Yakuhai
Yakuhai 「役牌」, or Fanpai 「飜牌」, is a group of 1 han yaku scored for completing a group of honor tiles. They come in three classes:
- Dragon tile groups always count for yakuhai.
- Wind tiles of the round wind count as yakuhai.
- Wind tiles of the seat wind also count as yakuhai. (If a wind is both the round and seat wind, it is worth 2 han.)
| Type | Yaku |
|---|---|
| Kanji | 役牌 |
| English | Value tiles |
| Value | 1 han per counted triplet |
| Speed | Very fast |
| Difficulty | Very easy |
A wind that is neither round or seat wind is known as an "offwind" or "guest wind"; these are not yakuhai and not worth any han, but are still valid tile groups to complete the "4 groups + 1 pair" shape.
The yakuhai as a whole, along with riichi and tanyao, are some of the easiest and most frequent yaku in the game.
Tile patterns
| 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 |
All that is required for yakuhai is a single triplet or quad of an eligible tile. The three dragon tiles are always eligible, but among the wind tiles, only the round wind and the player's seat wind are eligible. Guest winds are ineligible.
Yakuhai is not a single yaku but rather a collection of five yaku (one for each dragon, one for the round wind, and one for the seat wind). The five are all compatible with each other and they can be scored in any combination, except that all three dragon yakuhai will lead to daisangen instead. If the round wind and seat wind are the same, then both are scored for that group.
Examples
Agari:
The triplet of the green dragons satisfies the yaku regardless of seating and wind round.
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Agari:
Here, the triplet of the east wind satisfies the yaku if this hand is scored during the east round, or by the dealer in any round. In the east round, the dealer will score the double east wind as 2 han.
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Agari:
Each of the dragon quads scores 1 han for its own yakuhai. They are scored separately, and the fact that they are quads rather than triplets is irrelevant in the scoring. The additional pair of red dragons means that the hand scores shousangen in addition to, but not instead of, the double yakuhai.
Terminology
While yakuhai can be referred to collectively and it is rarely ambiguous, it is not uncommon to call them out individually, particularly when scoring a hand by announcing its yaku. The table to the right shows the written forms of most of the yakuhai. Some game platforms count statistics on the individually different yakuhai, by dragons and winds. Others collect them all under one statistic.
For example, a dealer winning the previous hand during the east turn wouldn't say: "three yakuhai", but rather: "double east, red dragon". This makes the origin of each han clearer.
Compatibility
^ 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 | |
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Yakuhai is compatible with any yaku which allows a triplet and allows honor tiles. Tanyao, junchan, and chinitsu forbid honor tiles. Pinfu and ryanpeikou do not allow triplets. Chiitoitsu requires seven distinct pairs, also preventing triplets.
Honitsu is one of the most effective combinations with at least one yakuhai group. This yaku is compatible with itself. Different groups of yakuhai tiles may be collected into one hand; and in turn, they are treated as separate yaku, despite identical functionality. In particular, shousangen requires not just one, but two yakuhai.
Usage
Yakuhai, along with tanyao, are among the easiest yaku to learn to use. Over 90% of open hands have either yakuhai or tanyao (assuming open tanyao is allowed).
Lone honor tiles are weak (as they cannot form sequences), so they are often discarded early. This makes honor tiles, and by extension, yakuhai, easy to pon. A player starting with a pair of yakuhai can often pon the third, instantly satisfying the yaku requirement, thus allowing the hand to complete faster. Therefore, this yaku is sometimes called an express ticket.
Players looking for a quick win will often hold lone yakuhai tiles a little longer than their tile efficiency would dictate, in hopes of getting a second and then calling (or drawing) a third to make a yakuhai. This is especially true if open tanyao is infeasible, either because the hand has many terminals/honors, or because open tanyao is not allowed.
Atozuke
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Agari: or
Hands that are opened before confirming a yakuhai triplet are particularly subject to atozuke. Here, the hand depends on yakuhai to gain a yaku. Under normal circumstances, this hand may win if it obtains the hatsu, but not the 9-man. (It can win with any winning tile if a conditional yaku, such as houtei or chankan, is obtained.)
External links
- Yakuhai in Japanese Wikipedia