How to Play

Riichi mahjong is a four-player Japanese tile game built on pattern recognition, timing, and a healthy dose of luck. Whether you've never touched a tile or you're already chasing yakuman, pick the page that fits where you are.

Start here

Getting Started

The essentials a brand-new player needs before their first hand: tiles, the goal, your turn, and a few yaku to aim for.

Reference

Detailed Guide

The full rulebook: setup, calls, scoring concepts, etiquette, and more. Use it to look things up as you play.

Go deeper

Strategy

Curated external resources — books, videos, articles, and tools — to keep improving once you know the basics.

Variant

3-Player Rules

Sanma — the three-player variant. How tiles, scoring, and yaku change when you remove a seat.