability

^ Ippatsu requires riichi to be of any use.

RCH

DRI

IPP^

SMO

TAN

PFU

IPK

ITT

YAK

SDJ

SDO

TOI

SNA

SNK

CHA

JUN

RPK

SSG

HRO

HON

CHN

CHI

RIN

HAI

HOU

CHK

YAK

Yakuhai essentially works with any yaku, that has room or allows the use of honor tile groups, which gives it a great amount of versatility. Shousangen requires not just one, but two yakuhai. Honitsu is most effective, with the use of at least one yakuhai group.

The definitions of tanyao, junchan, and chinitsu eliminates the use of honor tiles all together. As for chiitoitsu, honor tiles may be used, but its inability to use triplets deem its incompatibility. Finally, yakuhai groups generate fu; and this does not work with pinfu.

External links

• 役牌

Yakuhai in Japanese Wikipedia