Curriculum · 16 / 50
Honitsu, chinitsu, and honroutou
Distinguish flush hands from terminal hands, learn their values, and read the signals they leave in the discard pool.
The principle
Honitsu uses one numbered suit with at least one honor. It is worth 3 han closed and 2 han open. Chinitsu uses one numbered suit without honors and is worth 6 han closed or 5 han open.
Rule and example
Honroutou is made entirely of terminals and honors, with at least one tile of each type. It is worth 2 han and necessarily combines with toitoi or chiitoitsu because no sequence can be formed.
What changes
A flush can also be read through the discard pool. When the other two suits are discarded very early, tiles in the kept suit and unseen honors become progressively more dangerous.
Mistake to avoid
For your own hand, do not force a flush automatically. Compare the han gained, the option to open, and the ukeire lost by keeping isolated tiles.
Rules references
- Tenhou rulesReference profile used for game mechanics and scoring.
- WRC Rules 2025International rules compared whenever their options differ from Tenhou.