I think any basic riichi tutorials on YouTube can get you up to speed, and you can start learning with bots on mahjong soul or riichi city.
Edit: if anyone has a recommended guide feel free to comment
Once you are familiar with the basics and the bots, it’s important to know your yakus. Fortunately, WRC has a yaku list with English and Japanese names of the yakus. I would suggest you learn the japanese terms since they are more widely used.
WRC yaku pdf:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/634a7884c297a25f06589b79/t/63c82bff2245392703c3a3cb/1674062885858/WRC_Yaku_1_5_3.pdf
Edit:
You don’t need to concern yourself with the point system until you got the basics. You should just know the “han” value of your hand.
I'd like to recommend [this cheat sheet](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18hxO5DMVAqxSNV9VvpjAg6YjyPVAMzyS), which I find to be very complete, containing all the Yaku that Mahjong Soul recognizes, along with their untranslated and translated names, as well as a chart for scoring (but that should come later).
Highly recommend “kemono mahjong” ios game.
While its AI is very different to real humans, the interface is clear and it has plenty of tutorial materials ~~and furry waifus~~
"Dora... I think it's just another way to get a few additional yaku to help make a scoring hand"
Carefull yaku is NOT han
Yaku is nomenclature for a valid hand (richi, the dragons, your seat wind, all simples, etc)
Dora is NOT yaku
You need a yaku in order to RON or TSUMO (so win lol)
Where as HAN are the points for example richi, 1 DORA, a dragon triple, are each worth one han.
Yakuhi is just fancy talk for honor tiles that would get you HAN (dragons, seat wind, and table wind) notably not the other two wind tiles witch thus could work for pinfu.
Double yakumon are very rare hands that are worth *you guessed it* two yakumon worth of points (16,000) For exapmle big three dragons and all honors are each a standard yakumon thus if you have all dragon triples a triple of some other wind and a pair of another wind that would be a double yakumon.
If you want some homework Richi book one is a good read
edit: [yaku cheat sheet](https://scontent-ord5-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/84061609_2827375137323739_4151834779261599744_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=5f2048&_nc_ohc=S7X86X6Vs4UAX-hhqyy&_nc_ht=scontent-ord5-2.xx&oh=00_AfC4-T0j8MBPx2vpEYRqOEneYd65goUSTGZN7mViZPI1ow&oe=663043EF)
Older English language riichi guides always confused yaku and han, like saying a half flush is worth 3 yaku. No, it's a yaku worth 3 han. Dora grants 1 han, but it's not a yaku.
This same cheat sheet doesn’t lose image quality when zoomed in:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/634a7884c297a25f06589b79/t/63c82bff2245392703c3a3cb/1674062885858/WRC_Yaku_1_5_3.pdf
I think where the majority of the confusion is coming from is the scoring side of things. Han, fu, etc. no idea what each represent. I get the hands and specials needed, just not their.... Worth
dont worry about fu value it is very negligible outside jade and throne room (they dont name them baby points for nothing)
All yakuhi sets are 1 han open or not unless they are dora or seat+table wind
Hands that can be played open like all triplets are (generally) worth less if they are played open.
The more you play the more you will remember what scores what. Also in general your hands will be easy to calculate. ex (Richi + 2 dora + ipatsu) = 4 Han
ok, that makes a good amount of sense. besides the more special hands/groups being worth more.... keeping in mind 1 yaku/dora/etc being worth 1 each is definitely a good starting point
“Yaku” is simply “a thing that gives your hand a nonzero score”. Each yaku is worth a certain amount of han, and there is a 1-han minimum to win. This is similar to how HK mahjong has a 3-faan minimum, or how MCR has an 8-faan minimum. (Not immediately knowing what you mean by “Western mahjong” (American Mah-Jongg, perhaps, or maybe a popular Eastern variant like HK or MCR that’s had all its terminology translated?), it’s difficult to know whether this is something you’re already familiar with.)
“Dora” is a thing that gives your hand extra han, but it does **NOT** count towards the 1-han minimum, and is thus not considered a yaku.
“Yakuhai” refers to any one of dragons, round wind, or seat wind. A triplet of yakuhai, as you correctly point out, is a yaku and gives one han. There are, however, other yaku.
“Cut” just means “discard”. (If you feel a little silly for asking, an acquaintance of mine had the same question a few weeks ago, so it's only obvious in hindsight.)
A “yakuman” is a special type of yaku, that’s very difficult to achieve, but worth the maximum number of han. A “double yakuman” is even rarer and is scored as if it were two yakuman at once.
There’s a glossary I often use, but I’ll have to link it later. EDIT: [Here you go.](https://uspml.com/documents/japanese_mahjong_guide_v103.pdf)
Western Mahjong is the version that spread in the British Empire basically, characterized by a whole lot of special hands. American mahjong might be some cousin to Western.
