Han

Han

Han (翻, literally “turn” or “flip”) refers to the doubling multipliers in mahjong scoring that determine the value of a winning hand. Each completed yaku (winning pattern) contributes a specific number of han to your hand’s total value. Combined with fu (base points), han directly determines how many points you receive when you win.

How Han plays out at the table

Han functions as a multiplier system in mahjong scoring. The more han your hand contains, the more valuable it becomes. The han system creates a tiered scoring structure where hands with greater complexity and difficulty are worth proportionally more points.

Each yaku in your winning hand contributes a fixed number of han. For example, a simple yaku like “all simples” (tanyao) is worth 1 han, while more difficult patterns like “all honors and terminals” (honroutou) are worth 2 han. You can combine multiple yaku in a single hand, stacking their han values together.

The relationship between han and fu works together in the scoring formula. Fu represents the base point value calculated from your hand’s structure (melds, wait patterns, terminals), while han acts as the multiplier applied to those base points. Han usually dominates fu in scoring, since each han doubles the base points while fu only adds linearly.

The han system includes natural breakpoints that trigger special scoring categories. At 5 han, regardless of fu, your hand qualifies as mangan (満貫), a fixed-value hand worth 2,000 base points. At 6-7 han, you achieve haneman (跳満), worth 3,000 base points. At 8-10 han, you score baiman (倍満), worth 4,000 base points. At 11-12 han, you earn sanbaiman (三倍満), worth 6,000 base points. Finally, 13+ han qualifies as yakuman (役満), the maximum hand value.

In practical gameplay, han serves as the primary indicator of hand difficulty and value. Newer players often focus on han counts when evaluating their winning hands, as it provides a clearer picture of scoring than fu calculations alone.

Example: Han in a real hand

Consider a player who completes a closed winning hand containing:

• Riichi (declared at closed tenpai): 1 han
• All simples (tanyao): 1 han
• Two identical sequences (iipeikou): 1 han

This hand totals 3 han. With 30 fu, the base points are calculated as fu × 2^(2 + han) = 30 × 2^(2+3) = 960 base points, which then gets multiplied by the payment structure (tsumo or ron) to determine actual payments.

If that same hand somehow incorporated a yakuman, the han count would jump to 13+, and the entire scoring calculation would change dramatically, resulting in a yakuman payment regardless of fu value.