Tile types

There are many different types of tiles. These categories are relevant to certain yaku and for fu scoring.

Simple

Tiles numbered from 2-8 are classed as chunchanhai 「中張牌」, or "simples". These include:

They are:

• Used for tanyao ("All Simples"), which requires every tile to be a simple tile.
• Worth doubled fu when used in a triplet or kan.

Terminal

Tiles numbered 1 or 9 are classed as routouhai 「老頭牌」, or "terminals" in English. They are called "terminals" because they are always the end of a sequence; a tile group such as 9-1-2 is not a valid sequence. These include:

They are:

• Used for the following yaku: chanta, junchan, honroutou, chinroutou.
• Worth doubled fu when used in a triplet or kan.

Honor

Main article: Jihai

Tiles that are not numbered, i.e. the wind and dragon tiles, are called jihai, or honor tiles in English.

Winds:

Dragons:

They are:

• Used for the following yaku: chanta, honroutou, tsuuiisou.
• Worth doubled fu when used in a triplet or kan.

Yakuhai

Main article: Yakuhai

The yakuhai (lit. value tiles) are a subset of honor tiles. The yakuhai are not consistent - which tiles are yakuhai will depend on what round and seat you are in.

• Dragons are always yakuhai.
• Wind tiles of the round wind (e.g. East tiles during East round) are yakuhai.
• Wind tiles of the seat wind (e.g. West tiles as the West seat) are yakuhai.

They are:

• Used for the yaku of "yakuhai" - a triplet of yakuhai is a yaku of its own.
• Worth 2 fu when used as the pair (a yakuhai pair thus disqualifies a hand from pinfu.

Non-Simples

Yaochuuhai 「幺九牌」, or "non-simples", refers to the combination of terminal and honor tiles.

Terminals:

Winds:

Dragons:

They are, collectively:

• Used for kokushi musou, as well as chanta and honroutou.
• Not allowed to be used with tanyao.
• Worth doubled fu when used in a triplet or kan.