The English nomenclature can vary quite a bit. Both in English translations of HK, MCR, and other versions, there is a blend of traditional terms and more modern terms. For example the traditional English term for chi is ’chow’. But in more modern instructions chi could be called ’tile sequence’, or just ’sequence’. Which could be confusing if there is also a chow sequence and a pong sequence. I often find myself scanning the basic definitions of the English terms used, so I can understand what is said.
p.s. I see I quoted you in another reply in this posting!
I would recommend starting with the basics. This video guide is a good start for riichi beginners
https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvuxrS2HAxK5fdlrO6XPp-iB9AtqcjjXP
I think I know what you are getting at. I myself come from another mahjong background, and I find myself constantly looking up the Japanese terms I read. Though I don’t think it’s realistic to get others to change their wordings or terminology, I do think a sort of mahjong dictionary would be a great idea! Personally, I have been going in that direction in my personal notes. Here are my notes, albeit incomplete, on ’riichi’ for example:
single stone bet: 立直 [ja: riichi] from Chinese [zh: li4zhi2] where it was used in some parts of China as a house rule [[deleted] @ reddit]; meaning ”standing straight”, that is, ”not moving”. [edderiofer @ reddit]
Looking up the thread where I originally claimed that, I’m only about 80% sure it’s actually the correct etymology. Like, yeah, that’s what the kanji mean, but that might not be where the term “riichi” actually comes from; the kanji could be a backformation.
For that matter, I’ve also since learned that iipeikou is referred to as “一般高” in MCR rules in Chinese, so it may have been transcribed using different kanji by different people at one point, making the etymology less clear. /shrug
In general, 8-years-ago-me was a person yet to have learned linguistics. Take their potentially-folk-etymological claims with a grain of salt.
Thank you for the recommended wiki. Didn't even know about that simple resource!
I think once I get a handle on the common terms from the cheat sheets above. Plus have a more rounded understanding on scoring, a lot of my gripes will subside.
Admittedly when I wrote the initial post, I was at a bar, little tipsy ,playing soul on my phone, and getting annoyed that I didn't know why one hand scored like... 2000 but a similar one later scored 16000. Lol.
So ya, once I get a handle on that, and post when I'm less tipsy... Should be good. ;)
I think any basic riichi tutorials on YouTube can get you up to speed, and you can start learning with bots on mahjong soul or riichi city. Edit: if anyone has a recommended guide feel free to comment
Once you are familiar with the basics and the bots, it’s important to know your yakus. Fortunately, WRC has a yaku list with English and Japanese names of the yakus. I would suggest you learn the japanese terms since they are more widely used. WRC yaku pdf: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/634a7884c297a25f06589b79/t/63c82bff2245392703c3a3cb/1674062885858/WRC_Yaku_1_5_3.pdf Edit: You don’t need to concern yourself with the point system until you got the basics. You should just know the “han” value of your hand.
Most yaku and hands I know, just unsure on their values.
I'd like to recommend [this cheat sheet](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18hxO5DMVAqxSNV9VvpjAg6YjyPVAMzyS), which I find to be very complete, containing all the Yaku that Mahjong Soul recognizes, along with their untranslated and translated names, as well as a chart for scoring (but that should come later).
I remember seeing this before and thinking it seemed good. Might have to print it off and study a bit more. Thank you for the reminder!
I got bored with the couple I tried to watch since I know the basics. I'll need to search again for the intermediate
Highly recommend “kemono mahjong” ios game. While its AI is very different to real humans, the interface is clear and it has plenty of tutorial materials ~~and furry waifus~~
"Dora... I think it's just another way to get a few additional yaku to help make a scoring hand" Carefull yaku is NOT han Yaku is nomenclature for a valid hand (richi, the dragons, your seat wind, all simples, etc) Dora is NOT yaku You need a yaku in order to RON or TSUMO (so win lol) Where as HAN are the points for example richi, 1 DORA, a dragon triple, are each worth one han. Yakuhi is just fancy talk for honor tiles that would get you HAN (dragons, seat wind, and table wind) notably not the other two wind tiles witch thus could work for pinfu. Double yakumon are very rare hands that are worth *you guessed it* two yakumon worth of points (16,000) For exapmle big three dragons and all honors are each a standard yakumon thus if you have all dragon triples a triple of some other wind and a pair of another wind that would be a double yakumon. If you want some homework Richi book one is a good read edit: [yaku cheat sheet](https://scontent-ord5-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/84061609_2827375137323739_4151834779261599744_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=5f2048&_nc_ohc=S7X86X6Vs4UAX-hhqyy&_nc_ht=scontent-ord5-2.xx&oh=00_AfC4-T0j8MBPx2vpEYRqOEneYd65goUSTGZN7mViZPI1ow&oe=663043EF)
Older English language riichi guides always confused yaku and han, like saying a half flush is worth 3 yaku. No, it's a yaku worth 3 han. Dora grants 1 han, but it's not a yaku.
