# Ron — Riichi Mahjong Glossary

> Winning by claiming another player's discard in mahjong. The discarder pays the full winning amount. Cannot be declared if in furiten.

**Source:** https://www.mahjongmaster.co/learn/riichi/glossary/ron/
**Author:** Kenji Tanaka (https://www.mahjongmaster.co/about/kenji-tanaka/)
**Publisher:** Mahjong Master (https://www.mahjongmaster.co)
**Published:** 2026-02-18
**Updated:** 2026-03-10
**Japanese:** ロン
**Category:** gameplay
**Variant:** general

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## Ron

**Ron** (ロン) is a method of winning in mahjong by claiming another player's discard to complete your winning hand. The player who discarded the tile that completed your hand must pay you the full winning amount, while the other two players pay nothing.

## How Ron works

Ron represents one of two primary ways to achieve victory in mahjong, the other being tsumo (self-drawn win). When you declare ron, you are announcing that the tile just discarded by another player is the final tile needed to complete your winning hand configuration.

The key distinguishing feature of ron is the payment structure. In a ron win, the discarder bears the entire cost of your victory, paying the full value of your hand as determined by its han and fu. This differs from tsumo, where the payment is divided among all three opponents. The total you receive is roughly the same either way; what changes is who pays it, which is why dealing into a big hand is the most feared outcome in riichi.

To declare ron, you must immediately claim the discard before the next player draws a tile. The declaration must be made verbally and clearly, typically by saying "ron" or "agari" (depending on regional rules). Some rulesets require you to show your complete winning hand before payment is made, while others may allow you to declare first and reveal afterward.

An important restriction applies to ron declarations: you cannot win by ron while in furiten. If any tile of your current wait sits in your own discard pile, ron is blocked on your entire wait for as long as that remains true. You may still win by tsumo while in furiten, as the restriction applies only to claiming others' discards.

Ron takes priority over any competing pon or chii call on the same tile. When two or three players can ron the same discard, rulesets differ: some allow multiple simultaneous rons (double or triple ron), while others use the head-bump rule (atamahane), awarding the win only to the player nearest the discarder in turn order, which proceeds counter-clockwise.

## Walking through Ron

Consider this scenario: your hand is complete except for a 5-bamboo. The player to your left discards one. You immediately declare "Ron!" and reveal your winning hand. The discarder pays the full amount alone, 8,000 points if the hand reaches mangan, more if the han climb higher, and the other two players pay nothing.

Alternatively, imagine you are in furiten because you discarded a 3-character tile earlier in the round, and that same 3-character would complete your hand. If another player now discards a 3-character, you cannot declare ron, even though the tile would complete your winning configuration. You would need to wait for a self-drawn 3-character to achieve tsumo instead.

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*This content is from [Mahjong Master](https://www.mahjongmaster.co), a free educational reference for riichi (Japanese) and American (NMJL) mahjong. When citing this page, please link to https://www.mahjongmaster.co/learn/riichi/glossary/ron/.*