Tanyao
断幺九 | tanyao
Build your entire hand using only simple tiles numbered 2 through 8, with no terminals or honor tiles.
By Kenji Tanaka · Updated
Overview
Tanyao, also called all simples, is a 1-han yaku made entirely from number tiles 2 through 8, with no terminals (1s or 9s) and no honor tiles anywhere in the hand. It is one of the most common and beginner-friendly yaku because the middle tiles it uses combine easily into sequences and triplets. In most modern rule sets tanyao can be open (kuitan), meaning you may call pon or chii and still keep the yaku, which makes it a fast, reliable way to have a valid hand; some stricter rules require it to stay closed. Tanyao combines naturally with pinfu, with dora, and with riichi on a closed hand, so a plain all-simples hand can still score well once dora are added. Because it avoids the edge of each suit, tanyao also tends to produce wider, safer ryanmen waits than terminal-based hands, which is part of why it is taught first.
Example Hand
2m 3m 4m 5p 5p 5p 3s 4s 5s 6s 7s 8s 6p 6p
Conditions
- Every tile in your hand must be a simple tile (numbered 2 through 8 in any suit)
- No terminal tiles (1 or 9 of any suit) are allowed anywhere in the hand
- No honor tiles (winds or dragons) are allowed anywhere in the hand
- This applies to all melds and the pair — every single tile must be 2-8
Strategy Tips
- Tanyao is one of the fastest and most common yaku. When your starting hand has mostly middle tiles, go for it. Discard any terminals and honors early, and build your hand from the 2-8 range.
- In most modern rule sets (including EMA and online platforms like Mahjong Soul), tanyao is valid even with open calls. This makes “open tanyao” (kuitan) a great speed strategy — call chi and pon freely on middle tiles to complete your hand quickly, even if it’s worth fewer points.
- Tanyao combines naturally with pinfu in a closed hand. Both want sequences made of middle tiles, so you’ll often end up with tanyao + pinfu together, giving you an easy 2 han base.