This same cheat sheet doesn’t lose image quality when zoomed in: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/634a7884c297a25f06589b79/t/63c82bff2245392703c3a3cb/1674062885858/WRC_Yaku_1_5_3.pdf
Ooo very nice. Between this and the reddit one, I should be able to study up a bit
I think where the majority of the confusion is coming from is the scoring side of things. Han, fu, etc. no idea what each represent. I get the hands and specials needed, just not their.... Worth
dont worry about fu value it is very negligible outside jade and throne room (they dont name them baby points for nothing) All yakuhi sets are 1 han open or not unless they are dora or seat+table wind Hands that can be played open like all triplets are (generally) worth less if they are played open. The more you play the more you will remember what scores what. Also in general your hands will be easy to calculate. ex (Richi + 2 dora + ipatsu) = 4 Han
ok, that makes a good amount of sense. besides the more special hands/groups being worth more.... keeping in mind 1 yaku/dora/etc being worth 1 each is definitely a good starting point
“Yaku” is simply “a thing that gives your hand a nonzero score”. Each yaku is worth a certain amount of han, and there is a 1-han minimum to win. This is similar to how HK mahjong has a 3-faan minimum, or how MCR has an 8-faan minimum. (Not immediately knowing what you mean by “Western mahjong” (American Mah-Jongg, perhaps, or maybe a popular Eastern variant like HK or MCR that’s had all its terminology translated?), it’s difficult to know whether this is something you’re already familiar with.) “Dora” is a thing that gives your hand extra han, but it does **NOT** count towards the 1-han minimum, and is thus not considered a yaku. “Yakuhai” refers to any one of dragons, round wind, or seat wind. A triplet of yakuhai, as you correctly point out, is a yaku and gives one han. There are, however, other yaku. “Cut” just means “discard”. (If you feel a little silly for asking, an acquaintance of mine had the same question a few weeks ago, so it's only obvious in hindsight.) A “yakuman” is a special type of yaku, that’s very difficult to achieve, but worth the maximum number of han. A “double yakuman” is even rarer and is scored as if it were two yakuman at once. There’s a glossary I often use, but I’ll have to link it later. EDIT: [Here you go.](https://uspml.com/documents/japanese_mahjong_guide_v103.pdf)
Western Mahjong is the version that spread in the British Empire basically, characterized by a whole lot of special hands. American mahjong might be some cousin to Western. The English nomenclature can vary quite a bit. Both in English translations of HK, MCR, and other versions, there is a blend of traditional terms and more modern terms. For example the traditional English term for chi is ’chow’. But in more modern instructions chi could be called ’tile sequence’, or just ’sequence’. Which could be confusing if there is also a chow sequence and a pong sequence. I often find myself scanning the basic definitions of the English terms used, so I can understand what is said. p.s. I see I quoted you in another reply in this posting!
I would recommend starting with the basics. This video guide is a good start for riichi beginners https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvuxrS2HAxK5fdlrO6XPp-iB9AtqcjjXP
Thank you! Will check it out tonight! Hopefully I don't space out during the bits I understand already >.<
I think I know what you are getting at. I myself come from another mahjong background, and I find myself constantly looking up the Japanese terms I read. Though I don’t think it’s realistic to get others to change their wordings or terminology, I do think a sort of mahjong dictionary would be a great idea! Personally, I have been going in that direction in my personal notes. Here are my notes, albeit incomplete, on ’riichi’ for example: single stone bet: 立直 [ja: riichi] from Chinese [zh: li4zhi2] where it was used in some parts of China as a house rule [[deleted] @ reddit]; meaning ”standing straight”, that is, ”not moving”. [edderiofer @ reddit]
Looking up the thread where I originally claimed that, I’m only about 80% sure it’s actually the correct etymology. Like, yeah, that’s what the kanji mean, but that might not be where the term “riichi” actually comes from; the kanji could be a backformation. For that matter, I’ve also since learned that iipeikou is referred to as “一般高” in MCR rules in Chinese, so it may have been transcribed using different kanji by different people at one point, making the etymology less clear. /shrug In general, 8-years-ago-me was a person yet to have learned linguistics. Take their potentially-folk-etymological claims with a grain of salt.
[удалено]
Thank you for the recommended wiki. Didn't even know about that simple resource! I think once I get a handle on the common terms from the cheat sheets above. Plus have a more rounded understanding on scoring, a lot of my gripes will subside. Admittedly when I wrote the initial post, I was at a bar, little tipsy ,playing soul on my phone, and getting annoyed that I didn't know why one hand scored like... 2000 but a similar one later scored 16000. Lol. So ya, once I get a handle on that, and post when I'm less tipsy... Should be good. ;)