# Pinfu (平和) — Riichi Mahjong Yaku

> A closed hand made entirely of sequences with a valueless pair and a two-sided wait, earning no minipoints from the hand structure.

**Source:** https://www.mahjongmaster.co/learn/riichi/yaku/pinfu/
**Author:** Kenji Tanaka (https://www.mahjongmaster.co/about/kenji-tanaka/)
**Publisher:** Mahjong Master (https://www.mahjongmaster.co)
**Published:** 2026-02-14
**Updated:** 2026-03-10
**Japanese:** 平和 (pinfu)
**Han value:** 1 han
**Category:** sequence
**Difficulty:** beginner
**Frequency:** very-common
**Closed only:** yes

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## Overview

Pinfu, sometimes called all sequences, is a 1-han yaku, available only on a closed hand, awarded for the most peaceful possible shape. To qualify, the hand must be closed and meet four conditions: all four melds are sequences with no triplets or kan, the pair is not a value tile (not a dragon, the round wind, or your seat wind), and the final wait is a ryanmen, a two-sided wait open on both ends. Because it adds no fu from triplets or special waits, pinfu is defined as a flat 20 fu, and a pinfu hand won by tsumo is fixed at 20 fu. It pairs especially well with tanyao, riichi, iipeikou, and dora, and its all-sequence shape tends to give flexible hands with good waits. Pinfu is a staple of beginner strategy because aiming for sequences and a neutral pair naturally builds toward a cheap but quick and reliable yaku.

## Conditions

- Your hand must be **completely closed** (no open calls)
- All four melds must be **sequences** (chi) -- no triplets or quads allowed
- Your pair must be **valueless** -- it cannot be a dragon, the round wind, or your seat wind
- Your winning wait must be a **two-sided wait** (ryanmen) -- waiting on either end of a two-tile sequence (for example, holding 4-5 and waiting on 3 or 6)
- Single-sided waits (penchan), closed waits (kanchan), and pair waits (shanpon/tanki) do **not** qualify

## Strategy Tips

- Pinfu is the quintessential "cheap but fast" yaku. It rewards building a clean, efficient hand of sequences. When your starting tiles lean toward connected middle tiles, pinfu is often your natural path.
- Pay close attention to your pair. If you have a pair of dragons or the relevant wind, your hand cannot be pinfu even if everything else qualifies. Plan early to pair a valueless tile like a simple number tile or an irrelevant wind.
- The two-sided wait requirement means you should aim to finish with a ryanmen shape. If your final wait is a single-sided edge wait (like 1-2 waiting on 3) or a middle wait (like 4-6 waiting on 5), you lose pinfu. Structure your hand so your last incomplete sequence has both sides open.

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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/yaku/pinfu/.*