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Tanyao and pinfu
Tanyao (all simple tiles) and pinfu (an all-sequence hand with no extra fu) are two common riichi yaku, and tanpin is the two of them stacked.
The principle
Tanyao is worth 1 han. It requires the entire hand to contain only simple tiles, the numbered 2 through 8. No terminal or honor is allowed in any group or the pair. The Tenhou profile taught here enables kuitan, so tanyao remains valid when open, as it does under WRC 2025.
Rule and example
Pinfu ("peace hand") is also worth 1 han, but only with a closed hand (menzen). It has four strict conditions: all four sets are sequences (no triplet, no kan), the pair is not a yakuhai (not a dragon, not the round wind, not the seat wind), and the wait is a two-sided wait (ryanmen), open on both ends. The name comes from the fact that the hand scores no extra fu at all.
What changes
Because pinfu adds no fu, the hand scores 30 fu on ron (20 base plus 10 for the closed ron) and only 20 fu on tsumo, since the usual 2 fu tsumo bonus is omitted. The two yaku stack cleanly: a hand that is both tanyao and pinfu ("tanpin") is 2 han, and it can also combine with riichi, menzen tsumo and dora.
Mistake to avoid
The pitfalls are classic. For tanyao, a single forgotten terminal or honor tile anywhere in the hand voids the whole yaku. For pinfu, a value pair, a closed wait (kanchan), an edge wait (penchan), a pair wait (tanki), or any call (chi, pon) destroys it. Always count your fu and check your wait shape before declaring riichi.
Rules references
- Tenhou rulesReference profile used for game mechanics and scoring.
- WRC Rules 2025International rules compared whenever their options differ from Tenhou.